Malbork

Malbork is done in a day, usually as a trip out from Gdańsk. The train pulls into the station, and from there you walk through the old town to the castle on the Nogat and back. The old square and the riverside walk fit into the same day.

The regional train from Gdańsk takes about 30 min and pulls in on the side of town opposite the castle, so the walk into the centre goes through the old town. Its streets still keep the narrow medieval layout around a long market square. The houses along them are post-war. Fighting for the town in 1945 destroyed about 80 per cent of its buildings, and only the parish church, the town hall, two town gates and stretches of the walls survived from the old core.

On the square stands the Gothic town hall from around 1380, rebuilt after the war together with the church and the gates. Today it holds the town's cultural centre, so it is seen only from the outside, from the square. St John the Baptist's Church is a few steps further on; entry is free, and the doors are open Jul–Aug daily 10–17; rest of the year daily 10–14; Sundays after Mass.

From the square the way leads on to the river. A few streets further is the bridge over the Nogat, a branch of the Vistula that carries on for tens of kilometres past Malbork to the Vistula Lagoon. From the bridge the whole castle comes into view for the first time, a mass of brick along the bank.

The castle was begun around 1274 by the Teutonic Knights. In 1309 the Grand Master's seat moved here from Venice, and Malbork stayed the capital of the monastic state until 1457. At 21 hectares it is Europe's largest brick castle by land area; UNESCO added it to the World Heritage list in 1997. Inside, the Historical Route takes 3 h 30 through all three parts of the fortress; a ticket is €18.50, open 25 Apr–30 Sep: Tue–Sun 9–20; Monday walking route only, free.

After the Route comes the viewpoint on the castle tower, which needs its own ticket. The climb takes 30 min, and from the top you see all three parts of the fortress and the Nogat below. Admission is €3.90, open 25 Apr–30 Sep: Tue–Sun 11:00–18:15.

From the castle you come out onto the riverside walk, 20–30 min walk past the quay where the Nogat cruise boat also leaves in summer. In the evening, once the castle lights up, you see it from the same quay across the water. It costs nothing; you only need to stay until dark. One day covers all of this, and the best season is late Apr–Sep. Stay longer, and in 11 min the train reaches Sztum, with a second castle of the same order on a combined ticket.