The Perfect Day Trip From Gdansk to Malbork Castle

Certainly the most essential day trip when traveling in Gdansk Poland is a visit to Malbork Castle. After all, it’s the largest castle in the world! How can you miss that! And fortunately, taking a day trip from Gdansk to Malbork Castle is quite easy. Here’s a look at our own experience visiting Malbork Castle from Gdansk. Hopefully it will help you put together the perfect day trip to this amazing place.

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Some Quick Malbork Castle History

Malbork Castle is located in the town of Malbork Poland – about 40 miles southeast of Gdansk. Construction on this massive Castle began all the way back in 1257. Its builders were the Teutonic Knights – an Order of German Crusaders. After finishing up their crusading in the Holy Land, they were sent by the Holy Roman Emperor to help forcibly convert the population in this part of the world to Christianity. They succeeded and took over governance of the area, becoming quite rich and powerful in the years that followed.

As their wealth and power grew, the Knights continually enlarged Malbork Castle. When it was completed in 1406, it consisted of 3 individual fortified castles, two defensive walls, a series of dry moats, and several hundred houses and other buildings. It was strategically positioned on a river with direct access to the Baltic Sea. It was the largest fortified structure in medieval Europe.

Malbork Castle was home to the Knights, and was also the seat of their government. It is estimated that around 3000 people lived within its walls.

Alas, all good things generally come to an end, and the Knights were defeated by the Kingdom of Poland in the mid 15th century. At that time, Malbork Castle became a royal residence for Polish Kings for the next several hundred years.

Nowadays, Malbork is still the largest Castle in the world (and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site). This massive complex of buildings spreads out over 52 acres. It’s so large, I found it impossible to photograph Malbork Castle in its entirety while standing on the castle grounds. Both the photo above and below only show a portion.

How To Get From Gdansk to Malbork Castle

We generally use public transportation during our travels. And the best way to get from Gdansk to Malbork Castle is by train. The Polish rail system is excellent, and various trains connect the two cities frequently throughout the day.

It can be a little confusing though. Several different types of trains operate along this route between Gdansk and Malbork. And Malbork has two different train stations – located on opposite sides of the Castle.

This is a photo of Malbork’s historic main station (simply called Malbork when booking). It’s located east of the castle – on the edge of the town.

The other much smaller station is called Malbork Kałdowo. It’s located west of the Castle, on the other side of the river. Most of the quicker trains skip Kałdowo and stop only at the main station.

As I describe in my blog post on Polish Train Travel, I used the Koleo App to purchase my Polish train tickets a day ahead of time. Pre-booking ensures you a seat and allows you to easily explore the various train options. We rode an IC Train to the main Malbork station from Gdansk. It took 32 minutes and only cost 5 USD per person. The faster EIC Trains also travel this route, but cost four times more…not worth the few minutes in time savings.

(I explain the difference between those two types of Polish trains in that aforementioned post – so be sure to check it out if you want to learn more.)

Once we arrived at the main Malbork station, it was then a 20 minute walk to the castle through the streets of town. If you would prefer a ride to the Castle, be aware that unlike major Polish cities, Uber is not available in Malbork. But there were a couple of taxis outside the station.

Buying Malbork Castle Tickets

I would also recommend that you purchase your entry tickets a day or two ahead of visiting Malbork Castle. The Castle uses a timed-entry system. And during busy times of year, you can risk sellouts for the more popular entry times. In that case, you would have to wait for the next available time slot upon arrival – which could be several hours later.

Buying your tickets ahead of time also prevents you from needing to stand in line at the Ticket Office. We simply collected our audioguide and started the tour at our pre-assigned time. (Note that the Ticket Office is located on the east side of Malbork Castle – the side closest to town.)

Also, you should be aware that when purchasing your tickets, you will need to choose between three different types of Malbork Castle tours.

We took the Historical Castle Route. This is the most extensive tour available for visitors. It gives you access to the two largest fortresses, their courtyards, and the main exhibits.

Another tour option, called the Castle Grounds Route, is mostly limited to the Castle’s outdoor areas. And the third tour option, called the Castle Monastery Route, falls somewhere in between.

Also, be aware that Monday is a Free Admission day at Malbork Castle. Theoretically this is great. But the only tour available on Monday is the Castle Grounds Route. So you will not see the interiors of the fortresses.

Here’s the Malbork Castle website for booking your tickets. After purchase, you will immediately receive a digital ticket which is scanned on entry.

Malbork Castle Highlights

I’m not going to take you through the full Malbork Castle tour in this blog post. I have written step-by-step tour summaries elsewhere on this blog (like this post about touring the Hungarian Parliament). But there’s a lot to see when visiting Malbork Castle, and loads of history….way too much for a post. Still, I’ll show you some of highlights, so you’ll have a rough idea of what to expect.

But first, a word about the audioguide system at Malbork Castle. It’s great! It directs you through this massive castle complex using GPS. It then uses your location to tell you what you are looking at, while giving you all the history too. The design of this system allows you to go as quickly or as slowly as you want. At our pace, the Historical Castle Route tour took 2.5 hours.

