How to get from Gdańsk Airport to Gdańsk City Centre (Gdynia and Sopot)
Gdańsk Airport is the 3rd busiest airport in the country. Its code is GDN, and the full name is Gdansk Lech Walesa Airport. You are probably familiar with the name of Lech Walesa, the leader of the ‘Solidarity’ movement that led to the fall of the communistic regime and Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
The first airport in Gdańsk was opened in 1922, but it had a different location. Gdańsk Airport in Gdańsk-Rębiechowo, where it is now and in its current form, was opened in 1974.
Since then, the airport has developed a lot and in past years it has gained many connections.
There are budget airlines flying; there are many connections from Ryanair and Wizz Air, but also standard lines: LOT Polish Airlines, KLM to Amsterdam, Lufthansa, SAS, Turkish Airlines to Istanbul. So there is an option to get to Gdańsk with a change from almost anywhere in the world. It also has domestic connections to Warsaw, Wrocław, or Lublin.
Let’s see how to get from Gdańsk Airport to Gdańsk City Centre. It’s actually quite an easy and straight-forward journey.
Best option to get from Gdańsk Airport to Gdańsk City Centre
Gdańsk Airport is actually in Gdańsk city itself; it’s around 15 km from the Gdańsk City Centre. The airport is close to ‘obwodnica’, the Tricity ‘by-pass road’, so it’s easy to get to different neighbourhoods.
You have a few options to travel from and to airport. I know that many foreigners prefer the taxi or Bolt/Uber as it’s relatively cheap and comfortable.
You can also take the bus or train. See the details below.
Taxi
The official company cooperating with the airport is Neptun Taxi. It’s very easy to see them; they are just in front of the terminal. Ask for the price before you enter; the journey to the centre/old town should be around 100 zł during the day. Prices in the evenings, at night, and during public holidays are higher. You can also pre-book the ride.
The other option is Bolt or Uber, both of them work in Gdańsk. It might be cheaper than regular taxi, depending on time.
Private Transfer
You can also pre-book a private transfer. It’s also most comfortable, as they usually check the status of your flight, wait for you, and pick you up from the terminal.
Public bus
There are a few public buses that go from the airport to different parts of Gdańsk. Bus 210 goes to the Gdansk Glowny- Main Train station (stop: Dworzec Glówny), so it’s the one you should take if you want to reach the city centre.
There is also the night bus N3, which goes to the same stop.
The airport bus station is opposite the terminal.
Train
Another option is the PKM train (metropolitan train). It leaves directly from the airport, just a 1-minute walk from the terminal. You actually don’t even have to leave the terminal; after you leave the arrivals door, just go left to the escalator. You go up with the escalator, and then via corridors, you can reach platforms. One is towards Gdańsk, the second towards Gdynia.
You can buy tickets from the automatic ticket machine on the platform; there are also new machines just next to the escalator. If there are any issues with machines, you can buy the ticket at the conductor in the train. You just need to go ask about it before they come to you to check the ticket.
Important information is that this train goes only to Gdańsk Wrzeszcz. It’s a nice neighbourhood, but it’s not a pure city centre. You can change at this station to the SKM train (city train) if you want to reach the city centre. It’s an easy change; SKM trains go regularly, and it’s only 4 stops.
SKM stations in the centre of Gdansk are: Gdańsk Główny or Gdańsk Śródmieście. Śródmieście is closest to Gdansk Old Town.
You can check the schedule here; for me, it’s also quite comfortable to check it here (this one shows for both trains). You can also see the timing of trains and buses on the board at the airport.
Trains don’t go at night, so you will need to take a private transfer or night bus.
Rent a car
The counters of rental car companies are a few metres away from the arrivals doors.
The time it takes to get from the airport to the centre depends on the traffic jams. It’s around 20-30 minutes, but it can take longer.
How to get from Gdańsk Airport to Gdynia
Gdańsk is a part of Tricity, a metropolitan area with 3 cities: Gdańsk, Gdynia, and Sopot. All three cities are worth visiting. Sopot is the smallest; it’s most of all a seaside resort. Gdynia is bigger; it’s a city with a beach in the city centre. It’s also host of the Opener Festival in the summer. From here, you can also get to Hel Peninsula; here you can read how.
So how to get to Gdynia from the Gdańsk Airport? The best option is by PKM train.
The PKM train goes directly and takes 25-30 minutes. It just leaves the airport from the other platform than to Gdańsk, so be sure to go in the right direction; it’s marked well.
For schedule and tickets information, check the above Train section in this post. Rules are same as for Gdańsk.
In Gdynia, you can leave the train at a few stations, but most probably you will need the station Gdynia Glowna, which is the city centre (around 20 minutes walk to the beach).
How to get from Gdańsk Airport to Sopot
There is no direct line from the airport to Sopot. However, you can get to Gdańsk or Gdynia, and change for a train to Sopot. It sounds a bit complicated, but it really isn’t.
Sopot is ‘in the middle’ so you can take a PKM train from the airport to both Gdansk Wrzeszcz or Gdynia Główna and then change to SKM, city trains.
It takes 13 minutes to get with from Gdynia Główna to Sopot.
Sopot Główny station is in the centre of Sopot, around a 10-15 minute walk to the beach and close to many hotels and restaurants.
I often fly from Gdańsk, and I really like this airport. It’s not big, but not too small, and big enough to have a place to sit, eat, or drink coffee. Terminal and toilets just look nice. From Gdynia, I usually get there by train; it’s the most convenient way for me.
Welcome to Gdańsk, welcome to Tricity, and I hope you will enjoy your time here!
