Along the shore of the Gulf of Gdansk

In addition to the Polish coast, the famous “ten” also includes the coastal areas of the southern Baltic countries. On the other hand, the “thirteen” route is the Iron Curtain route, which leads across the border of the former Eastern Bloc, countries dependent on the Soviet Union until 1989. In the Pomorskie Voivodship, both routes overlap. And we have a proposal for a trip along the shore of the Gulf of Gdansk. . .

Start from Gdynia

Where you will get to know the representative, seaside part of the city with the famous “floating” museums Dar Pomorza and ORP Blyskawica and the Gdynia Aquarium. At the city beach you can step into one of the many cafes or restaurants where you can taste local culinary delicacies while listening to the sounds of the sea songs. If you still feel like visiting, the Museum of the City of Gdynia and the Museum of the Navy will open their doors for you. Your children will have a great time at the Experyment Science Centre, which you will find outside the seaside area of the city tour. Over the Bay of Gdansk you will return to Orlowo, from where you can go to the edge of the famous cliff and pier. In the surrounding forests of Kepa Redlowska you will find magnificent post-war cannons. It’s a very hilly area, so get ready to cross the hills, valleys and overturned trees. Such a walk is a real adventure and challenge so you will not need a bike here.

Before you enter Sopot

Pay attention to the deep jar of the border, creek Swelinia. Here Gdynia ends and Sopot begins. You can use the bicycle “gutter” and bring your two-track along the spring or enter the spa by the convenient bike path on Haffner Street. Sopot’s beach and seaside promenade during the holidays drown in the sea of tourists. It is not surprising, after all, it is the “summer capital of Poland”. The famous pier is a tourist “must be” and the most important place in this part of the trip.

Next to it there is a lighthouse tower. Did you know that’s the reconstructed chimney of the Balneology Hospital? Climb to the top and see the amazing panorama of Sopot and the vast area all the way to Gdynia and Gdansk.

In the vicinity there is a special, cycling place for you to relax. Here you can attach your bike to the rack and go to the beach. You can learn about “how it used to be in Sopot” at the Museum of Sopot, which is located right on the beach in an elegant villa from the beginning of the XXth century. The smell of freshly smoked fish from the neighbourhood will not remain indifferent to you. Under these circumstances, fish straight from the boat tastes delicious.

Border between Sopot and Gdansk

Border actually remains invisible. You’re still on the beach, but over time you’ll see the Reagan Seaside Park complex on your right. Here you can take a break and laze a little “on the blanket”, because there is a lot of green space here. In Gdansk Brzezno go for a short walk along the pier and in the park of J. J. Haffner discover the remains of fortifications from the XIXth and XXth centuries. Further is only the mouth of the Dead Vistula to the Bay of Gdansk and on the other bank you will see Westerplatte. That’s a topic for another trip.

Interesting places on the tour route:

Gdynia

• Southern Pier – It is the tourist heart of Gdynia. The ORP “Blyskawica” moored at the quay, the oldest preserved destroyer taking part in the Second World War and the former school sailing frigate “Dar Pomorza” There is also a base of the cruise fleet of white sailing. On the other side of the pier is the Gdynia Aquarium, which presents to visitors nearly 250 species of marine animals from all over the world (especially fish). There are two marinas in the vicinity. The whole area is a unique maritime forum that is a showcase of the city.
• Seaside Boulevard named after Feliks Nowowiejski – a promenade running between the slope of Kamienna Gora and the sea. At the root of the boulevard, opposite the city beach, there are magnificent buildings of the Museum of the City of Gdynia and the Museum of the Navy with an outdoor exhibition of weapons.
• Memorial to the Victims of December 1970 – The memorial was erected on the 23rd anniversary of the tragic December Events. It has the shape of a cross, and its arms consist of small crosses. The unveiling and consecration of the monument took place on 17 December 1993 with the participation of the then President Lech Walesa and Cardinal Franciszek Macharski.
• Experyment Science Center – This modern centre (not a museum) invites you to interactive exhibitions and space for creative experimentation. It is a place for everyone who wants to discover and learn about the world. There are shows, workshops, events that engage, teach and entertain.
• Orlowo Cliff– a place that has become a natural showcase and a tourist attraction of the city. The high cliff entering the waters of the Gulf of Gdansk is the most photographed part of Gdynia and one of the most picturesque corners of the Polish coast. Almost vertical slopes have different heights, and the highest elevation is up to 40 m above the water level of the bay.
• Pier in Orlowo – Wooden pier with a length of 180 m is the best vantage point of the cliff and the fishing harbor.
• Fortifications at Kepa Redlowska – The Redlowska Battery is today the best preserved in Poland post-war coastal fortifications and the most attractive military monument of Gdynia. For visitors there are 3 fire stations with original cannons. Fragments of the tranche have also been preserved in places.
• Kolibki Park with a manor house is one of the favourite places of rest and recreation of the inhabitants of Gdynia. It includes a picturesque area located above the bay and a manor from the XXth century with economic facilities. In 1920 General Józef Haller was a guest here.
• The spring of the Swelina stream is an extremely picturesque, natural border between Gdynia and Sopot. The Swelinia stream flows here in a deep spring and on the beach flows into the Baltic Sea.

Sopot

• Sopot Pier – This is the longest wooden walking pier in Europe and consists of two parts: a land and a wooden one. Land elements form the Kuracyjny Square, with a historic lighthouse, arcades and a concert shell. The wooden part includes, in addition to the main deck with a length of 515 m, also the lower and lateral decks. Since 2011, a modern yacht marina for 100 yachts has been operating at the head of the pier.
• Lighthouse in Sopot – In 1903, the Balneological Institute was built in Sopot, which existed until the Second World War. After the war, there was a bathhouse here. The enclosed chimney of the plant is today’s lighthouse in Sopot, although among tourists it is more known as a lookout point.
• Sopot Museum – The Sopot Museum has been located since 2001 in an eclectic villa right next to the beach. It was built in 1903-1904 for the family of a Gdańsk merchant and entrepreneur Ernst August Claaszen.
• Marina in Sopot is just a few fishing boats moored on the beach, the chapel “For happy return” and utility rooms where you can buy fresh and smoked fish. There is also a mini fishing museum. However, the atmosphere of this place is unique and shows a completely different face of Sopot than the one known from the bustling Monciak and the pier.

Gdańsk

• Estuary of the Oliwski Stream – picturesque estuary of the Oliwski Stream (in the lower part called the Jelitkowski Stream) to the Gulf of Gdansk. It is located in the former spring park.
• President Ronald Reagan Park is the largest city park in Gdansk with an area of approx. 85 ha, located in the coastal zone from Jelitkowo through Przymorze to Brzezno. A popular place of rest and recreation for residents of the Tricity and tourists.
• The pier in Brzezno – the third (counting from Gdynia) walking pier in the Tri-City is the shortest and its length is 136 m.
• Hevelianum Spa House – Spa House in Brzezno is the oldest preserved example of original spa infrastructure not only in Gdansk, but on the whole coast of the Gulf of Gdansk. There is a centre of ecological and natural education. In recent years, the building has been thoroughly restored and is today the showcase of this part of Gdansk.
• The beach Gun Battery – Ruins of a former artillery battery from the XIXth and XXth centuries equipped with 6 cannons. They are located in J. J. Haffner Park close to the beach.
• The west Breakwater – closes from the west the mouth of the Dead Vistula to the Gulf of Gdansk. The breakwater has been adapted for recreational purposes and is a popular place for walks. At the end there is a characteristic green pond (a small lighthouse).

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