After the Maraton Dębno: Szczecin

The Route: Dębno → Kostrzyn nad Odrą → Szczecin → home Logistics: Road to Kostrzyn, rail to Szczecin Główny, one night, then the airport or onward rail. Short walks in the centre. Marathon Month: April or October Duration: 1 night

Dębno ──(road)──> Kostrzyn station ──(rail)──> Szczecin Główny (Old Town, Wały Chrobrego, Przełomy)
                                                        │
                                                 (airport SZZ, about 40 min)

Szczecin is about 112 km north of Dębno, and it is the city the town looks towards. The marathon ends on a Sunday, so the day after is a Monday, and in Szczecin that shapes the plan, because the National Museum is closed on Mondays. The good news is that the best things here are outdoors or underground and need only a few hundred metres of walking each.

April and October in Szczecin: the Oder is wide and cold, and wind off the water cuts through a light jacket. In October the light fades by late afternoon. In April the terraces are dry on a good day and damp on a bad one. Bring a layer for the river.

The rail corridor from Kostrzyn runs through Szczecin Główny, and the airport operator names that link. Look up a dated timetable and fare before you commit. Kostrzyn is reached from Dębno by road, and on race day the organiser's free coach serves the station from the race office. Szczecin Główny station is at ul. Kolumba 2, about a dozen minutes' walk from the Old Town, the castle and the terrace.

Night one: the terrace and the underground

Start with Wały Chrobrego. It is a terrace about 500 m long above the Oder, built between 1902 and 1921 on the site of Fort Leopold. Sources disagree on its height above the river, with figures from 19 m to about 30 m, so take your own view of it. The stairs between the levels are steep, and a runner with stiff quads should take them slowly. Entry is free. Allow an hour for a slow stroll with stops.

Centrum Dialogu Przełomy, at pl. Solidarności 1, is an underground pavilion designed by Robert Konieczny of KWK Promes, which won World Building of the Year at the 2016 World Architecture Festival. The exhibition covers 1939 to 1989, with a focus on the protests of December 1970, August 1980 and August 1988. Phone +48 571 309 239 or ask at reception for the opening hours. It is cool, mostly level and seated in places, which suits a Monday afternoon.

The Brama Portowa, formerly the Berlin Gate, stands beside Plac Orła Białego and is a short walk from both.

Day two: the castle

The Pomeranian Dukes' Castle has a fifth wing built between 1616 and 1619 and original ducal sarcophagi from the same century. The courtyard is free and the exhibitions charge admission. Allow one to three hours. St James's Cathedral is free to enter and has 87 m² of stained glass, though it may be closed on Sunday mornings. The National Museum is open on Tuesday, takes about an hour and a half to two hours and is paid. Check hours before you go.

Where to stay

Choose a hotel near the Old Town and the castle, so the walks are short. Hotel Zamek Centrum, at Panieńska 15, and ibis Styles Szczecin Stare Miasto, at Panieńska 10, are both close. Check availability and cancellation terms before booking.

Eating

Szczecin is a port, so fish is the sensible order. Ask your hotel for a place within a short walk, because a restaurant across town loses its appeal after a marathon.

Getting home