For many years, during the summer holidays, my wife and I would go to the mountains for our vacation. Most often it was the Tatra Mountains, but sometimes the Sudetes or the Bieszczady. This year, for various reasons — including preparing a room for Jaś — we didn’t have much time for a trip. Still, we didn’t stay home for the entire holiday; instead, we spent a few days in Toruń, a city we hadn’t visited for several years.
First day in Toruń
We left for Toruń before noon. As we usually do on such trips, we planned the drive so that our son, Jaś, would nap along the way. Our plan didn’t work out, though. Jaś was full of energy the entire drive, so we decided to make a short stop before reaching Toruń so he could move around a bit and have a small snack.
The first place we visited after arriving in Toruń was the Zoo. We took a walk around this small but very nice and peaceful place. We didn’t see everything, though, because it was clear that Jaś was already very tired. Carrying him in our arms, we walked back to the car and drove to the apartment we had rented. On the way, my wife tried to keep Jaś awake for those few minutes. She succeeded — he fell asleep only once we were in the room.
We had booked our stay at Steel and Wood Apartment, located in a townhouse at 68 Bydgoska Street. It’s right next to the city park, so we had a nice place to walk around.
The apartment is on the top floor of the building and is spacious. It consists of a bedroom, a living room with a kitchenette, and a bathroom. It’s very well equipped — there was even a pressure coffee machine. However, we noticed two related inconveniences. Because the apartment is at the very top, it was extremely hot during those warm days we spent in Toruń. There’s no air conditioning, only a fan, which helped a bit during the day, but at night we had to keep the window open. And because of the nearby tram tracks, the passing trams made it difficult to sleep with the window open. Despite this, I recommend the place.
When Jaś woke up, we had a small snack and went out for a walk. First, we went shopping at one of the nearby discount stores, and then headed to the city park with Jaś’s bike.
In the park, Jaś first played at one playground, then we moved to another, and afterwards we went for a walk while Jaś rode his bike.
While walking through the park, we saw Schiller’s bench, a fountain, and the Lovers’ Waterfall. We walked around Swan Pond. We played at the playground by the Dead Vistula. Then, crossing the footbridge over Martówka and passing the monument commemorating fallen balloon troops, we returned to the apartment.
At the apartment, we had dinner, washed up, and put Jaś to bed. We then turned on the series “1670” and watched two episodes with headphones before going to sleep.
Second day in Toruń
On the second day of our holiday trip, after breakfast, we went out for some small shopping. We were looking for bread in nearby bakeries that Jaś could eat. It wasn’t easy — it seems no one asks the sellers about ingredients, so they don’t know them. But we managed to find one bread that was suitable for our son.
After the small shopping trip, we drove to the parking lot near the music park, where we began our tour of Toruń. First, we played a bit on the musical instruments in the park — at least the ones still working. Unfortunately, many were damaged. Then we stopped at the Sundial in the Valley of Dreams. From there, we walked through Marian Rapacki Square to the Old Town.
At an ice cream shop on Różana Street, we bought sorbets and went to find a place to sit. There were free benches near the town hall — probably freshly painted the day before, as some were still taped off — so we sat there. There was also a sprinkler nearby, giving Jaś an extra attraction, though he only started playing when I showed him he could get wet.
One of the places we wanted to show Jaś in Toruń was the statue of Filuś, the dog from the comics. It was just a stone’s throw from the town hall, so we quickly reached it. Jaś really liked the sculpture, so we have many photos of him with different faces and poses.
Another place on our list was the pillory — the Toruń Donkey. It’s also near the town hall, but at another corner. We had to stand in line to get close enough to take a picture of Jaś. Of course, he wanted to sit on it, but we convinced him that it wasn’t a good idea.
Since we were in Toruń, famous for its gingerbread, we couldn’t skip buying some local specialties. Earlier, I had done some research to find gingerbread without wheat flour, soy, or milk, and I found one producer. They have a shop right next to the pillory, so we went there.
The place where you can buy gingerbread without wheat flour and milk is Toruńska Manufaktura Piernika. Of course, they also sell traditional gingerbread, but we bought two types that Jaś could eat. They were crumbly but tasty. The next day, we bought more.
To eat the gingerbread, we went to the Vistula River. We sat on a bench and started tasting. After the tasting, Jaś and I began climbing down the cascades toward the river and back up again. Jaś likes such activities.
Our stay by the Vistula was interrupted by rain. We quickly hid under the viewing terrace located where the old bridge once stood. We waited out the rain and then headed back to the Old Town.
This time, as usual, we started looking for shoes. Every time, my wife buys shoes in Toruń — this time we were looking for shoes for Jaś. It wasn’t easy, because Jaś really didn’t want to walk around shops, so I took him for a walk around New Town Square while my wife looked for a store where we could buy shoes for him.
