We’ll leave Gdansk as soon as possible to visit Malbork
Castle. After this, we’ll drive directly to Mikolajki, the main
touristic town for the Masurian Lakes District.
After
We’ve got a lot of sleep and we’re totally
recovered and full of energy, but we’re awaken quite early. Breakfast
is at 9 AM, so we make some time with a walk by these empty streets at
this time of a Sunday’s morning.
After breakfast, we leave Gdansk easily and drive
about one hour to Malbork. We soon can see the castle at the left of
the bridge, but miss the exit, so we leave the road after the bridge to
turn around and get the river side, across the castle, with the best
views and parking places.
It’s 24 zlotys for 4 hours of parking. From there,
a wooden bridge is the access to the castle across the river, with
magnificent views in the way. At the other side, we’re welcomed by
multiple stands and restaurants, all of them with a medieval atmosphere.
The access to the castle is by this side, but
tickets office is in the back side and out of the walls. It is crowded
but I can get our tickets soon by 39.50 zlotys each.
As tickets include audio-guide, we take them and go
to the bridge over the moat which is the entrance. What we’ve seen of
the castle from outside is already fantastic.
Across the bridge we get into the big courtyard of
the Middle Castle, with multiple doors all around it.
Audio-guide is always pointing the itinerary through the multiple halls whish we access using all those doors.
The highlight of this part of the castle is the Grand Master’s Palace.
In the High Castle we enjoy a walk through the gardens surrounding the area before accessing the halls.
There, a small courtyard is the hub to the different areas to
visit which are occupying two floors here. We follow audio-guide
indications to go through all of them. Highlights are the chapel and
the monastery.
It’s after three hours that we’re back in the car to start our
way to Masurian lakes. We plan to stop for lunch somewhere in the way.
We finally do it in Elblag. We order dumplings again, along with
seafood chowder and prawns with salad, in a pub in the center and pay
71 zlotys in total.
Then, I drive for some hours through high forests until
reaching Mikolajki, at 8 PM. A quick walk after getting the room makes
us see this town by night and we could see where to go for cruises
tomorrow. It’s all close to us.
The highlight of this part of the castle is the Grand Master’s Palace.
In the High Castle we enjoy a walk through the gardens surrounding the area before accessing the halls.
There, a small courtyard is the hub to the different areas to
visit which are occupying two floors here. We follow audio-guide
indications to go through all of them. Highlights are the chapel and
the monastery.
It’s after three hours that we’re back in the car to start our
way to Masurian lakes. We plan to stop for lunch somewhere in the way.
We finally do it in Elblag. We order dumplings again, along with
seafood chowder and prawns with salad, in a pub in the center and pay
71 zlotys in total.
