Welcome to Elbląg
Elbląg is one of the oldest cities in northern Poland, founded in 1237 and granted its town charter in 1246. It sits where the Elbląg River runs down into the Vistula Lagoon, close enough to the Baltic to feel the sea air but far enough inland to keep its own quiet character. Gdańsk Airport is around 55 minutes away by road, and Gdańsk city itself about 50 minutes, which makes Elbląg an easy arrival and a very different place to stay.
Give the city three days and a family will have seen it properly, including the Elbląg Canal with its extraordinary boat lifts, where vessels are carried overland on rails between water levels. It is one of the few working examples of its kind anywhere. From the town you can also take a boat out onto the Vistula Lagoon and see the area the way it was always meant to be seen, from the water, and in the summer you can ferry or drive to the beaches at Stegna and Krynica Morska, In fact the locals go to the seaside all year round to take in the fresh air stroll and walk by calm seas or hear crashing waves against the sea walls
Then give it another three days, because Elbląg sits right in the middle of everything worth reaching. Car hire available close by if required. Frombork, where Copernicus worked and is buried, is a short drive South. Read all about Copernicus's history before you visit his Museum so that you get the best out of the visit. Malbork, lies West of Elblag and is the largest Teutonic brick castle in the world. Allow for more than a 1/2 day to see all of this splendid Castle in all its glory. Tourist tours can be arranged and self tours are facilitated by audio devices in many languages.
Gdańsk, a vibrant, historic port city on Poland’s Baltic coast known for its meticulously rebuilt Hanseatic architecture, rich maritime heritage, and pivotal role in modern European is around fifty minutes away. The Tri City of Gdansk, Gdynia and Sopot share a beautiful harbour, famous shipbuilding industry and a beach between them. Beaches, From Elblag the sea is closer than you would think, reachable by ferry across the lagoon in summer or by road at any time of year. Six days, one apartment, no packing and repacking.
A family apartment, not a number of hotel rooms.
Gael Stary Rynek was built around families, and it is families who have rated it most highly. On Booking.com it scores 9.8 out of 10 from 81 reviews, with a perfect 10 for location, and it is the guests travelling with children who tend to leave the longest reviews. One described it as having everything and more. Another wrote that the location was fantastic and the apartment offered a lot of space, perfect for a family, with everything at the doorstep.
The reason is space and thought in equal measure. Over a thousand square feet arranged across several half levels, three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a large open plan kitchen and living room. Because the bedrooms sit above the living space, the family can stay up late downstairs without waking anyone sleeping above, which is the single thing guests mention most often.
A word about the bells
The Cathedral stands in the middle of the square, and its bells ring on the hour from early in the morning through to midday. In bedroom 3, (the balcony room), you hear them clearly. Some guests love this and say it is the sound they remember most about staying here. Others would rather sleep through it. If you are hoping for a long lie in, take bedroom 1 or bedroom 2 at the back of the apartment, which are the quietest, and leave bedroom 3 to whoever wants to wake up to bells over a Hanseatic market square.
Each room has been set up with children in mind rather than adults alone. Bedroom 2 has its own children's corner with a television. The balcony room has a child's work desk. There is a book library on the half landing between the floors, and a play park for younger children on the ground floor of the building.
And then there is the music. The balcony room doubles as a music room, with a piano, a music centre and several instruments that guests are welcome to play. One guest called it the lovely music room, and it is the part of the apartment that most surprises people when they arrive. Very few apartments anywhere offer it, ... if any.