Things to do and see in Torun

Length of the visit: depends on you
Price: free

Town square & old city center

Imagine seating in the middle of a lovely medieval old town, surrounded by beautiful buildings and vibrant cafes, bars and restaurants. You can relax completely and immerse in the Torun’s atmosphere or be a bit more adventurous and climb about 180 steps to the top of the Town Hall Tower and see the city from the above.

The city centre it’s quite compact, but the side streets hide many exciting buildings and monuments so you will need at least 2-3 hours to fully experience the old town. If you love your coffee and snacks you may need the whole afternoon. Either way, it’s going to be time well spend.

Address: Bulwar Filadelfijski
Opening times: you can visit any time, especially great at night
Length of the visit: depends on you
Price: free

Medieval Defensive City Walls

First of all, to explore this attraction wear comfortable shoes as most streets are paved in cobble stones (which itself is a medival feature!). Take a stroll through the Old Town’s narrow streets and admire the defence walls that deterred the enemy from conquering the city and protected Torun for centuries. This activity is especially enjoyable at night when the buildings are nicely lit.

Address: Bulwar Filadelfijski
Opening times: 10 am – 6 pm, the attraction is closed between 16.10.2017 and 15.04.2018
Length of the visit: 20 mins
Price: 4 PLN

Bunker

Prepare yourself for something different but only if you have a sense of fun and adventure. If ever wondered how people felt during II WW this is your chance to explore it on your own skin. Yes, it does involve going into a bunker and yes it’s going to be scary. It’s quick and fun activity, but not for the faint hearted.

Address:Przedzamcze 3
Opening times: 10 am – 6 pm
Length of the visit: as long as you like
Price: 9 PLN

Cultural Centre “Teutonic castle”

From the outside it may seem that there is not much remaining of the castle, but don’t be deceived by the looks! The castle is larger than it first appears and there are “underground” rooms and an upstairs gallery.
The history of the castle and its Knights is shown in the underground chamber in the form of a film (in Polish with English subtitles). It is a must-see attraction.

Address:Rynek Staromiejski 1
Opening times: January – March 10 am – 4 pm, April – June 10 am – 6 pm, July – September 10 am – 8 pm, October – December 10 am – 4 pm
Length of the visit: depends how quickly you can climb the steps
Price: 11PLN adult/ 7 PLN children

Town Hall Tower building

If you are looking for a nice view over the old town the Town Hall Tower building is your best bet. A word of warning, you will have to climb 187 steps of this impressive 14th century building, but it’s absolutely worth it. Once you get to the top spend some time to look at the fine brickwork and beautiful stained glass windows. And if you can’t be bothered to go to the top just stay outside and admire the building itself, it looks equally good in the day and illuminated at night.

Address:Pod Krzywa Wieza 1
Length of the visit: 15 minutes should be enough
Price: 11PLN adult/ 7 PLN children

The leaning tower

The leaning Tower is one of many architectural delights that can be spotted during a walk in the medieval part of the city. The building has a long and interesting history. It was built as part of the defensive city walls to be later used as women’s prison and at some point it became a… shop. Now it’s one of the main city landmarks, visited by thousands of tourists a year. So why go to Pisa when there is a perfectly good leading Tower in Torun?

Address: Ducha Swietego
Opening times: you can visit it any time
Length of the visit: depends on you
Price: free

Monastery Gate (Brama Klasztorna)

The Monastery Gate is your chance to see well maintained and impressive entry to the old town. For many it’s just a gate but it is also one of the main landmarks of Torun and it doesn’t take much time or effort to see it. While you are taking a walk by the Vistula river watch the city walls and you will be able to spot the gate with no problem. Take a picture, walk through it and move on.

Address: Zeglarska 16
Opening times: quite interesting to visit on Sundays during the mass
Length of the visit: depends on you
Price: free

Cathedral of St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist

Even if you are not religious the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist is a place worth visiting for its architecture and beauty. This is a magnificent house of worship with a number of altars and works of art. It’s possible to club the tower and photography is permitted.

Address: Lazienna 16
Opening times: May – September 10 am – 6 pm, October – April 10 am – 4 pm
Length of the visit: it’s up to you, but 2-3h is recommended
Price: 15PLN adult/ 11 PLN children (including the 3d film)

Esken Family House – Torun History Museum

If you are going to visit just one museum in Torun this should be on top of your list. Torun History Museum covers the past of the city and surrounding area from the earliest days to the modern times in visual presentations, artefacts and films. There are multiple different exhibits with Polish, English and German captions and audio-visuals. The museum is perhaps better suited to adults, but children can also find something for themselves as there is a special room where they can build houses of different epochs and enjoy opening drawers to find household artefacts from various eras.

Address: Mikolaja Kopernika 15/17
Opening times: 10 am – 6 pm
Length of the visit: it’s up to you
Price: 33PLN adult/22 PLN children

House of Nicolas Copernicus Museum

House of Nicolas Copernicus Museum is the actual place where Nicolas Copernicus was born. Nowadays this beautiful building is a reconstruction of a medieval house of Copernicus’s days. If you are a fan or a student of science, mathematics or history you should definitely visit this museum. If not, then perhaps you may find this attraction quite boring. In the end it is just a period house that happens to be the place of birth one of the most famous astronomers of all times.

Address: 9 Rabiańska Street, Toruń
Opening times: 10am – 6 pm
Length of the visit: 80 minutes, on avarage
Price: 15PLN adult/10 PLN children

The living museum of Gingerbread

As you may be well aware by now, Torun is famous for its gingerbread, but probably you will be surprised to know that there is a whole museum established in Torun to celebrate this humble treat. You can learn there about every ritual connected with baking gingerbreads, see the original German machines (which initially were used to bake gingerbread) and finally learn about the tradition of baking gingerbreads in Torun. The museum is interactive and interesting for both, adults and children.

Address: Szeroka 35
Opening times: 10 am – 6 pm, shows start at every full hours
Length of the visit: 35-45 minutes, on depending on the number of visitors
Price: 12PLN adult/ 9.5 PLN children

Torun House of Legends

If you ever got bored in a museum prepare yourself to be amused. In the House of Legends in Torun you will be able to literally immerse yourself in the history of the region. This will be an interactive journey into the past of Torun that will leave you excited and cheerful. This is an ideal place to visit with kids, but adults tend to enjoy it too.