Galleon cruise to Westerplatte: the ships and the route

Walk along the Motlawa in the Old Town and you will see them moored among the modern boats: high-sterned ships with carved rails and rigging. Visit Gdansk names them as the Lew, meaning lion, and the Czarna Perla, the black pearl, both styled to look like 17th-century galleons.¹ Both sail under the Polish flag.²

They are passenger ships dressed in period costume rather than sailing replicas built to fight or trade. The masts and yards are for show; the ships run on engines and keep to a timetable. That distinction is worth knowing before you go, as the appeal lies in the setting and the view, not in watching sails being set.

The galleon cruise to Westerplatte booked through these pages is one of these round trips, lasting 80 minutes and departing from the Old Town. Which ship takes your sailing is not stated in the listing, so do not plan around a particular name or colour; both offer the same route and the same kind of deck.

The ships moor on the Motlawa, the river that runs past the Old Town's waterfront of gabled houses, the medieval Crane and the granaries opposite. Looking back from the stern as you pull away gives one of the best views of that skyline, worth having a camera ready for before the commentary begins. On a clear morning the brick and the painted facades glow; in the evening they are lit from behind.

Downstream, the old town gives way quickly to working water. The listing names the landmarks of the port and its industrial areas, including the shipyard and the dry docks, as the first part of the trip. Visit Gdansk lists the Gdansk Shipyard, the Renovation Shipyard, the docks and the port as the stretch the galleons pass on their way to Westerplatte.²

This stretch can be unexpectedly absorbing. Cranes, hulls in dry dock and ships loading at the quays are not a postcard view, but they are the reason Gdansk exists, and the commentary links them to the history of the city. Treat it as a tour of a working port rather than a scenic cruise, and the hour passes quickly.

The listing describes the ship navigating around the Westerplatte peninsula and its monument to the outbreak of the Second World War before turning back to Gdansk. Visit Gdansk treats the assault here on 1 September 1939 as the war's opening act.⁶² From the water the monument stands out above the trees on its mound.

The ship does not land: this is your view of the site, and it rewards attention. Look for the monument, the shoreline where the depot faced the harbour channel, and the trees that now cover much of the ground where the garrison held out. The commentary sets the scene; the quiet of the place comes through even from the deck.

It is a moment to be respectful. The peninsula holds graves as well as ruins, and the cemetery for the Polish soldiers was dedicated there in 2022.⁶³ Lower your voice, keep the music at a distance if you can, and if the site moves you, consider coming back on foot. The page on getting there explains how.

Children often know the galleons as the pirate ships, and a pirate ship cruise to Westerplatte can be a family's first contact with the place. The carved stern, the rigging and the music make the start of the trip feel like an adventure, and it can be a gentle way to introduce a serious subject. Let the children enjoy the ship first; the history can wait for the turn at the far end.

Plan for the change in mood at the far end. Visit Gdansk dates the outbreak of the war to the attack on this shore on 1 September 1939.⁶² The turn around the peninsula is a natural moment to explain, simply and honestly, what happened there and why people still come to remember it. Older children may want to visit on foot afterwards; younger ones may be content with the view.

Keep small children close on deck: rails on period-style ships are decorative as well as protective, and the deck can be slippery after rain. A snack from home helps, as the bar on board sells food and drink at its own prices. With that in mind, the trip suits most ages, and the photographs at the quay before boarding are a favourite.