What You Will Do
You will explore this historic spa resort town with a local architect learning the ins and outs of the charming community of Sopot. From the longest wooden pier in Europe to a Villa where Chopin visited and played, you will be amazed and inspired throughout the tour. You will hear fun stories and be presented with facts which relate to the development from a fishermen village to a glamorous spa resort well known all over Europe in the 1920-30s. I am a certified tour guide of the Sopot Tourist Association. My family has been settled here since March 1945 and I offer you a private experience. Let’s take a tour! It can be a walking tour, but it is quite easy to rent bikes and take a bike tour. The bike tour is also fun and you can see even more! I will help you with pleasure with the rental:)
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Itinerary
1
Monte Cassino
14 minutes
The first pedestrian street in Poland, famous all over the country even today. Back in the time it was the main road to the sea and the fishermen of the small village of Sopot used to take it to go to the sea. There are a lot of stories to tell and I will show you historical pictures so you can see how the center of Sopot has changed over the centuries.
2
Dworek Sierakowskich
6 minutes
An 18th century building, former guest house of a big manor house. The interiors are interesting, it has a nice back garden, you will like the authenticity of a calm location off the beaten track. You will find here a bust of Fryderyk Chopin as he very probably stayed here when being on holiday and played piano.
3
Passing on a picturesque bridge over a deep ravine we will get to a street whose first name was Villas Street. The oldest house here is from 1881 and people love the classical architecture style it has.There are more houses to look at and a lot of stories behind the walls… Let’s reveal that in the second part of the 20th century this street was nicknamed “Poland's Montmartre”.
4
13 minutes
One of the biggest villas is from the late 19th century, the Tower Villa has a long and rather sad story accompanied with a tone of music. It was built by a merchant for its family. Today you will find an art institution in this Alpine Resort style building. Why does the building refer to an Alpine Resort when built so far from the Alps and in a seaside resort and not a mountain one?
I will tell you about the European spa resorts trend that started in the 18th century in the park surrounding the villa.
5
Sopot is said to have the richest complex of spa architecture in Europe. We will take a walk to discover what that means and what this architecture looks like.
This is also the neighborhood where a great artist lives. His name is Per Oscar Gustav Dahlberg. You might want to stop by his house and studio and buy some of his graphics or the album presenting Sopot or Gdańsk architecture - just let me know whether it sounds interesting and I will possibly arrange a meeting :) He is Swedish and decided to move to Sopot in 1996 when fell in love with this place. There is a quite famous “crooked house” in Sopot whose design was inspired by his drawings!
6
Jan Jerzy Haffner Monument
3 minutes
The numerous tennis courts, the beautiful trees in large parks, and sandy beaches. Sopot has it all and much more! We will stop by the statue of the town’s “godfather”, previously a surgeon in Napoleon’s army and know his story of choosing Sopot as a place to live far before anybody had heard about the area.
7
15 minutes
The Grand Hotel is majestically situated on the beach. Which is quite amazing, it is the city of Sopot itself which, in the 1920’s, made the decision to make such an investment. We will look around and hear a few stories related to the splendor of the place.
8
Skwer Kuracyjny
12 minutes
The beautiful plaza was created in 1925 and has a lot to offer. Once again we will see old pictures; this time from when Sopot was well known all over Europe as the Riviera of the North. You will be astonished by the numerous attractions of the time.
9
6 minutes
The tour will end next to the Changing Rooms built in 1905. There are funny stories behind this one.
Or at the plaza surrounded by the small fishermen’s houses who were gently relocated from the place the same year: 1905.
10
Sopot Pier
At some point we will pass by the famous pier. You will get to know all about it so you can visit it after the tour.
11
Sopot Lighthouse
14 minutes
Walking on the steps on the lighthouse might be tiring, but the view is worth it !
It will be for you to decide whether we do it or not.
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