I found out about Toruń from a blog I follow about living in Poland with kids. This blog is exponentially better than mine and I check it every Thursday, religiously. That’s because they update things going on in Warsaw and things to do around Poland every Thursday. It’s called kidsinthecity.pl and it is honestly how I have decided every weekend since we got here!
Toruń was no different. They suggested it for a long weekend getaway and we took them up on the idea. And I think I can speak for us all and say it was THE BEST.
Toruń is a 3 hour train ride from Warsaw. I knew this would be a cinch for Scout as she has been confined to a tiny plane seat for much longer than 3 hours and we all survived. A train would be fun…we could see the countryside, look for deer and walk around when we got bored. I took the Ipad just in case, but we spent the entire 3 hours just looking out the window.
Toruń is one of the oldest cities in Poland. It was founded around the 8th c. but the Teutonic Knights really expanded in the 1200s. It is considered to be one of the most beautiful cities in Europe and it’s easy to see why. Charm is found on every single street corner. And what’s more charming than little shops filled with gingerbread? Note the photos below: In the second photo you can see The Leaning Tower of Toruń. It leans a whopping 4’11” from where it should. Legend has it that the Tower and the River used to be great friends. But pretty quickly, River started getting really clingy to Tower and couldn’t pick up on the social cues Tower was giving. Tower started leaning away in an effort to let River know it wasn’t ready for any type of real commitment. (true legend.) The third photo is of Copernicus who was born in Toruń. They are very proud of their hometown astronomer. I’ll save you the google search: Copernicus was the first to theorize that the Earth revolved around the Sun and not the other way around.
Gingerbread is the name of the game in Toruń. In fact, the only planned activity we had was to go to the Gingerbread Museum (https://muzeumpiernika.pl/) and partake in the tradition of gingerbread making. This was seriously a highlight of the entire gap year! Perfect for people of all ages. Scout was even called out to mix the honey into the cookies. Each person is allowed to make a mold of whatever they choose and take it home with them. The gingerbread you make is medieval and inedible, but a cool souvenir. I plan on using mine for Christmas decor.
We stayed at the Apartmenty Monka . Another great find! This was a charming on the outside, sleek on the inside kind of place. The location is ideal. It was a great size for our family and offered one of the best complimentary breakfasts I’ve had. The breakfast area also has a children’s corner with toys. This meant we could enjoy our coffee while it was hot and that is very much appreciated!
Besides the Gingerbread Museum, our trip was mainly about strolling, snacking, seeing, and sipping. We had delicious food at these restaurants: Pierogarnia Stary Młyn, Jan Olbracht Browar Staromiejski ( Which offers a GIANT KID’S PLAY ROOM ATTACHED TO THE PATIO #blessed), and Czarna Oberża (Which is a very affordable, very authentic Polish cafeteria)
Besides beautiful architecture, Toruñ is dotted with cute statues. Yes, cute. There was a golden donkey, a colorful dragon and an adorable puppy. Donkeys and dragons and doggos, oh my! I’m not sure what the puppy or donkey were for, but the dragon is a folk tale of Toruñ. In 1746 a flying AND swimming dragon was spotted cruising through town. Now the towns-people think the dragon lives in the sewers protecting the town. From what? Who knows…that part of the legend died off many moons ago and it is said that the only person who knows is the Dragon-Keep who is vowed to silence for life.
All in all, we loved Toruń! Would recommend.
