What are the best things to do on the Hel Peninsula in one day?

Most sights are in Hel itself: the seal sanctuary, the Fishing Museum, the lighthouse and the tip are all within walking distance. In the afternoon take the train to Kuźnica for Góra Libek, and finish in Władysławowo.

Is the Hel seal sanctuary open in winter?

Yes. According to the sanctuary's website (as of October 2026) it is open daily 10:00–16:00 from October to April, with feedings at 11:00 and 14:00; tickets cost 30 zł, or 25 zł reduced. The marine station's site still showed an older notice about renovation, so phone ahead outside the summer.

Is Hel the northernmost point of Poland?

No. The 'Beginning of Poland' inscription on the Kashubian Mound marks the end of the spit. Poland's northernmost point is in Jastrzębia Góra, west of Władysławowo.

How do I get to Hel without a car?

Take the train from Gdynia on line 213 — about 2 hours to Hel, stopping in every town on the peninsula. Buses also run from Karwia, and in summer a water tram sails from Gdańsk, Gdynia and Sopot.

Can I climb the lighthouses in Hel and Rozewie in winter?

From October to April they have no fixed opening hours. Visits to Rozewie must be arranged by phone with the Society of Friends of the National Maritime Museum, and for Hel the operator advises calling its office before you travel.

Can you swim at the tip of the Hel Peninsula?

It is not a bathing spot — swimming-ban signs have stood on the beach at the tip. For swimming, use the lifeguarded beaches in summer, for example in Władysławowo.

Region guide

Things to do on the Hel Peninsula: seals, lighthouses and the tip of Poland's Baltic spit

The Hel Peninsula (Polish: Mierzeja Helska or Półwysep Helski) is a 35 km strip of dunes and pine forest on Poland's Baltic coast, with open sea on one side and the shallow Bay of Puck on the other. This guide covers the whole spit, starting at its base in Władysławowo — including Rozewie, Jastrzębia Góra and the Lisi Jar ravine to the west, and the villages of Chałupy and Kuźnica — then Jastarnia with Jurata and Bór, and finally the town of Hel at the very end. At its narrowest, between Kuźnica and Jastarnia, the spit is only about 175 m wide, and all of it lies within the Coastal Landscape Park.

Below you will find ten places to start with, one- and two-day itineraries with travel times between the towns, practical notes on the train and road 216, and the full list of attractions you can filter by town. Most museums and both lighthouses are seasonal: in winter 2026/27 the seal sanctuary in Hel opens daily and the Fishing Museum Tuesday to Sunday, while the rest need a phone call or reopen in spring. Details are on each attraction's page.

Open the full map 3 towns

Why visit

Two seas on one spit: wide Baltic beaches on the north side and the calm, shallow Bay of Puck on the south.
Grey seals up close at the University of Gdańsk seal sanctuary in Hel, open every day of the year.
Two lighthouses you can climb in season: Rozewie, lit since 1822, and the red-brick tower in Hel from 1942.
The 1939 defence of Hel told in concrete bunkers at the Museum of Coastal Defence and at the Laskowski battery near the tip.
A railway runs the length of the peninsula, so you can walk a stretch of the coastal trail one way and take the train back.

Top 10: what to see first

Towns in the region

The region brings together attractions from these towns. Open a town guide or its list of attractions.

All attractions (10) — Władysławowo

Hidden gem

Landscape parks

Coastal Landscape Park

Władysławowo

The Coastal Landscape Park (Nadmorski Park Krajobrazowy) protects the most varied stretch of Poland's Baltic coast, north of Gdańsk: the whole Hel Peninsula, the cliffs at Rozewie and Jastrzębia Góra, coastal peat bogs and the shallow Puck…

Free entry

1-day itinerary

Morning: seals and the Fishing Museum in Hel

Arrive in Hel for opening time and start at the seal sanctuary (feeding at 11:00), then walk a few minutes to the Fishing Museum on the seafront promenade — allow about an hour including the tower. Until the end of 2026 the museum is closed on Mondays.

Places: Seal Sanctuary in Hel Fisheries Museum

Midday: lighthouse and the tip of the peninsula

Walk via Wiejska and Bałtycka streets to the lighthouse (gallery open in season), then about 1 km along a forest track to the tip, passing gun position no. 4 of the Laskowski battery. The loop takes 1–1.5 hours.

Places: Hel Lighthouse Heliodor Laskowski Battery (Hel) Hel Headland (Tip of the Hel Peninsula)

Afternoon: Kuźnica and Góra Libek

The train from Hel to Kuźnica (via Jurata and Jastarnia) takes under half an hour — check the timetable. From Kuźnica the nature trail reaches Góra Libek in about 50 minutes; come back along the beach.

Places: Libek Hill (Lubek) in Jastarnia

Evening: Władysławowo

From Kuźnica the train to Władysławowo takes under half an hour. The Fisherman's House tower and the harbour are a few minutes' walk from the station, and on a clear evening there is time for the beach.

Places: Fisherman's House in Władysławowo Władysławowo Beach

2-day itinerary

Day 1: Władysławowo, Rozewie and the cliffs

Władysławowo: Fisherman's House and Hallerówka
Start with the view from the Fisherman's House tower, then walk along Morska street to Hallerówka, the summer villa of General Józef Haller, now a branch of the Puck Regional Museum. It is closed from October to April, when you can only see it from outside.
Places: Fisherman's House in Władysławowo Hallerówka – General Haller Memorial Centre in Władysławowo
Rozewie: lighthouses and beech forest
Cape Rozewie lies a few kilometres west of Władysławowo — from the station it is a walk along the clifftop. Allow 1–1.5 hours for both towers and the exhibition; from October to April visits must be booked by phone.
Places:

Getting there

By train. Railway line 213 runs from Gdynia along the whole peninsula, stopping in Władysławowo, Chałupy, Kuźnica, Jastarnia, Jurata and Hel. Gdynia to Hel takes about 2 hours, Władysławowo to Hel usually 35–50 minutes and Jastarnia to Hel around a quarter of an hour. Some trains do not run every day, so check the timetable before you go.

By car. Regional road 216 is the only road onto the peninsula. In summer it is often jammed — leave the car in Władysławowo and continue by train or bike. In Hel you cannot drive to the tip; car parks are in town and paid.

By bus and water tram. Buses and private minibuses run between Karwia and Hel. In summer a water tram sails to Hel from Gdańsk, Gdynia and Sopot; it does not run in winter.

Getting around. The stations in Hel, Jastarnia and Władysławowo are a short walk from the main sights. Between towns the train is the easiest option, or walk the blue coastal trail.

When to go

July and August are peak season: all museums, both lighthouses and the water tram operate, but road 216 and the beaches are crowded. Get to the seal sanctuary and museums right at opening time.

May, June and September are a good compromise — museums and lighthouses keep shorter hours and the beaches are quieter. At Rozewie there is a midday break in visits from 13:45 to 15:00.

Winter 2026/27 (as of October 2026). The seal sanctuary in Hel is open daily (October–April 10:00–16:00), and the Fishing Museum is open Tuesday to Sunday 10:00–16:00 until 31 December 2026; hours for 2027 have not yet been announced. The Museum of Coastal Defence is closed from 26 October to the end of March, the Laskowski battery position closed for the season on 4 October, and Hallerówka in Władysławowo is shut from October to April. The lighthouses in Hel and Rozewie have no fixed hours then — phone the operator. The tip of the spit, Góra Libek near Jastarnia, Lisi Jar and the park trails are open all year; cliffs can be slippery and storms narrow the beaches.

Spring and autumn bring bird migration over the peninsula, and thousands of ducks winter on the Bay of Puck.