After the Szczecin Night Marathon: Two More Nights in Szczecin

The Route: Szczecin → Szczecin Logistics: Keep the same hotel and do not move luggage. Short walks to each stop. Marathon Month: Summer Duration: 2 nights

Old Town hotel ──(on foot)──> Przełomy, Wały Chrobrego, Brama Portowa, castle, cathedral

The marathon finishes in the small hours of Sunday, so the first full day in Szczecin is mostly sleep and a slow breakfast. The course has already shown you the Brama Portowa, the river quays and the old shipyard. What it did not show you is the inside of the city. Two more nights give you Monday and Tuesday, with the extra advantage that nothing here needs a train.

Summer in Szczecin: long light evenings and warm streets. The castle courtyard and the terrace by the river are at their best around dusk. Monday matters for planning, because the National Museum is closed on Mondays.

Night one: Przełomy and the terrace

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

Walk to Wały Chrobrego in the evening. The terrace runs for about 500 m above the Odra and was built between 1902 and 1921 on the site of Fort Leopold. Sources disagree on its height above the river, giving figures anywhere between 19 m and about 30 m. Whatever the number, the view over the port, the cranes and the water is the one you earned on the course. Entry is free.

The Brama Portowa, formerly the Berlin Gate, stands beside Plac Orła Białego. You passed it at about 3 km of each lap in the dark, and it looks different in daylight.

Night two: the castle and the cathedral

The Pomeranian Dukes' Castle has a fifth wing built between 1616 and 1619 and original ducal sarcophagi of the same century. The courtyard is free and the exhibitions charge admission. Allow between one and three hours depending on how many rooms you enter.

St James's Cathedral is free to enter, with 87 m² of stained glass, but it may be closed on Sunday mornings, so visit on a weekday. The National Museum takes about an hour and a half to two hours and is open on Tuesday, though check the day's hours before setting out.

Where to stay

Hotel Zamek Centrum, at Panieńska 15, and ibis Styles Szczecin Stare Miasto, at Panieńska 10, are both close to the castle and the Old Town. Check availability for the extra nights when you book.

Eating

Szczecin is a port city, so fish and Baltic seafood are the sensible order. Ask your hotel for a place within a short walk, since a restaurant a long way across town loses its appeal after a marathon.

Getting home