What to do in Gdansk in February, and on the river all year

Anyone asking what to do in Gdansk in February should start with the numbers. At the Elblag-Milejewo station, 55 km from the city, February averages a daily high of 2.4 °C and a low of -3.6 °C, and about 9.7 hrs of daylight at mid-month.¹ It is the driest month on that record, with 34 mm of precipitation.¹ Cold and short, then, but rarely a washout, and the Old Town has far more room to breathe than in summer.

Boats do not vanish in winter. A guided winter kayak trip, lasting 2.5 to 3 hours, sets off from the shipyard whatever the sky does; only dangerous weather stops it, and then you are offered another date or your money back. The yacht that tours the Motlawa and the port lists a non-alcoholic mulled wine as its welcome drink outside the spring and summer months, which tells you it sails then too. The small electric eco boats keep pillows and blankets on board.

Plan the rest of a February day indoors. The Gdansk tourist office keeps a list of places for days when it is cold, raining or windy.⁵ On Wednesdays the permanent exhibition of the National Maritime Museum in its granaries is free.⁶ Across the river, the Crane's exhibition tells the story of the grain port.⁷ A short cruise in the brief midday light, then a museum, then a warm restaurant: that is a sound winter plan for Gdansk.

Summer is the busy season, and the river shows it from the first morning boat. June has the longest days: on the Leba record the sun is up about 17.2 hrs at mid-month.¹ July averages a high of 21.5 °C at Leba, while the Elblag-Milejewo rain gauge records 100 mm, the wettest month of the year there.¹ August is almost as warm, with a 21.7 °C average high at Leba.¹ Expect showers between long, bright evenings.

The sea keeps things mild. The Polish Tourism Organisation notes that the Baltic can make summer temperatures lower than elsewhere in Poland.¹⁴ That suits a boat trip: a breeze on the water, rarely real heat. It also means a jacket for the evening cruise, even in July, because the temperature falls fast when the sun sinks behind the gables of the Long Embankment. A seat on the shaded side of the boat is worth asking for at noon.

Summer is also festival season on the waterfront. During Baltic Sail, sailing ships moor on the Motlawa near Targ Rybny and open their decks to visitors.¹² It is a rare chance to compare a modern tourist boat with a tall ship moored a few metres away. In the second half of August, the Mozartiana festival turns Oliwa Park into an open-air concert stage.⁸ Book boat trips in Gdansk a few days ahead at this time of year; a boat like the galar has only 12 seats.