Gdańsk Adventure Tours by Boat and Rail

The most adventurous thing you can do from Gdańsk is go to the end of a sand spit. Hel sits at the tip of a 35 km strip of dunes and pine between the Bay of Puck and the open Baltic, and getting there is half the point. The other two trips on this page are shorter, and one of them is a castle the size of a town.

The Hel spit

There are four ways to reach Hel, and they suit different trips:

  • Water tram: Żegluga Gdańska runs a seasonal boat from the Długie Pobrzeże quay that takes about 1h50 across the bay. 2026 fares were reported at about 30 PLN regular and 18 PLN reduced, plus 5 PLN for a bike.
  • Fast catamaran: a separate, quicker service at about 105 PLN one way or 160 PLN return.
  • Train: Polregio from Gdańsk Główny takes 2 to 2.5 hours.
  • Car: about 100 km around the bay and down the spit, also 2 to 2.5 hours.

The boats run in the warm months only, so check sailings on zegluga.pl before you plan around them. Take the boat out and the train back if you can. You see the spit from the water first and then ride its whole length on the way home.

At the far end, climb the 41 m brick lighthouse, walk through the coastal artillery bunkers of the Laskowski Battery, and visit the Fokarium, the University of Gdańsk’s seal station, where rescued Baltic grey seals are fed at 11:00 and 14:00 for most of the year. Its hours are on fokarium.ug.edu.pl . To hand the timetable to someone else, search Hel tours on GetYourGuide .

Sobieszewo Island

Sobieszewo, at the city’s eastern edge, is the low-effort adventure. It is a protected area with two bird reserves, Ptasi Raj and Mewia Łacha, and a long, quiet beach. After a strong north or north-easterly gale in autumn or winter, raw amber washes up with the seaweed, and searching the tideline the morning after a storm is the closest thing to treasure hunting near the city. Stay on the marked paths through the dunes, since the reserves are there for the birds.

City buses run out from the centre, and routes are on ztm.gda.pl . If you swim here, the same Baltic rules apply as anywhere on the coast: red flag means no bathing at all, and currents run near the breakwaters.

Malbork Castle

Malbork is the gentlest trip here, but the scale earns its place. The Teutonic Order founded it in 1274, and it is the largest brick castle in the world, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1997. Trains from Gdańsk Główny take between about 25 and 60 minutes depending on the service, and the castle is a 15-minute walk from Malbork station.

There are two routes. The Grounds route takes about an hour and a half. The full Historical route goes through the High Castle, Middle Castle and Grand Master’s Palace, and from 25 April to 30 September 2026 it cost 80 PLN regular or 60 PLN reduced. From 1 October an autumn and winter tariff applies, so check zamek.malbork.pl for the current price. Monday entry is free, but only for the Grounds route. For a guided version with transport, compare Malbork tours on Viator .

Worth it, and what to skip

Hel by boat in summer is worth a whole day, and it is the best adventure tour from the city. Out of season, the train journey alone is long for a single day, so save Hel for a two-night stay or skip it until spring. Sobieszewo is worth a morning after a storm. Skip Malbork on a Monday unless the grounds are all you want, because the interiors are what you travel for.

Read more: the day trips guide covers Sopot and Gdynia, and the multi-day trips guide shows how Hel fits into a longer stay.

Before you go

Check the last train back from Hel before you leave Gdańsk, and pack a windproof layer for the walk out to the lighthouse.