Although for much of the year Gdansk takes the guise of a sedate backwater town, each summer sees the city reinvent itself with the annual Dominican Fair (www.mtgsa.pl). Taking place in the first three weeks of August and drawing 150,000 visitors each day this is the largest outdoor trade fair in Poland. By day the streets are awash with stalls selling bric-a-brac and curiosities, while at night they fill with tourists taking advantage of the numerous beer tents. If your pleasures are a little more lively then don’t miss the Heineken music festival (www.heinekenmusic.pl, July) in Gdansk’s sister town of Gdynia.

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