Gdansk Private Communism Tour: Solidarity Center & Shipyard

Walk the sites where Poland's Solidarity movement toppled a regime

A private tour of Gdansk tracing the 1980 Solidarity uprising through the European Solidarity Center, Sala BHP, and Gdansk Shipyard, with a licensed guide fluent in your chosen language and skip-the-line museum entry. You meet your guide at the Monument to the Fallen Shipyard Workers and move through the exhibitions, the historic agreement hall, and the shipyard itself, learning the stories of Lech Wałęsa and the workers who sparked the end of communism in Eastern Europe.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Solidarity history in Gdansk

• Meet guide at Monument to Fallen Shipyard Workers
• Learn about Lech Walesa and revolution heroes
• Visit Solidarity Square and Sala BHP site
• Tour Gdansk Shipyard and taste Polish vodka
• Explore European Solidarity Center exhibitions

The experience

The tour starts at the Monument to the Fallen Shipyard Workers in Solidarity Square, where your guide meets you and begins unpacking what happened on August 31, 1980. That date marks the Gdańsk Agreement: the moment 17,000 shipyard workers won concessions from the communist authorities and set off a chain of events that would reshape the Eastern Bloc. Your guide, licensed and fluent in your chosen language, walks you through the context of the Polish People's Republic, the figures who led the resistance like Lech Wałęsa and Anna Walentynowicz, and the legacy their actions left across Eastern Europe.

The European Solidarity Center is the centerpiece: a modern museum built around the original Tables of 21 Postulates. The written demands the Lenin Shipyard strikers handed to authorities in 1980. Skip-the-line tickets let you move straight past the entrance queue. Inside, you walk step by step through photographs, documents, and exhibits tracing the strikes, the 1989 round table talks, and Poland's first pluralistic election since 1947. The 2-hour option focuses on the museum and its exhibitions. The 4-hour option adds the Sala BHP, the worker protection center inside the shipyard where the Gdańsk Agreement was actually signed, and the Gdansk Shipyard itself: the sprawling industrial complex where the uprising began. At the shipyard, the tour ends with a shot of traditional Polish vodka, a nod to the era you've just walked through. Note that the shipyard closes on weekends, so weekday departures are necessary for the full 4-hour experience.

Pickup is available from your accommodation in Gdansk Old Town if it sits within 1.5 km of the meeting point. If your hotel is farther out, the guide will meet you at Solidarity Square instead. Check your email the day before for final details on timing and location.

What’s included

• A licensed guide fluent in your chosen language (English, German, Polish, Russian, Spanish, French, Italian, Norwegian or Swedish).
• skip-the-line tickets to the European Solidarity Center.
• free entry to the Sala BHP and Gdansk Shipyard (4-hour option only).
• a shot of traditional Polish vodka (4-hour option only).
• pickup from your Gdansk Old Town accommodation if it falls within 1.5 km of the meeting point.

Options for this experience

6 options

2H: Solidarity EN, GER, PL, RUSGuide in 4 languages · 9 departure times: the first at 10:00, the last at 18:00Lasts 2 hours: Tour the European Solidarity Center to learn the story of the Solidarity movement. Skip-the-line tickets are included. Led by an Official 5-Stars Guide who specializes in this type of tour and speaks the chosen language fluently. PLGD010

2H: Solidarity IT, SP, FRGuide in Spanish, French or Italian · 9 departure times: the first at 10:00, the last at 18:00Lasts 2 hours: Tour the European Solidarity Center to learn the story of the Solidarity movement. Skip-the-line tickets are included. Led by an Official 5-Stars Guide who specializes in this type of tour and speaks the chosen language fluently. PLGD010

4H: Solidarity&Sh EN, GER, PL, RUSGuide in 4 languages · 5 departure times: the first at 10:00, the last at 14:00Lasts 4 hours: Pick this option to see the European Solidarity Center (skip-the-line tickets), Sala BHP, the Gdansk Shipyard, and other sites tied to the events of August 1980. Led by an Official 5-Stars Guide who specializes in this type of tour and speaks the chosen language fluently. PLGD010

