Experience the best of Toruń

Toruń was founded by the Teutonic Knights in the 1230s on the Vistula river, and its Gothic brick old town, one of the best preserved in Poland, came through the Second World War almost unharmed. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997. The Old Town Hall, with its tall tower, stands in the middle of the market square, where a statue of Nicolaus Copernicus, born in the city in 1473, sits in front. His birthplace on Kopernika street is a museum.

The Leaning Tower, a medieval tower that tilts, stands near the ruins of the Teutonic castle, and the Gothic churches of St John and St Mary rise above the roofs. A riverside boulevard gives views of the old town skyline from the far bank. Bydgoszcz lies to the west, the walled town of Chełmno to the north, and the lakes of the Brodnica region to the north-east.

Toruń gingerbread, pierniki, has been baked since the Middle Ages with honey and spices and is sold in many shapes across the old town. Pierogi, sour rye soup and zander from the Vistula fill local menus. A Christmas market lights the old town in December, while spring and summer suit walks along the riverbank.