Toruń in Poland – 12 tips on things to see and do

Writer: Helena Bergström

Updated: August 2026 | Toruń in Poland is one of the country's best-preserved historic cities, with a medieval city center that is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Here you can expect Gothic brick houses, old city walls, gingerbread cookies and lots of stories - and it's also the birthplace of Nicolaus Copernicus. We've visited Toruń and collected our best tips on things to see and do.

Torun in Poland

Toruń is located on the Vistula River in central Poland and is a city large enough to explore on foot. The historic city center has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997 and is home to an unusually well-preserved collection of medieval buildings.

The city is also strongly associated with the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus, who was born here in 1473, and with the famous Toruń gingerbread. Toruń is located about 170 kilometers south of Gdańsk and 200 kilometers northwest of Warsaw.

1. strolling on Rynek Staromiejski (Old Town Square)

When you come to Toruń, it is natural to head to the Old Town Square, Rynek Staromiejski. For centuries, this square was the heart of the city, and everything from trade to executions took place here. Today, it is more of a square where you can enjoy a nice time at outdoor cafes.

It is home to the mighty Town Hall, but also buildings such as the House of Arthur and the 'House under the Stars' (Kamienica pod Gwiazda). There is also a statue of Nicolaus Copernicus.

2. Being impressed by the Town Hall

Perhaps the most striking building on the square in the Old Town is the Town Hall. The building was erected at the end of the 14th century, and is a symbol of the city's former grandeur. Here you can find, among other things, the Town Hall Museum with rich collections of Gothic art and crafts. You can also climb the approximately 40-meter-high tower and get a view of the Old Town.

3. Check out historic houses in Toruń

Unlike many other historic Polish cities, Toruń escaped extensive destruction during World War II. As a result, an unusually large amount of the medieval city structure and buildings remain. Many of the houses have of course been rebuilt and altered over the centuries, but behind the facades there are still medieval masonry, cellars and other details.

Many houses in the city were used as residential buildings, while others were used as storehouses. Many still exist in the city and you can recognise them by their different windows. Today, most have new uses. The one you see in the picture below, for example, houses a restaurant.

4. Familiarise yourself with all the myths and stories of the city?

We were lucky enough to walk around with a guide, which meant we got to experience a whole range of exciting myths. Take, for example, the violin player in the square in the Old Town.

The story is about how the town rejected a poor woman as a ”witch” and how she later cast a spell that caused the town to be invaded by frogs. What was to be done? The leader’s daughter was promised to the man who could get rid of the frogs – and a man managed to play the violin so that the frogs gathered around the violin.

The donkey looks cute too, right? Not at all! It was apparently an instrument of torture, where men were forced to sit across the sharp back with weights around their feet. What about the dog? We don't really remember, but it meant something special if you patted it on the back or tail. You can travel to Torun and find out!

Looking down on the city, you can also find the names of various Polish celebrities carved in a gingerbread-like shape (of course!).

5. Walk (or ride) a guided tour through Toruń

Did we say we got to hear about all these myths and stories by taking a guided tour? Very interesting! You can inquire about guided tours at the local tourist office, or you can choose to go on a guided tour in an old classic car.

6. See the remains of the city walls

The whole of Toruń was once surrounded by a city wall. Today, large parts of the wall are gone, but the wall is still very clearly visible in the direction of the Vistula River. Here you will also find the large, stately gate (where boiling tar was once poured on unwelcome guests) and the cute little coffee cart (which, according to our guide, serves very good coffee).

7. Try to stand straight at the Leaning Tower

Did you think only Pisa has a leaning tower? Think again! Torun has a tower that leans considerably (1.5 metres!). According to legend, this medieval tower was built as a penance for the sins of a repentant knight.

Today you can test how sinless you are by standing with your back to the wall and your heels next to it. If you manage to stay standing, you are sinless, but if you fall, you are a sinner. What happened to Peter ...? The guide tried to save the situation, but it's a bit doubtful how it went ...

8. Visit the house of Nicolaus Copernicus

One of the most important and interesting sights in Toruń is the house considered to be the birthplace of Nicolaus Copernicus – one of history’s most important astronomers. Today there is a museum here about his life and achievements. The museum is very interesting and we have written a separate post about it.

9. Peek into St John's Cathedral

There are several churches in Torun and one of the most interesting is St John's Cathedral (Torun Cathedral). Construction of the church began in the mid-13th century and continued in stages for 200 years.

The church may not be that impressive on the outside, but it's well worth a look inside. It includes the main altar of St Wolfgang from 1502-1506 and a medieval font in which Nicolaus Copernicus was baptised in 1473.

10. Eat – or bake – Toruń’s famous gingerbread

Torun is famous for its gingerbread, which began to be baked in the 14th century. Gingerbread was very popular back then and still is today. Those who want to can go to the gingerbread museum and learn the noble art of baking Polish gingerbread. We settled for shopping at the gingerbread shop Pierniki.

The shop is filled with different types of gingerbread, and they definitely don't look like the Swedish version. What about gingerbread dipped in chocolate, for example? We weren't sure which ones to buy, so Peter asked the shop assistant to show us some popular ones.

The shop assistant put six bags on the counter and Peter said 'I'll take them all'. Was it expensive? No, it wasn't. Poland is an affordable country.

11. Try beer at a local brewery (and eat Polish food)

After our guided tour, we made our way to the brewery and restaurant. Jan Olbracht. If you want to try beer in Torun, this is definitely the place to go, and the environment is nice and cosy.

We chose a ready-made tray with a few different types of beer. Fun! The most special beer was probably the one that tasted like ”gingerbread” (not so strange when you’re in Toruń, perhaps!). We were told that this was the brewery’s most popular beer. It wasn’t our favorite at all, we can say, but the lighter beers were very good.

What about the food? We took the opportunity to eat one of our favourite dishes in Poland, duck with red cabbage. Sooo good! For starter we chose a small toast with chicken liver. This was also super tasty!

12. Enjoy the view of the Vistula River

The Wisla River flows past Torun on its way to Gdansk. The walkway along the river is really nice, with great views of both the river and the beautiful bridge.

If you stand on the bridge, or on the other side of the river, you also have a fantastic view of the city of Torun.

More to see and do in Toruń

What else is there to see and do in Toruń? We had limited time in the city, but here are some more things to see and do according to a tourist brochure (in Swedish!) that we got at the tourist office.

• Planetarium / Orbitarium
• The ruins of the German Order's castle
• Church of St James
• Ethnographic Museum
• Centre for Contemporary Art
• Fort IV
• Barbarka recreation and leisure area

Things to do in Toruń – on film

Where to stay in Toruń?

There are of course many different places to stay when visiting Toruń. We traveled by camper, so we have the best knowledge of campsites and parking lots.

Hotels and hostels

There are many different hotels, and also hostels, in and around Toruń. We photographed a central hostel called ”Hostel Freedom”, because we liked the name! You can of course find more hotels and hostels on various hotel websites.

Camping and caravanning

There is a campsite in Toruń called “Camping nr 33 Tramp”. It is located on the other side of the river, and looks to have a nice location. During our visit we chose a parking lot near the Old Town, on the Wisła. There were also buses and other campers parked there and the location worked well for us. Since our visit was a few years ago, we recommend checking the current parking regulations before staying overnight.

More city guides nearby

There are of course more interesting cities to discover in Poland. Here you will find more tips and reports:

• Things to do in Gdansk
• Things to do in Wrocław
• Things to do in Poznań