See 3 more options

2H: Solidarity NOR, SWGuide in Norwegian or Swedish · 9 departure times: the first at 10:00, the last at 18:00Lasts 2 hours: Tour the European Solidarity Center to learn the story of the Solidarity movement. Skip-the-line tickets are included. Led by an Official 5-Stars Guide who specializes in this type of tour and speaks the chosen language fluently. PLGD010

4H: Solidarity&Sh IT, SP, FRGuide in Spanish, French or Italian · 5 departure times: the first at 10:00, the last at 14:00Lasts 4 hours: Pick this option to see the European Solidarity Center (skip-the-line tickets), Sala BHP, the Gdansk Shipyard, and other sites tied to the events of August 1980. Led by an Official 5-Stars Guide who specializes in this type of tour and speaks the chosen language fluently. PLGD010

4H: Solidarity&Sh NOR, SWEGuide in Norwegian or Swedish · 5 departure times: the first at 10:00, the last at 14:00Lasts 4 hours: Pick this option to see the European Solidarity Center (skip-the-line tickets), Sala BHP, the Gdansk Shipyard, and other sites tied to the events of August 1980. Led by an Official 5-Stars Guide who specializes in this type of tour and speaks the chosen language fluently. PLGD010

You pick the guide language when booking.

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day except Tuesday9 departure times: the first at 10:00, the last at 18:00

Book up to12h before

AgesAdult (2 and older) · Child (under 2)

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Russian and Swedish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends at a different place from where it starts.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 8 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller-friendlyPublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Rosotravel Tours Gdansk

Is this one for you?Choose the 2-hour option if you want to focus on the museum and its exhibitions without the time commitment of the full shipyard visit. Pick the 4-hour tour on a weekday if you want to stand in the Sala BHP where the agreement was signed and walk the shipyard grounds where the uprising began. The guide's fluency in your language means you follow the nuances of the history without translation lag.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Swedish, Russian and Polish.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (under 2).

What is the Gdańsk Agreement and why does it matter in Polish history?

The Gdańsk Agreement, signed on August 31, 1980, in the Sala BHP (the worker protection center at the shipyard), was the moment when 17,000 striking workers won official recognition of their independent trade union, Solidarity, from the communist authorities. It was the first major crack in Soviet-bloc control and set off a chain of events (strikes, underground organizing, the 1989 round table talks) that led to the first free elections in Poland since 1947 and the collapse of communism across Eastern Europe.

Will I see the actual Tables of 21 Postulates at the European Solidarity Center?

Yes. The Tables of 21 Postulates (the written demands the Lenin Shipyard strikers presented to authorities in 1980) are on display inside the European Solidarity Center. The museum walks you through them alongside photographs, documents, and exhibits that trace the full arc of the Solidarity movement from the strikes through the 1989 round table talks.

What is included in the 4-hour option that the 2-hour option does not cover?

The 4-hour tour adds the Sala BHP, the historic hall inside the Gdansk Shipyard where the Gdańsk Agreement was signed, plus a full visit to the Gdansk Shipyard itself, where the 17,000 workers who began the civil resistance worked. The 4-hour option also includes free entry to both sites and ends with a shot of traditional Polish vodka. Both options include skip-the-line tickets to the European Solidarity Center and a licensed guide.

Can I take the 4-hour tour on a weekend?

The Gdansk Shipyard is closed on Saturdays and Sundays, so the 4-hour option is only available on weekdays. The 2-hour tour, which focuses on the European Solidarity Center, can run any day of the week.

How does pickup work if I am staying outside Gdansk Old Town?

Pickup from your accommodation is available only within Gdansk Old Town, up to 1.5 km from the meeting point at Solidarity Square. If your hotel is farther away, your guide will meet you at the Monument to the Fallen Shipyard Workers instead. Provide your accommodation address when you book so the guide can confirm the arrangement.