Sopot is the smallest of the three cities that make up the Trójmiasto — the conurbation shared with Gdańsk and Gdynia — and it punches well above its weight as a resort town. In summer it fills with visitors from across Poland who come for the beach, the cafes, and the general good-time atmosphere that the other two cities, more serious in their ambitions, don't quite provide.
The heart of town is Bohaterów Monte Cassino, a long pedestrian street that runs from the train station down toward the sea. It is lined with restaurants, bars, and the usual beach-town commerce, and on summer evenings it becomes one long open-air party. At the end of it stands the Molo — a 511-metre wooden pier stretching out into the Gulf of Gdańsk, the longest such pier in Europe. Walking it at dusk, with the Trójmiasto skyline behind you and the Baltic ahead, is genuinely pleasant.
The beach itself is wide, sandy, and well-maintained. Stalls along the shore sell fresh smoked fish — worth stopping for. Be warned: they weigh the chips by the gram, and 200 grams is exactly 200 grams. It is not unheard of for a vendor to lift a chip off your plate before handing it over in pursuit of the precise measure. Still delicious, though.
The Krzywy Domek — the Crooked House — marks the seaward end of Monte Cassino Street with its deliberately warped facade. The Forest Opera in the pines west of the centre is the venue for the annual Sopot Festival. Behind the resort, the Tricity Landscape Park offers forest hiking starting a short walk from the main street.
Sopot is easy to reach from Gdańsk by the SKM commuter rail — 20 minutes, frequent service. It makes a fine half-day or full-day excursion, or a quieter base than Gdańsk if you are visiting in summer.