The Most Unusual Things to Do in Gdynia

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Gdynia’s Emigration Museum was opened in 2015, and identified by National Geographic to be one of the most interesting museums in Poland. Poland is thought to have the sixth largest diaspora in the world with Chicago often cited as the second biggest Polish city in the world after Warsaw. The museum details the journeys made by Polish people and displays and explains the reasons why so many Poles have emigrated over the years. You’ll also find some unusual art and real-life stories from Poles abroad.

It might seem odd to watch rugby in Poland. It’s a country famous for football, handball, volleyball, Speedway and winter sports, but rugby? Yes, in Gdynia you’ll find the stadium for the Poland’s national rugby team! Known as Narodowy Stadion Rugby, the stadium is also home of local rugby team Arka Gdynia, who play in yellow and blue, evident by the seat colours. The stadium is situated on the edge of town, near Gdynia Redłowo SKM station.

Take a walk to Gdynia’s centrally located Kashubia Square and you virtually step into Kashubia. It is here that you will discover that many Kashubians claim they are a separate country with their own language, culture and food. While the heartland of Kashubia lies deeper in Poland’s countryside, this square has proud Kashubian flags flying (yellow and black) and a monument to the Kashubian activist Anthony Abraham. Nearby, there is also a Kashubian restaurant.

While Hel is pronounced the same way as ‘hell’, this place is quite the opposite of its namesake! Hel is a beautiful peninsula; from Gdynia in the summer months, you can take a direct ferry to Hel booking via the website or in person at the harbour, and spend the day exploring its pretty beaches and looking out for wildlife, particularly birds.

Gdynia boasts the popular Biały Kot Kocia Kawiarnia (White Cat Café) where you can order coffee and cake, then enjoy it in the company of some very cute cats. This is fast becoming a popular haunt for locals and visitors. The cats have a lot of freedom, there is WiFi, friendly staff and you can while away a few hours deciding which cat is your favourite. It doesn’t open until 11am, so it makes for a good afternoon hangout.

Something even Polish people might be unaware of is that Gdynia hosts a yearly “Literary Prize”, something which was introduced in 2006 by the mayor of the city, Wojciech Szczurek, with the statement “The idea of the Gdynia Literary Prize is to honour unique achievements of contemporary Polish authors which shall determine a strong and also permanent impulse to further intensify activities in literature and art in its broad meaning”. It also culminates in a two-day festival, where the public can meet authors and attend talks and workshops.

Gdynia recently played host to Escape Me Gdynia – a game, similar to the British TV programme The Crystal Maze, where you have to solve a variety of tasks in order to escape from a locked room. Puzzles are provided in the Harry Potter mode and it’s your turn to play magician. The scripts are a system of hints and the watchmakers and game rooms are suitable both for beginners and advanced players. In short, you have 60 minutes to get out of the three atmospheric room puzzles. Hagrid’s Cottage will allow you to move into the world of Harry Potter here in the Polish seaside port.

Jumpcity was the first trampoline park in Poland and is the largest in the country; it is situated in central Gdynia. There are over 140 trampolines to suit people of all ages. There are all sorts of different styles and zones, including dodgeball, a sponge pool and a basketball arena, all on trampolines.