Gołdap – The Hidden Gem
Year 2020 has been special and different for all of us. Long-haul trips got canceled, so many countries closed their borders and put lockdowns. The good thing is that in all this craziness I could spend more quality time with the people that I love and care about.
I managed to visit my family in Mrągowo – my hometown – and spent with them a whole month. Normally, with work and everything going on, a two-week stay was the maximum that I could achieve in one visit.
This month was special, but today I would like to tell you about our spontaneous trip together to a city 100 km away from home – Gołdap.
It is a small town located in northeastern Poland, in the region of Masuria. The town is located next to border to Kalinigrand Oblast which is giving its typical border town charm with mixed polish and russian cultures.
Where to stay
As I said in the beginning, it was a spontaneous trip planned the day before, so we did not have so much time to look for a specific accommodation, which I think it was a good thing. Goldap is a spa town with many hotels, B&B, and private rooms, which gives plenty of possibilities for accommodation, mostly during low-season as we stayed.
We end up in the newly opened Hotel Lupus located in the city center, with a nice parking place and a restaurant. I can highly recommend it for its location, comfortable beds, nice design, and nice personnel. If I visit again Goldap, I will probably stay there again. For my whole hotel review click here.
Where to eat
Our stay in Goldap was short, because it was only one and a half day, but we ate in two nice restaurants which I can highly recommend.
1. Restauracja Turystyczna, Królewiecka 619-500 Gołdap
Our first meal, which was a special birthday dinner, we had it in a place called Restauracja Turystyczna, which was a restaurant located in the same building as our hotel.
When I booked our rooms, I booked a table as well and that was a good idea. When we arrived in the hotel, there was waiting for us a beautifully decorated table with flowers on and glasses for wine. I would like to thank the personnel very much for that.
Let us come back to food. Me and my family are kind of picky if it comes to food, which make us not an easy type of customer 😊. However, I need to say that all of us where super satisfied with the food we ordered. All meals where fresh, tasty, and nicely served. See the pictures that we took.
You can find more information on here
2. Matrioszka, Partyzantów 27A, 19-500 Gołdap, Poland
We had lunch on day 2 in a restaurant called Matrioszka. Here you can eat both Polish and Russian cuisine which gives you plenty of options. It is heaven for people who likes dishes based on potatoes and flour, but meat lovers will find something to eat as well.
I can recommend a soup called Żarkoje (It is kind of a stew soup) and the Matrioszka plate with potatoes pancakes and more.
You can find the whole menu on http://matrioszkagoldap.pl/menu/
What to visit
Goldap is mostly known as a ski and SPA resort. You can visit here places and attraction such as:
1. Mini graduation towers and medical SPA with Mineral and therapeutic water drinking room, “Zdrój”
Graduation towers are known for their good effect on the human respiratory system and are recommended for people after lung problems as rehabilitation. The salty water that is going down on the walls makes the air around full of iodine, which is like the one that we can breathe walking next to the sea.
It is a perfect place nowadays with COVID-19. We spent there half of the day, I think. Relaxing first in the salt cave, drinking mineral water, looking at the landscape view from the top and playing mini golf.
I think it is a good place to relax, recharge batteries and enjoy the time with your beloved ones or alone with a good book. Highly recommended.
Address: ul. Promenada Zdrojowa 20, 19-500 Gołdap
More information here
2. Water Tower
This attraction as many others is open only during summer (May – September)
It is an old water tower built in 1900 and which supplied the citizens with running water until 1996. Now it is an architectural monument with a viewpoint on top, cozy café and a museum.
Address: Ul. Paderewskiego 35, 19-500 Gołdap
Pricelist and more information you can find here: http://www.wieza-goldap.pl/en/
3. Ski slopes ¨Piekna Gora¨
As a winter sports lover you can find here 4 different ski slopes with a lift, from which the highest has 750 m of trails and it is the highest one in the lowlands in Poland.
More information: http://zajazd-rudziewicz.pl/en/skiing-slopes/
4. Revolving Café
This coffee place is a unique one and we wanted to visit it but it was closed :(. It is a place located on a hill and the building rotates which gives you a possibility to enjoy the view 360 degrees around. Is it not an amazing idea? I am sure that I need to come back there to try it.
Address: Konikowo 11, 19-500 Gołdap
More information: http://zajazd-rudziewicz.pl/en/revolving-cafe/
5. Bloodless Safari and ecological farm
Goldap can be also a good spot for exploring the area with many historical as well as architectonical monuments, among others you have:
- Railway bridges in Stańczyki
- A pyramid in Rapa
- Bunkers in Mamerki
- Weir gates near Węgorzewo
- Borecka and Romincka Forests
That is all for today. I can highly recommend Goldap as a place to visit in Poland,within the Masuria region. I hope you find my post inspiring and helpful when planning your own visit to this beautiful town.
Stay safe and see you on the road!
Kaja