Here’s a look at some of what we saw…

Moats & Bridges

As you would certainly expect with the largest Castle in the world, we saw lots of drawbridges, gates, towers, and moats. The moats surrounding the various buildings are dry. You can use the moats to wander around the exteriors after your audioguide tour is completed.

Courtyards

The two main fortresses of the Malbork Castle complex are the Middle Castle and the High Castle. You spend the largest portion of the tour in the Middle Castle and its courtyard (pictured below). This was the main administrative building for the Knights and is where the Grand Master lived.

The High Castle had more of a religious function and doubled as a monastery. So it’s courtyard is surrounded by a cloister – very typical of other medieval monasteries

Interior Halls & Quarters

During our Malbork Castle tour, we walked through many grand Halls. These were used for entertaining and other diplomatic purposes.

All of these had striking ceiling vaults and support pillars…

We also toured the living quarters for the Grand Master and his assistants (and later used by Polish Kings)…

And we also had the chance to see the parts of the Castle dedicated to more mundane parts of daily life – like the huge Kitchen…

Chapels

Since the Teutonic Knights were a religious Order, we saw several chapels while visiting Malbork Castle. The largest is the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary found within the High Castle.

Also in the High Castle is the smaller St Anne’s Chapel. This is where the Teutonic Grand Masters are buried – in crypts in the center of the small room.

Exhibits

At various points on our Malbork Castle tour, we were directed into rooms containing large exhibits. Two of the most memorable are the Armory which displays a huge collection of medieval European weaponry.

And the Amber Exhibit. A significant portion of the Knights riches came from their total monopolization of the amber trade in this part of Europe. The Amber Exhibit at Malbork Castle displays an impressive array of items made from this highly-prized substance.

We also came across interesting artifacts spread through the Castle’s various rooms. These offered insight into the Knight’s way of life. One example is in the photo below. Official wax seals attached to administrative documents.

One Towering Regret

You will likely get your best view of Malbork Castle from the Castle Tower. The Tower is part of the High Castle. Unfortunately, we missed it. My tripping was not thorough enough. But in my defense, the Castle website isn’t very clear about where to find the Tower access.

The audioguide does not direct you to the Tower as I thought it would. You have to watch for the entrance on your own, and it’s located somewhere on the High Castle’s second floor. You’ll pay an additional small fee to enter and climb to the top.

Also you should be aware that the Tower is only open during the summer months from mid June to mid September.

Be Sure to Cross the River

Once we finished the organized portion of the Malbork Castle tour, we spent some time wandering around the Castle grounds. As part of your own exploration, I would recommend crossing the Nogat River via the pedestrian-only footbridge found on the west side of the Castle.

Not only is it one of the best ways to see Malbork Castle in its entirety, but also…who doesn’t love water reflection photos?

Additionally, you’ll find a restaurant with riverside seating and great Castle views on the other side. It’s called U Flisaka. We didn’t eat there so I can’t speak to the food, but the Google reviews are generally good.

What About Food in Malbork?

That does raise an important question for any day trip. What are your dining options while on your day trip from Gdansk to Malbork Castle?

Our timed entry into the Castle was scheduled for early afternoon. So we stopped for food as we walked through town from the train station. Malbork sees a lot of tourists. So there were plenty of options, including McDonalds even. I chose a significantly better burger place called Papa’s.

I also noticed a few beer gardens as we walked to the castle. This one called Sklepy Cynamonowe is located directly across from the Castle ticket office, and looked like it would have been fun.

Malbork Castle does have its own restaurant called Restauracja Piwniczka. It’s located on the west side of the castle. This may make it a more convenient choice if you are eating after your tour, or if you are approaching the castle from Kałdowo train station. It offers both indoor and outdoor dining. I thought the prices looked quite reasonable given the prime location.

And if all you need is a snack, you’ll find several carts selling coffee and treats outside the Castle near the river footbridge.

Final Thoughts

As you can surely see, visiting Malbork Castle certainly deserves a spot on your itinerary when traveling in this part of Poland. We most definitely enjoyed our afternoon walking in the footsteps of the Teutonic Knights. Hopefully all of this information helps ensure that your own day trip from Gdansk to Malbork Castle goes perfectly.

In case you aren’t as much of a do-it-yourself traveler as we are, then you could alternatively consider an organized tour from Gdansk to Malbork Castle like this one on Viator.

If you would like to read about other great things to do while in Gdansk then be sure to check out this post:

12 Things You Shouldn’t Miss While Visiting Gdansk Poland

If you would read about our other extended stops in Poland, then check these out:

All The Reasons You Should Consider Visiting Wroclaw Poland

How Many Days in Krakow: 3, 4, or More For Your Itinerary?

And if your itinerary does include Krakow, then visiting Auschwitz is a must:

How to Visit Auschwitz from Krakow – 11 Helpful Tips

And finally, if you want to read about some of our other favorite day trips from around the world, then check these out:

An Easy Day Trip From Malaga – The White Village of Mijas Pueblo

A Scenic Day Trip from Ljubljana to Škofja Loka Slovenia

Taking An Elaphiti Islands Boat Tour – An Ideal Dubrovnik Day Trip