Orłowo Cliff

The Orłowo Cliff (Klif Orłowski, roughly "kleef or-WOV-skee") in Gdynia is one of the most striking natural sights on Poland's Baltic coast: a steep, crumbling wall of glacial clay that drops straight into the Bay of Gdańsk. It sits on the edge of a protected beech forest, a short train ride from Gdańsk and Sopot, and it is the best free nature walk in the Tricity if you want sea views, wild beach and a bit of geology in one outing.

Where it is and what you are looking at

Gdynia is the northernmost of the three cities that make up the Tricity (Gdańsk, Sopot and Gdynia) on Poland's northern coast. The cliff is the seaward tip of Kępa Redłowska, a forested moraine plateau inside Gdynia's city limits. It lies in the Redłowo district, but most people see it from neighboring Orłowo and its wooden pier, which is how it got its name.

The face runs for about 650 m (around 2,100 ft). The regional tourist board puts its highest point at roughly 40 m (130 ft) above the bay. The northern section, toward the port, is a "dead" cliff: old landslides now covered with shrubs and trees. The southern section is "active", a raw wall that waves still undercut, and it is the part everyone photographs.

A cliff that moves

The cliff is made mostly of moraine clay left by the last ice sheet, with layers of sand and gravel. At its foot you may spot thin seams of brown coal (lignite), and the beach is littered with pebbles of granite, porphyry, gneiss and quartzite carried here from Scandinavia by glaciers.

Storms keep eating away at the base, so the cliff retreats by an average of about 1 m (3 ft) per year. Because of this, the Maritime Office in Gdynia, the Polish Geological Institute and the regional environmental authority agreed in 2025 to study the cliff's structure with drilling, electrical resistivity surveys and LiDAR scanning, with fieldwork planned for 2026.

The Kępa Redłowska nature reserve

Above the cliff stretches the Kępa Redłowska nature reserve, created in 1938 and covering about 122 hectares (300 acres). It is one of the oldest nature reserves in Poland. It protects natural beech forest and a rare stand of Swedish whitebeam, and sea buckthorn grows on the cliff slopes. A marked nature trail with information boards (Polish only) loops through the woods.

On the reserve's north side, next to the Redłowo bathing beach, is Polanka Redłowska, a picnic meadow that makes a handy starting point for a walk along the top or along the shore.

How to visit and how long to stay

There are two classic routes:

• Along the beach: start at the Orłowo pier and walk north at the water's edge to the foot of the cliff. After storms or with high water, the strip of sand can get narrow and rocky.
• Through the forest: follow the reserve paths along the top, with glimpses of the bay and Sopot through the trees.

Allow 45 to 90 minutes for a loop around the headland, or half a day if you add the pier and Polanka Redłowska. Sunrise is the best time for photos, when the light hits the bare clay.

Is it worth visiting? Yes, if you want an easy half-day outing from Gdańsk that is not a museum. Keep away from the edge and from fresh slides, never climb the face, and do not linger directly under overhangs: collapses happen without warning, especially after thaws and heavy rain.

Getting there and practical information

As of October 2026:

• Admission is free and the area is open year-round.
• How to get to the Orłowo Cliff: take the SKM commuter train from Gdańsk or Sopot to Gdynia Orłowo station (roughly half an hour from central Gdańsk), then walk down Orłowska street toward the sea and the pier.
• By car, Orłowo is about 30 minutes from Gdańsk Lech Wałęsa Airport; parking near the beach is very limited in summer.
• The beach and forest paths are unpaved and partly steep, so they are not suitable for wheelchairs or strollers.

Check the boards at the reserve entrances for current rules (for example on dogs).

Nearby

The Orłowo pier and Orłowo beach are right next to the cliff. Central Gdynia, with the Gdynia Aquarium and the Kościuszko Square waterfront, is a few minutes away by SKM, and you can walk along the beach to Sopot.