About this route
Route overview
Pelplin is a former Cistercian abbey (founded in 1276) and one of the oldest and best-preserved monastic complexes in Poland. The Cathedral Basilica of the Blessed Virgin Mary — brick Gothic from the 13th-14th c., 84 m long, a three-aisle nave with transept, and one of the finest sets of monastic stalls in Europe (15 stalls from the 15th c. with 28 reliefs of biblical scenes). The Diocesan Museum in the former monastery preserves the greatest treasure of Polish book culture: an original copy of the Gutenberg Bible (1455) — one of 48 known copies in the world and the ONLY one in Poland. The Bible is shown in a dedicated room with humidity and security control. The museum also presents paintings from the workshop of Hermann Hahn, tapestries, sacred sculpture and a medieval manuscript collection. The full completeness of the Cistercian complex (church, monastery, brewery, mill, gardens) is rare in Europe. 70 km via the A1 to the Pelplin junction, 1 h 15 min - 1 h 30 min off-peak. The service runs 24/7. A standard plan: 9:00 hotel pickup, 10:30 Pelplin, tour of the basilica and the stalls (1.5 h), Diocesan Museum with the Gutenberg Bible (1.5 h), lunch in the monastic Refektarz restaurant, 14:00 walk through the monastery and gardens, 15:30 return to Gdansk. From EUR 450 in a Mercedes E-Class for 1-3 passengers, EUR 520 in a V-Class for 4-6.