Europe’s most overlooked beach hotspot is hiding in a country you’d never expect
- Our Hidden Earth
- 3 hours ago
- 2 min read
If you want to book a beach holiday in Europe but fancy somewhere a bit different, one British woman says she’s found the “most underrated beach break” on the continent – and it’s in a country most people would never guess.
Emma Matthews posted on TikTok to show off the coastline around her – and it looked nothing like the busy beaches you’d expect in Spain, Italy or the south of France.
“I bet you’ve never heard of going to Poland for a beach holiday,” she said in her video.
Emma explained that Gdańsk, a historic port city on Poland’s Baltic coast, is only about seven miles from the seaside. “Sopot is known as the Polish Riviera and has loads of cheap flights from the UK,” she added.
Showing a screenshot of flight deals, Emma pointed out that trips from London, Leeds and Liverpool to Gdańsk were priced at just £23, £31 and £33 in September.
She called Gdańsk one of the “most beautiful” cities she’d visited in Europe and said its Museum of the Second World War was a must-see.
“The car-free Old Town is full of coffee and pastry shops, and they’re perfect for sitting and watching the world go by,” Emma added. When it comes to the weather, she said it’s “always really pleasant” with “amazing sunset views”.
Back in Sopot, Emma said the town is only a 20-minute train ride from Gdańsk, followed by a 15-minute walk to the shore. “The staff all spoke English too,” she said.
“It’s a gorgeous town with lots of shops and places to eat,” Emma continued, pointing out the beach’s light sandy shore.
And just like beaches in the UK, Sopot has a “lovely promenade” running along the front. “I went to the beach in the evening because I didn’t want to burn in the daytime – and it was still really busy,” she said. “There were lots of families and plenty of sunbed rentals too.”
In the comments, one TikTok user added: “You can also rent bikes in Gdańsk and cycle along the coast to Sopot. It’s about 5km and the bikes are really cheap. There’s a proper bike path the whole way. I cycled all the way to Gdynia last year.”
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