Why a motorboat trip beats a motorboat ride

The Tri-City, led by Gdańsk, is a region that is an important part of Polish history, especially that of the early 20th century. Unfortunately, crowds of tourists begin and end their sightseeing of the Tri-City in Gdańsk. Sometimes they manage to get to Sopot. But visiting Gdynia is a rarity. They do not take the opportunity of a motorboat trip around the Tri-City.

Even if someone plans a longer stay in the Tri-City and actually visits Gdynia, in my opinion saying that they have seen the Tri-City is still something of an overstatement. Why? Because you can only understand the Tri-City once you have seen it from the water. If you really want to know when and how today's administrative map came to include the Tri-City agglomeration, you should plan a 2-3 hour motorboat trip.

But note! This is not an alternative to a guided tour of Gdańsk's Old Town, a stroll along Monciak in Sopot or a tour following the trail of Gdynia's modernism. Quite the opposite! Sightseeing in the Tri-City from the water complements everything we see on land.

There are many places we can see from the water, but not every building is visible. Nothing can replace a stroll along Monte Cassino in Sopot, a ride on the funicular up Kamienna Góra in Gdynia, or a visit to the modern museums of the Navy, the City of Gdynia, the Emigration Museum or the European Solidarity Centre in Gdańsk.

Sightseeing in the Tri-City from the water is a one-of-a-kind attraction. It combines the extremely turbulent history of the region with curiosities strictly related to the sea, maritime trade and ships, as well as adrenaline – because our motorboats reach high speeds, and the waves provide extra excitement.

During our trip you will understand why two large commercial ports (the port of Gdynia and the port of Gdańsk) and two shipbuilding centres (formerly the Paris Commune Shipyard, and the Lenin Shipyard and the Remontowa Shipyard) exist and operate side by side. You will discover the little-known history of the very young city of Gdynia, which at express pace grew from a fishing village into an important Polish port city and, during the Second World War – as Gotenhafen – was an important base for the Nazi navy, the Kriegsmarine. Traces of this grim part of history can only be seen from the water.

Another surprise is how quickly you can get from Gdynia to Gdańsk by water! The main reasons for this are, of course, the speed of our motorboats and the absence of traffic jams on the water, but also the distance! Few tourists realise that the coastline of Gdynia, Sopot and Gdańsk forms almost a semicircle. This means that travelling by car between the heads of the Port of Gdynia and the Port of Gdańsk we have 22 km to cover, whereas by motorboat it is only 14 km. As a curiosity, it is worth pointing out that Hel is only 4 km further from Gdynia! As you can see, the perspective from the water is completely different.

A motorboat trip around Gdańsk

See what trip we can offer you so that you can see interesting parts of Gdańsk and two of the three mouths of the Vistula.

Travelling by car from Sopot to Gdynia, we will also miss the place where, just before the Second World War, the border between Poland and the Free City of Danzig ran. It was set on the small Swelina stream (also known as the Border Stream), which flows into the Gulf of Gdańsk at Gdynia Kolibki, and which is, of course, perfectly visible from the sea.

Sailing by motorboat is a far more pleasant way – especially in the summer season – to admire the longest wooden pier, which is precisely the pier in Sopot. A few years ago the newest marina in our region was added to it, where you can admire all kinds of larger and smaller vessels. Sailing into this marina straight from the open waters of the Gulf of Gdańsk is a very pleasant experience that is hard to describe. You have to experience it for yourself.

It doesn't take much luck to see one of the largest ships in the world with your own eyes. This record currently

belongs to the container ships calling at the Deepwater Container Terminal in Gdańsk (DCT – Deep Container Terminal). These ships regularly visit the port of Gdańsk, and watching them is quite an attraction. They are almost 400 m long and 60 m wide. Those calling at Gdańsk belong to Maersk and are representatives of the Triple-E class. They can take on board more than 18,000 TEU (twenty-foot) containers. To picture this better:

1 TEU container = 6.1 m x 18,000 = 110 km. That is how long the line of containers would be if we placed them one behind the other. That is almost 6 times the route from Gdynia to Gdańsk!

And again – these floating giants are extremely difficult to spot and admire from land. So it is well worth going on a trip by RIB boat.

This brings our story to the heads of the port of Gdańsk, beyond which an even more interesting story begins and where you can see even more maritime curiosities.

We warmly encourage you to plan a longer motorboat cruisethan just a 15-minute motorboat ride from the pier or harbour. During a RIB (Rigid Inflatable Boat) cruise, every participant will receive two shots: a shot of knowledge about our region and a shot of adrenaline. We assure you that they work for a long time and recharge your batteries, making everyone fall in love with the seaside part of our country. We must warn you, however, that this form of touring the Tri-City is addictive. Many people come back to us every summer.

Motorboat trip around the Ring of the Gulf of Gdańsk

An amazing trip around the Gulf of Gdańsk and part of the Bay of Puck. See the Hel Peninsula and the Tri-City from the water.