Day trips from Toruń
Two spa towns with graduation towers and the first capital of Poland. A direct Polregio train runs to all three, no changes.
- Ciechocinek
- train (Polregio, direct)
- Inowrocław
- train (Polregio, direct)
- Gniezno
- train (Polregio, direct)
If you only have time for one trip, make it Ciechocinek: a short train ride to the largest graduation towers in Europe. Inowrocław offers the same idea in a smaller, newer form, with a bigger park around it. Gniezno, the town where Poland's first king was crowned, is the only one that needs a full day.
Worth it, if you only pick one
The three wooden graduation towers (tężnie) in Ciechocinek are the largest structure of their kind in Europe. Together they run 1,742 metres and stand almost sixteen metres high. The first two went up between 1824 and 1828, the third in 1859, designed by Jakub Graff. They still work the same way. Brine trickles down blackthorn branches and evaporates, leaving the air around the towers rich in iodine. Since the line reopened in late 2025, the train to Ciechocinek runs direct again, about 30 min each way.
A smaller tower, a bigger park
The spa in Inowrocław began in 1875, and the graduation tower standing today in the 85-hectare Park Solankowy is new, opened in 2001. It stands nine metres high and runs three hundred metres, in the shape of two linked polygons. It's smaller than Ciechocinek's towers, but it sits inside a park with walking paths and a palm house, making it the better pick for a slower afternoon. The train to Inowrocław takes 33 min.
A full day for the first capital
Gniezno is traditionally regarded as the first capital of Poland: its cathedral was where Poland's first king was crowned in 1025, before the throne moved to Kraków. The cathedral's bronze doors, cast around 1175, carry eighteen reliefs from the life of St Adalbert and rank among the most important works of Romanesque art in Poland. The train takes 1 h 16 each way, so set aside the whole day for Gniezno.
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
Which day trip from Toruń is best if I pick one?
Ciechocinek, for the largest graduation towers in Europe and the shortest ride, about 30 min.
Do I need a car for these trips?
No, all three run on a direct Polregio train from the same station.
Why does Gniezno take a full day?
The train ride is 1 h 16 each way, twice as long as the other two trips.
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Where to next
Where to stay in Toruń
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Malbork · 117 km
→Europe's largest brick castle on the bank of the Nogat, with the town and its old square right beside it
How well does Toruń suit you?
→Six questions: a score for this place and others like it.
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