What to do and see in Torun, Poland?

Travel Info
What are some fun things to do in Torun Poland? Where are the fun spots to go, and things to do. Am open to everything. Are the women beautiful there?

Travel Tips

i went with a tour group in 2005 and we had a wonderful time - it was beuatiful and the people were SO friendly. we were told there are 3 things you MUST do in Torun....
1) say hello to Copernicus
2) touch the leaning town - make sure you try to stand against it!
3) eat the ginger bread!!

what was neat was in the evening walking around.... people "rolled up the street" just like in the old days. the restuarants & pubs had outdoor deck areas that they would extend intothe streets into t he evening.

i would also recommend checcking out some of the churches - the history was amazing. the cathedral of st john the baptist, st stans kostka, copernicus university & his home, .
st mary's church - built in the 13th century by the franciscians. the outside was SO plain and in interior had these amazingly intricate staind glass windows, altar pieces, etc..when you are walking through the square you will see busia's & dziadzia's strolling about ot just hanging out in their windows-- wave to them, smile and say dzien dobry -- you will see some of the older people stop, think for a moment and then smile the most amazing smile. we noticed that al over.... for t he older people who lived through the communist regiemn -- this is a rarity and new found freedom. during the communist reigh peope walked swiftly with heads down -- it's one of the most beautiful smiles you w ill ever feel!!!

here's a little info from our scrapbook on torun:
Torun
A Slav settlement is known to have exited on this site as early as the 11th century, but Torun really came to life in 1233, when the Teutonic Knights set about transforming it into one of their early outposts. The knights surrounded the town, then knows as Thorn, with a ring of walls and built a castle; this and a strategic position on the Vistula, accelerated it鈥檚 growth. Rapid expansion meant that newly arriving merchants and craftspeople had to settle outside the city walls and soon built what became known as the New Town. In the 1280鈥檚 Torun joined the Hanseatic League, giving further impetus to its development.
Torun was a focal point of the conflict between Poland and the Teutonic order, and when the Thirteen Years War finally ended in 1466, it was the Treaty of Torun that finalized the peace. The treaty returned a large area of land to Poland, stretching from Torun to Gdansk.
The period of prosperity that followed ended with the Swedish wars, and since then the town鈥檚 fortunes have been erratic. Following the Second Partition in 1793 the city fell under Prussian domination and didn鈥檛 return to Poland until the Treaty of Versailles in the aftermath of WWII.
After WWII, which fortunately did relatively little damage to the city, Torun expanded significantly, with vast new suburbs and industries. But the medieval quarter was almost unaffected and largely retains its old appearance. A lot of money and effort has been poured into restoration works over recent decades and there are still a lot of projects in the offering.

Torun Gingerbread
The Polish name, piernik, comes from the word pierny, meaning peppery. Its recipe, although ingeniously simple, remained a carefully kept secret for many years. It was only in 1725 that the recipe was published in a medical book (sic!) Compendium medicum auctum (a compendium of common illnesses). The recipe read: Take as much fresh honey as you wish. Pour it into a pot. Add a decent quantity of vodka and some water. Cook slowly, stirring at times until the mixture thickens. Pour into a bowl. Toss is cardamom, whole aniseeds, and finely chopped lemon peel. Add sugar to taste. Mash the lot together and stir into the hot honey. Don鈥檛 overdo it with the spices. Stir and stir again if you need, then leave it covered to cool. When cold take the mass out onto the table and knead as hard as you can, adding as much flour as needed. Knead in some candid fruit or caramelized lemon peel. Knead again and soon you can form biscuits, size at your discretion. You can decorate them with more candid fruit, sprinkle with beer and bake until golden brown. Take them out, glaze them with caramelized honeyed beer. Bake for another while. In the 16th century the worldwide popularity of Torun gingerbread biscuits nearly matched the fame of the gingerbread from Nuremberg. Torun bakers were even granted the privilege of selling their sweets at fairs in Krolewiec. Not only the taste but also the shapes earned Torun biscuits international fame.

ALSO -- MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A DIGITAL CAMERA -- I DIDN'T REALIZE HOW IMPORTANT IT WAS UNTIL VISITING VARIOUS PLACES WHERE YOU CAN'T USE A FLASH! WITH THE DIGITAL YOU CAN WORK THE BRIGHTENESS & WHITE BALANCE WITHOUT THE FLASH!

Have a wonderful stay!
Others

This place was great! And so Medieval! Pricier than other Polish cities but still a good vacation bargain. If you want breakfast I recommend Tu To in the main square. They have yummy omelets and fresh salads. The city of Torun has an official webpage and English version, I would check it out before you go to familiarize yourself with the sites to see.
On your first day there you could go to St. John's Church and climb up the bell tower to see a 360 degree view of the city from the tower.

I had been warned to keep a close eye on my wallet and be wary of pickpockets. We didn't experience any problems and everybody was extremely happy to see tourists. However, the outskirts of the city, like most towns in Poland, are extremely poor; so if there is any petty crime it is out of desperation.
Bring a Polish-English dictionary or language guide; some of the younger folks speak a little English, but not very well. Most Poles learned Russian and sometimes German in school. You will get much farther if you can at least familiarize yourself with the language basics.
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I've lived in Poland for 9 years now, tho I live in Opole which is way south of Toru艅. But I've visited the town, it's beautiful at night, the Town Hall is open till quite late and you can climb the tower and look over the whole city. Museums and a few galleries are also open quite late and it's a nice way to wind down before going for a yummy supper (watch the prices in the square, head for the side streets and the more unassuming looking places). There are a few popular clubs and bars, check the travel pages suggested to you by the earlier contributor.

The women are beautiful but don't expect more than a flirtation ;) Be prepared for some very late nights (you're bound to find a few all-night places if you ask the younger people). Since the place is full of students you'll find a lot of people speak quite good English, including staff in shops and restaurants, all the main cities are geared up for increasing numbers of tourists, but I agree you should make an effort and keep a phrase book with you :)

Have fun and make sure you try some traditional dishes - pierogi (like giant ravioli with savoury or sweet fillings), ch艂odnik (if you go during the summer - it's delicious chilled soup), sernik (REAL cheesecake, not the c*** you make from a Dr Oetker or Sarah Lee packet!) and believe it or not the local fruit (krajowy) is worth eating as it's mostly grown locally and is organic and really tasty (especially apples) - look for obvious seasonal ones as imported stuff is outrageously expensive (at least for those of us on a typical national salary). The beer isn't what it used to be, most of the breweries are owned by multi-nationals who decided to water it down :( Czech beer is best ;d Try what's called a 'szarlotka' - Polish vodka+apple juice=lethal!!

Oh, and be careful with the taxis - they love to rip off the tourists, always take a cab with a meter and displaying a sign on it's roof.
In Torun,Poland you can visit castles and that is where they make the most famous gingerbread cookies. I have been there once myself! It is amazing
My visit to Poland
Lucky you! I have seen Torun only on postcards and the view of the red brick buildings made me long to go there...maybe someday I will...