Torun

Two hundred kilometres (120mi) south of GdaÅ„sk, ToruÅ„ is the birthplace of Copernicus, the man who ’stopped the sun and moved the earth’. It’s a beautiful town dating back to the 13th century, when the Teutonic Knights set about transforming it into one of their early outposts.

The town became a Hanseatic port in the 1280s, garnering wealth that spurred the construction of the elegant Gothic buildings you can see today. If you spend a few days wandering around munching on the local gingerbread your only problem will be OD-ing on picture-postcard perfection.