Hel Travel Guide

 evaanna Says:  The scientists at the Seal Sanctuary at Hel look after seals which, for various reasons, were unable to live in their natural habitat and then, when they get stronger, release them into the Baltic Sea, where seals have become very rare. A visit to the sanctuary is an... 

 ZiOOlek Says:  Hel is mainly famous for its sea and beaches. The town is surrounded by the Baltic sea from three sides, partly by waters of the bay. The beach in many places is really wide and there is plenty of place to rest, play or sunbath. However, during high season (June, July,... 

 evaanna Says:  At the battery named after Heliodor Laskowski you can see a plaque commemorating its commander Lt. Zbigniew Przybyszewski. His battery heroically put up a fight against the overwhelming German forces for 32 days in the campaign of 1939. Hel was the last place in Poland to... 

 evaanna Says:  The forest leading to the beach hides numerous remains of the defence of Hel in 1939: anti-aircraft gun emplacements, bunkers, pillboxes and even one of the guns. You can now reach them walking along Kuracyjna St, which used to be closed as part of a military area. It's a... 

 evaanna Says:  If you can't take a trip on one of the big boats going to Gdansk or Sopot, don't despair. You can still enjoy a round boat trip into the open sea on one of the smaller boats. They are there off season as well and for the small sum of 10 (for 30 min.) or 15 (for 45 min.)... 

 evaanna Says:  If you crave for adventures, perhaps you would like to take a trip by water-taxi from Hel to Gdynia? This speedy boat will take you there in just 15 minutes. Tightly fastened to your seat, you will still feel the excitement of travelling on the water at the high speed of 90... 

 evaanna Says:  Walking along Wiejska St, the main street of Hel, you will see some charming 19th century fisherman's cottages. Half-timbered, with tiny windows and with low wooden fences around them, they remind me of doll's houses, but they still serve their purpose. More and more of them... 

 chiara76 Says:  In Fokarium there are several adult seals: Balbin, Unda, Joel and some young ones.Last news from this place, I have read on the interenet page Balbin was dead;( I don't know the reason of it but it is sad news. The new seal man is coming from Sweden and we all hope he will... 

 evaanna Says:  Situated opposite the port but a little above it, this restaurant and the Oceania next to it, offer a lovely view of the sea if you take a table on the terrace. But we would never have betrayed our Izdebka had there not been a long queue for the tables there and the place... 

 evaanna Says:  You can reach Hel by various means of transport. First, you can take a bus from Gdynia or Wladyslawowo. There are a few firms operating there so the buses are frequent and you can see more places along the peninsula by hopping on and off. The road borders on the Pucka Bay at... 

 evaanna Says:  You certainly won't step on an unexploded shell if you walk along the beaten tracks to the beach or around it, but the woods around Hel may hide unwelcome surprises. When sappers were checking the area for mines and bombs after the war, their instruments could only detect... 

 evaanna Says:   We saw this old boat tucked into the corner near the entrance at the port of Hel. It had all the marks of having been used for a long time but, though a little rusty, it was still in working order and must have been at sea recently. I could imagine it going out in a storm,... 

 evaanna Says:  Visitors to the seal sanctuary at Hel used to drop a lot of coins into the pools, perhaps trying to make sure that they return to Hel some day. When, however, some coins were found in the stomach of a dead seal, this had to be stopped. Now the people at the sanctuary have...