Hel Peninsula

The Hel Peninsula is a sandbar about thirty five kilometres long that curves out from the mainland at Wladyslawowo and narrows to about a hundred metres at its thinnest and widens to over three kilometres at the tip, so at some points you can see water on both sides from the same spot. Until the seventeenth century it was a chain of islands joined only in summer, and winter storms still breach it. The open Baltic side has surf, wind and long pale beaches backed by pine. The bay side is shallow, warmer and almost flat, which is why the villages of Chalupy, Kuznica and Jurata have become the centre of Polish windsurfing and kitesurfing. Hel itself, at the tip, is a small port town with a seal centre run by the University of Gdansk and a cluster of fish stalls.

Highlights

• The narrows at Chalupy and Kuznica - the thinnest part of the spit, sea and bay within a few minutes of each other.
• The bay shallows - waist deep water for hundreds of metres, full of windsurf and kite sails on any breezy day.
• The seal centre in Hel - grey seals in open pools, with feeding and training sessions through the day.
• The cycle path - a paved route running most of the peninsula through pine forest, away from the road.

When to go

July and August are when the water is least cold and every guesthouse is full. June and early September are the better compromise, with warm days, working ferries and space on the beach. Wind is the deciding factor for surfers rather than sunshine. Out of season most of the spit shuts down and only the trains and the seal centre keep going.

Things to know

In peak summer the single road jams badly and the drive from Wladyslawowo to Hel can take hours, so the train or the ferry is usually smarter. The Baltic is cold, often eighteen to twenty degrees, and jellyfish turn up in warm spells. Accommodation prices in Jurata and Hel are high for what you get, and the wind that draws surfers ruins ordinary beach days.

Nearby

Gdynia and the Tricity are an hour away by ferry or train, and the Wladyslawowo end has the wide beaches at Chlapowo.

Key facts