The Royal Way runs from the Golden Gate down Ulica Długa to the Long Market — a processional boulevard of gilded façades that Polish kings once paraded through. By day it belongs to everyone; the mornings and evenings belong to residents and early walkers. Our advice is simple: take it at dusk, when the day-trippers have gone and the brick turns to amber as the lamps come on.
A five-minute stroll that crosses six centuries.
Start at the Golden Gate and walk slowly — this is not a street to hurry. The houses lean over you the way merchant houses have leaned here since the Hanseatic age, and every few doors the city offers something worth stopping for.
End on the Long Embankment, beside the river. The Crane stands black against the last of the light, and the water gives you the whole skyline twice. If it is cold, walk; if it is warm, sit — either way, stay for the moment the lamps and the sky hold the same colour.
If you are staying with us on Długa, Piwna or Ogarna, all of this begins a few minutes from your door — which is rather the point of staying there.