When we reached New Town Square, I showed Jaś the wagon commemorating the filming of Law and Order (Prawo i Pięść) at that location. Jaś had a great idea — he wanted to push it — but he didn’t succeed.
We walked around the former Holy Trinity Church building, passed through a misting spray, and took a short break on a bench near the Toruń Market Woman sculpture. From there, we went to the store where my wife had found shoes for Jaś. After a bit of persuasion, he agreed to go inside. He was tempted by a rocking horse. We left the store with two pairs of shoes for our son. The tradition of buying shoes in Toruń was upheld.
Unfortunately, it started raining again. We hid in the entrance of a renovated premises. When it eased a bit, we walked a little further, and when the rain got heavier again, we hid under another canopy. We had to hurry, though, because we had tickets for a show at the observatory.
We reached the observatory ahead of time. We used the restroom, walked around a bit, and finally stood in line to watch Cosmic Potatoes. After a few minutes, Jaś got bored — just like many other children, even much older ones — so the lady supervising the room kept reminding people to be quiet. We also got scolded.
Jaś fell asleep after more than half of the show. After it ended, I carried our sleeping son to the car parked near the music park. It was quite a long walk. Then we still had to carry him up the stairs to the apartment.
While Jaś slept, we freshened up a bit, because we planned to go to the Old Town again that day — this time mainly for dinner to celebrate our fifteenth wedding anniversary.
After Jaś’s nap, we got ready and, as before, drove to the music park, from where we slowly headed toward the Old Town. The place where we wanted to have our anniversary dinner was the Gęsia Szyja tavern. We wondered whether to go to Jan Olbracht — a place we visited during every stay in Toruń — but Gęsia Szyja convinced us more.
We’re glad we chose Gęsia Szyja. It was peaceful there. Jaś had a play corner. We spent a pleasant time and ate very tasty food without the noise that happened to be present at Jan Olbracht.
After eating, we went to see an attraction we hadn’t visited before — the Gingerbread Town, a playground with a water zone. Jaś had a great time running through the water zone. So did I — we ran together until the attendant turned off the water because closing time was approaching. We played a bit more and then slowly headed toward the Vistula.
In the evening, the entire Old Town was packed with people. In some places, it was hard to walk. Many people were also strolling by the Vistula. When we reached the river, we sat on a bench to eat some gingerbread. Afterwards, I carried the barely-awake Jaś back to the car.
Another day spent intensely but very pleasantly in Toruń. We showed Jaś many nice places. He tried new foods. We walked many kilometers, but we were happy. After reaching the apartment, we put the exhausted Jaś to bed and, just like the previous day, watched “1670”.
Third day of our trip
The time came for the last — though only third — day of our trip to Toruń. After breakfast and preparing snacks for Jaś for the road, we packed up and drove to the music park to walk around Toruń one last time.
This time, we walked to the marina, where the city beach was still closed. But next to it was a playground where we spent some time.
From the playground, walking along the Vistula, we reached the Widokówka café, which was still closed. We waited a few minutes and bought sorbets — a nice treat early in the morning.
Near Widokówka is the Katarzynka boat, whose path is overgrown and hard to spot. After eating ice cream, we managed to reach it, showed Jaś what it looks like inside, and then headed to the Old Town.
We entered the Old Town through the Sailor’s Gate, then turned into Saint John Street and walked into the atmospheric Ciasna Street. I especially recommend the section of Ciasna Street between Mostowa and Podmurna. It’s a narrow fragment that’s easy to miss, but it has recently been renovated and is worth seeing.
From Zamkowa Street, we went down to the former moat, where there is a playground. We spent some time there both at the children’s attractions and at the exercise bars, where Jaś loves to hang and slide down like a firefighter.
Then we went to Toruńska Manufaktura Piernika to buy a supply of gingerbread for Jaś. Afterwards, we visited the nearby Toruń Donkey. Then Filuś the dog. We stopped by Jan Olbracht to buy beer to take home and returned to the Vistula to eat some gingerbread.
It was already close to Jaś’s nap time, so walking through the music park, we returned to the car and headed home. We had quite a few kilometers ahead of us.
It was a very short but wonderfully spent holiday trip. We showed Jaś many great places. We discovered new ones ourselves. We spent good time together, and I’m glad we managed to organize such a trip this year. The mountains will wait until next season.
Our Travels
I encourage you to read my posts about the trips I take with my wife, including our hikes to the peaks that make up the Crown of Polish Mountains. Descriptions of our journeys are available at: likoton.pl/en/category/podroze.
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