Skwer Kuracyjny

Skwer Kuracyjny, the Spa Square, is the landscaped plaza at the foot of the pier where the whole town seems to gather. It sits between the main street, the beach and the molo, framed by fountains, flowerbeds and the grand buildings of the old spa quarter. This is the natural meeting point of central Sopot.

You end up here one way or another. The square is where the pedestrian street from the station meets the seafront, so it is the place to arrange to meet, sit for a while and watch the crowd on the way to the water. In summer it fills with people, buskers and event stages; out of season it is calmer but still the hinge of the town. It costs nothing and never closes.

The centrepiece is the fountain, built in 1909, with sculpted stone cherubs (amorki) that make it the square's favourite meeting spot in the summer season. Around it stand the buildings of the Spa House complex and the landscaped beds and terraces that lead down to the pier gate. From here the beach opens out on both sides.

The square itself is a ten-minute stop, longer if you sit by the fountain or pause at a cafe. It works best as the start or end of a longer walk, taking in the main street on one side and the pier on the other.

Summer evenings are the liveliest, with the fountain lit and the square busy well after dark. Morning is quieter and better for photos, before the crowds arrive from the station. In winter it is stripped back and calm, which has its own appeal against the grey sea beyond the pier.

From Sopot's SKM station, walk down ulica Bohaterow Monte Cassino, the main pedestrian street, and it delivers you straight into the square in about ten minutes. Everything here is car-free. For transport across the coast, see the Sopot guide.

The square is flat and mostly paved, with level access on to the pier deck, so it is easy for wheelchairs and prams. The soft sand of the beach on either side is harder to reach. Benches and cafe seating are dotted around.

The square touches everything central:

• The pier, straight ahead over the water.
• The Grand Hotel on the beach beside the pier gate.
• The main street of cafes and shops running up to the station.

It is Sopot's Spa Square, the landscaped plaza at the foot of the pier where the main street, the beach and the molo all meet. It is free and open at all hours.

The fountain, dating from 1909 and decorated with stone cherubs, stands in the middle of the square. It is the usual meeting point through the summer.