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Gdansk, Sopot, and Gdynia are usually called Three-city (Trojmiasto). This is almost impossible to recognize when the border of each of them are crossed. Altogether it's more than 40 km of length. That's why, in the case of visiting all of the cities, it is seen as reasonable to rent a car. But not necessary. There is a quite good, developed and convenient public transportation system with trains, buses, trams, and trolleys. Some of the transportation methods have instructions in English to assist with some functions like buying tickets from the ticket machines. At any point you may be subjected to a control inspection by a certified transportation controller. Their job is to check the validity of the tickets of the travelers. It is recommended to ALWAYS hold on to your ticket until you leave the form of transportation. Obviously a 24 hour ticket should be held until the time frame ends. Travelers caught without a validated ticket is subject to rather high fines. So riding without a valid ticket is not recommended. Schedules for all services are available at the respective service. The services are indicated with signs with buses on them, etc.
The best way to go to another city, but also to travel to different city districts is by the local train. There are two railways SKM and PKM.
SKM (Szybka Kolej Miejska - Fast Urban Railway) is an urban railway running along the coast connecting Gdansk, Sopot, Gdynia, and Wejherowo. It runs around the clock, but the frequency of service scheduled is based on the time of the day. During rush hours, it goes every few minutes. In the early morning, late evening, during the night, and on the weekend operates more rarely, but usually with intervals of no more than 30 minutes between trains.
PKM (Pomorska Kolej Metropolitalna - Pomeranian Metropolitan Train) is a municipal train. There are a few lines. It connects Gdansk Wrzeszcz or Gdynia Main Station to Gdansk Airport, and Kartuzy. Depends on the length of travel as it has a different scheduled frequency of running, but it provides service more or less from 4:00 AM to 11:00 PM.
The tickets are easy to buy. It is possible to buy from the ticket machine with either cash or a debit/credit card or at the ticket offices (KASA) on the train station. Before entering the train the ticket must be validated in the ticket validators located either in the tunnels or on the platforms. The ticket once validated can be used only for the closest scheduled train.
The ticket can be bought also from the railway conductor, but with an additional fee of 2,80 PLN - in the event there was no ticket machine or an open ticket office at the station. In this case, the passenger should enter the first railway wagon of the train to purchase the ticket(s) for their travel from the controller.
BUS & TRAMS
There is 70 daily, and 11 nightly bus lines, and 14 trams lines that run in Gdansk. The transport network includes not only Gdansk but also Sopot, Pruszcz Gdański and in a small part Gdynia.
Tickets are available to buy in ticket machines, many kiosks and directly from the bus and tram drivers. Passengers are able to buy only in an 1 hour and 24 hours ticket time frame and the buyer should have an exact amount of money as the price of the ticket.
The ticket has to be immediately validated in the validator after entering the bus or tram.
There are separate tickets for Gdansk and Gdynia, but both tickets work in the Sopot area. The only exception is in the lines connecting Gdansk and Gdynia (in example: bus number 171). These lines honor tickets from both cities. So the passengers should be careful when they want to commute from Sopot to one of this cities and buy a proper ticket.
The passenger could buy a single ride or a time length ticket. A standard day ticket for one bus or tram costs 3.20 PLN. Ticket for the night bus, fast bus (these stop at lesser amount of stops), and special services bus cost 4.20 PLN. Time tickets start at 3.80 PLN for one hour, to 13 PLN for 24 hours. Children up to 4 years old, and seniors over the age of 70 can travel for free, but they need to have a valid document with a photograph, which confirms the age and identity.
There are also a group of tourists, who can use reduced fares. It is applied to children up to the age of 16, being students who hold a valid European Youth Card - Euro 26 student or International Student Identity Card (ISIC).
The full schedule of the bus and tram is located here: ztm.gda.pl/en/index.php/ztm/more/about
WATER TRAMS
There are two water trams lines in Gdansk. F5 - runs from the stop Żabi Kruk through the Westerplatte to the Brzezno and F6 from Targ Rybny to Sobieszewo. It is not only an alternative for land-based public transport but also an opportunity to see Gdansk from the seaside. The tickets are to buy only on the ship.
The water trams are available only from May 1st to September 30th.
Written by: Lukasz Starowieyski
PUBLISHED: Dec 7th 2018 | UPDATED: Apr 21st 2022