Motława river cruise, Gdańsk

Gdańsk's Old Town gets most of the attention, but the Motława river running past it was the city's actual lifeline for centuries – the route Hanseatic traders used to move goods through the port. A short cruise on a replica of a traditional galar boat is a genuinely different way to see that history than walking the waterfront above it.

A boat built for cargo, now built for sightseeing

Galar boats were flat-bottomed riverboats that carried timber and other goods along Polish rivers through the 18th century. The boats used for today's cruises are small, 12-passenger replicas built in the same style – intimate rather than a large tour boat, with room for a live guide to narrate as you go.

What the route passes

The standard loop runs past the medieval crane, the red-brick 15th-century granaries on Granary Island, Ołowianka Island, the old fish market, and the remains of a fortress the Teutonic Knights once held on the waterfront – a fair amount of history covered in just over an hour. Depending on the route, you may also pass the SS Sołdek, the first ship built in Poland after the Second World War, now preserved as a museum ship moored on the same stretch of river.

Timing

Late afternoon gives the best light on the granary facades, and the crowds thin out compared with the middle of the day when cruise-ship passengers tend to fill the waterfront. Evening departures run too, if you'd rather see the same route lit up after dark.

Booking

The standard sightseeing cruise runs about 70 minutes and departs from the Old Town waterfront near the Green Gate – an easy add-on straight after walking the Long Market rather than something to plan a separate outing around.