Torun

Toruń is one of the best-preserved medieval towns in northern Europe, its Gothic red-brick architecture so intact that UNESCO listed the entire old town. The Teutonic Knights founded it in the 13th century, and the buildings they left — the castle ruins, the town walls, the soaring churches — give the city a weight and seriousness that its cheerful market square pleasantly undermines. Copernicus was born here in 1473, and his childhood home is now a museum tracing the journey from Toruń schoolboy to the man who moved the Earth.

Gingerbread is the city’s other obsession. Toruń has been baking it since the Middle Ages, and the Living Museum of Gingerbread lets you make your own using traditional molds and recipes. The old town’s two great churches — St. John’s and St. Mary’s — contain some of the finest Gothic interiors in Poland. The leaning tower, Toruń’s answer to Pisa, tilts at a noticeable angle and now houses a pub where you test your sobriety by trying to stand straight. The Vistula riverfront at sunset, with the old town glowing red above the water, is one of Poland’s great views.

When to go: May through September for warm weather. December for Christmas markets and the smell of gingerbread on every corner.