The Royal Route (Droga Królewska) is the line of streets through Gdańsk's Main Town that Polish kings followed when they made a ceremonial entry into the city: through the Upland Gate and the Golden Gate, down Long Street (ulica Długa), across Long Market (Długi Targ) and out through the Green Gate to the Motława river. A royal procession of several thousand people could take up to eight hours to pass. Today it is the old town's main walk, and almost every façade along it was rebuilt after 1945.
The Royal Route at a glance
- Where: in the Main Town (Główne Miasto), from the Upland Gate (Brama Wyżynna, also called the High Gate) in the west to the Green Gate (Brama Zielona) on the Motława in the east.
- Built: the street plan is medieval; the gates date from the 16th and 17th centuries (Green Gate 1564–1568, Upland Gate 1574–1576, Golden Gate 1612–1614), and most houses were reconstructed after the Second World War.
- What it is today: a pedestrian street lined with merchants' houses, museums and cafés, and the busiest stretch of the old town.
- Time needed: 20 minutes to walk it end to end; half a day if you go into the Town Hall, the Artus Court and the Uphagen House.
Why the kings came this way
Gdańsk came under the Polish crown in the 15th century and stayed there until 1793. It was the richest port of the kingdom, and it had negotiated broad privileges in return for its loyalty and its taxes. Kings visited rarely, but when they did, the city put on a show. The king arrived from the west and entered through the Upland Gate, passed the prison tower and torture house of the Long Street foregate, rode through the Golden Gate and down Long Street to the Main Town Hall, where quarters were prepared for him. On Long Market he received the city's oath of loyalty, and the houses facing the Artus Court served as royal lodgings.
The Green Gate at the far end was built in 1564–1568 as an official residence for visiting monarchs, but no king ever stayed there. Its only royal guest was Marie Louise Gonzaga, who was entertained there in February 1646 on her way to marry King Władysław IV. In March 1945, during the fighting for the city and the fires that followed, the Main Town was burned out and the Royal Route was left in ruins. Reconstruction began soon after the war. The Golden Gate, damaged but still standing, was repaired by 1957.
What to look for
- The Upland Gate: stone coats of arms of Poland, Royal Prussia and Gdańsk with lions above them, and Latin mottoes such as 'Iustitia et pietas duo sunt regnorum omnium fundamenta' ('Justice and piety are the two foundations of all kingdoms'). The decoration was added in 1588 by Willem van den Blocke.
- The Golden Gate: designed by Abraham van den Blocke, with eight statues on the attic representing the virtues of a good citizen: Peace, Freedom, Fortune and Fame on the west side, Concord, Justice, Piety and Prudence on the side facing Long Street.
- The Golden Gate inscription: 'Concordia res publicae parvae crescunt, discordia magnae concidunt', meaning that small republics grow through concord and great ones fall through discord.
- The Uphagen House at Długa 12: the home of the councillor Johann Uphagen, who bought it in 1775. Its restored 18th-century rooms are now a branch of the Museum of Gdańsk and show how a wealthy merchant family lived.
- The Main Town Hall tower at the corner of Long Street and Long Market, with a gilded figure of King Sigismund II Augustus on top, first placed there in 1561.
- The Green Gate: the Dutch-style gatehouse designed by Regnier of Amsterdam, now used by the National Museum in Gdańsk, framing the view of the river from Long Market.
Tips for your visit
- Walk it as the kings did, from west to east: start at the Upland Gate, finish at the Green Gate and step through it to the riverside.
- Come early in the morning or in the evening. At midday in summer the street is packed, and the façades look best in low sunlight.
- Look up: the best details, from gables to statues and gilded figures, are at the top of the houses and gates.
- In late July and August the St Dominic's Fair (Jarmark św. Dominika) fills the streets around the route with stalls.
Nearby
- The Motława waterfront and the Crane (Żuraw): through the Green Gate and along the river to the medieval port crane, the symbol of Gdańsk.
- St Mary's Church: one of the largest brick churches in the world, a few minutes' walk north of Long Street.
- Mariacka Street: the street of stone terraces and amber shops between St Mary's Church and the river.
- The Great Armoury: the Flemish-style arsenal from the early 17th century on the Coal Market, just north of the Golden Gate.
See Gdańsk with World City Trail
Our Gdańsk scavenger hunt turns the old town into a game you play on your phone. The route links 10 stops and takes around 2 hours, with about 24 minutes of walking. It follows the Royal Route past the High Gate and the Golden Gate to the Artus Court and Neptune's Fountain on Long Market. You can play in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch or Polish.
If you prefer a different format, there is also a self-guided walking tour and an outdoor escape game in Gdańsk.
Play the Gdańsk scavenger hunt →
Take the self-guided walking tour of Gdańsk →
Play the outdoor escape game in Gdańsk →
Facts checked in October 2026.