Vistula Boulevard

The Vistula boulevard is the riverside walk that runs below Torun's old town, between the medieval walls and the water. It is the easy, level way to take in the waterfront, with the brick towers and church spires rising behind you and the wide river in front. Its Polish name is Bulwar Filadelfijski, the Philadelphia Boulevard.

Torun reads best from the river, and this is the walk that puts you against it. On one side stand the old town gates and the surviving stretches of wall, on the other the Vistula runs broad and slow. It is a flat, unhurried stretch that suits a break between sights, a place to sit with an ice cream, and the front-row spot for the town's skyline at dusk. It costs nothing and never closes.

The promenade is made for a slow stroll, with benches, seasonal cafes and boats along the bank. It links the old town's river gates and gives the closest views of the walls. For the full panorama of the waterfront, cross to the island of Kepa Bazarowa opposite, where the river opens up the whole skyline. Evenings, when the walls are floodlit, are the nicest time to walk it.

The boulevard is named after Philadelphia, Torun's American sister city, a link marked here in 1976. The waterfront was laid out in its present form around the same period, tied to the 500th anniversary of the birth of Nicolaus Copernicus, the town's most famous son. The name is a reminder that Torun's story reaches beyond its medieval walls.

Twenty to thirty minutes covers the central stretch below the old town at a stroll. Give it longer if you stop for a coffee, watch the boats, or walk out to catch the skyline at sunset.

Late afternoon into evening is the best window, when the low sun warms the brick and the floodlights come on after dark. Summer brings the cafes and boat trips to life. The walk is exposed to the river, so it can be windy and cold out of season, but it stays open all year.

The boulevard runs right below the old town, a couple of minutes from the Old Town Market Square through the river gates. See the Torun guide for arriving in the city.

The waterfront ties together several of the town's riverside sights:

• The Leaning Tower, set into the walls above the walk.
• The Kepa Bazarowa island opposite, for the full panorama.
• The Teutonic castle ruins at the eastern end of the old town.

Philadelphia is Torun's American sister city, and the riverside boulevard was named for it in 1976. In Polish it is the Bulwar Filadelfijski.

The boulevard gives the closest views of the walls and gates. For the whole skyline in one frame, cross the bridge to the island of Kepa Bazarowa on the far bank.