Gdańsk

Biedronka — the ubiquitous discounter

Lidl / Aldi — more discount

Żabka — corner shops on every block

Best: Jun – Aug · Wet: —

Fees: Bank ATMs: no surcharge. Euronet: everywhere, and to be avoided everywhere.

Limits: Bank machines 1,000–3,000+ zł; Euronet again caps low on purpose.

Best machines: PKO BPSantandermBank

Vaccines: Routine; tick-borne encephalitis if you'll do eastern forests.

Health: Tap water fine, pharmacies (apteka) superb.

Tap water: ✅ Safe to drink across the country; Gdańsk tap is good.

Safety: Gdańsk and the Tricity are Baltic-calm (~0.7/100k nationally). Summer weekend party crowds in Sopot are boisterous, not threatening. The Baltic itself is the thing to respect: swim at flagged beaches; that sea is colder and stronger than it looks.

Plant-based: Warsaw and Gdańsk rank among Europe's top vegan cities; pierogi ruskie are vegetarian and milk bars always have meatless classics.

Gluten-free: Pierogi are wheat; placki ziemniaczane (potato pancakes) and grilled dishes are safer; 'bezglutenowe' labeling is growing fast.

This is a Schengen-area country. Most US, UK, EU, Canadian, Australian, NZ, Brazilian, Japanese and Korean passports enter visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period across the whole Schengen zone. From 2025 the EU's ETIAS pre-authorisation applies to visa-free non-EU visitors — check before you fly.