This extension strings together three distinct versions of Poland on a single rail line: the Baltic port city where the race finishes, a medieval brick Old Town that survived the war intact, and the capital rebuilt almost entirely from its own ruins. None of it requires a car.
Gdańsk: One Further Night
Spend the day after the race recovering in Gdańsk itself rather than rushing for a train. The Motława waterfront and Ołowianka Island, both on the marathon course, are flat, easy walking on legs that do not want much more than that, and the European Solidarity Centre by the historic shipyard gate rewards a slower visit than race week allowed.
Toruń: Two Nights
Direct trains from Gdańsk Główny to Toruń Główny take 2 hours 15 minutes to 2 hours 40 minutes. Toruń Główny station sits across the Vistula from the Old Town; a tram or bus over the Piłsudski Bridge covers the gap in 10 to 15 minutes. The Old Town Market Square, ringed by Gothic brick merchant houses, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that survived the Second World War essentially undamaged, and is also the birthplace of Nicolaus Copernicus in 1473. Two nights covers the market square and Old Town Hall tower, the Copernicus museum, the leaning tower a short walk away, and a gingerbread-making session at the Toruń Gingerbread Museum, all at a pace slower than Warsaw's would allow. See the dedicated Toruń itinerary for full detail.
Warsaw: One Night
Direct trains run from Toruń to Warszawa Centralna in around 2 hours, or from Gdańsk direct in around 2 hours 30 minutes if Toruń is dropped from the route. Warsaw's Old Town, itself a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a reconstruction rather than an original: levelled in 1944 after the Warsaw Uprising and rebuilt after the war using pre-war paintings and photographs as the reference, right down to the brickwork. The Warsaw Rising Museum, a short tram ride from the centre, gives the clearest account of why that reconstruction happened at all and is worth the half-day it demands. Łazienki Park, built around an 18th-century palace on an island in an artificial lake, is flatter and gentler ground for a second day, with free Chopin piano recitals by the Chopin monument on summer Sunday afternoons.
Getting Home
Warsaw Chopin Airport (WAW) sits south of the city centre, reachable by rail (the S9 line or the dedicated Airport Express service) or by taxi from the centre in around 25 to 30 minutes depending on traffic. Modlin Airport (WMI), used by some budget carriers, is further out and requires checking the specific bus connection timetable in advance rather than assuming a quick transfer.