Gdynia is a city that is a part of the so-called Tri-City, the agglomeration of Gdańsk, Sopot and Gdynia, which are the most important marine centers in Poland. We spent 4 days in Gdynia and it surprised us with its attractions nearby, making us sure to visit the Pomeranian region again to see more beautiful places.
As mountain people, we always considered the sea to be a bit monotonous, but with children our opinion has changed, because which child wouldn’t like the big sandpit that is the beach and the huge sea?
In this post we would like to recommend to you some places we managed to visit during our trip to the Baltic Sea in Poland. After these 4 days we took a ferry from Gdynia to Karlskrona (Sweden) to spend the whole month in Norway, so staying at the Polish seaside was a very cool introduction and a stop for the rest of our trip.
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City attractions of Gdynia worth visiting with children
As we mentioned, we spent 4 days in Gdynia visiting its attractions, which are located directly within the city as well as outside it. After such a short stay, we know that we could have spent a leisurely 2 weeks here and we would always have something to visit. This was our first time in Gdynia, so every place was new and unique to us. During our stay, we didn’t rely on a typical city-break, but on active sightseeing of attractions and beachcombing, as just being by the sea was quite a lot of fun for the kids.
South Pier in Gdynia
There are so many iconic attractions at the South Pier in Gdynia that it’s hard to pass by the place indifferently. The first attractions to visit are the “Blyskawica” warship, which serves as a museum. This is a very unique naval vessel, as it was the only one that actively participated during the entire Second World War. Thus, the destroyer is a historical pearl that is worth visiting to learn more about Poland’s naval war history.
Right next to the ORP “Blyskawica” docks the “Dar Pomorza” which plays an extremely important role for the entire Polish Navy, as it was on this sailing ship that future sailors and officers were trained. It currently serves as a museum, where visitors can see the life that took place on the ship. Artifacts documenting the history of the sailing ship and the crews who lived on board are preserved in many rooms.
Being on the pier with children, it is impossible not to visit the Aquarium, where you can admire many species of marine animals. In addition to its entertainment function, the facility also plays an important educational role, as it is under the authority of the Maritime Fisheries Institute – National Research Institute. In the building you can see many species of fish found in waters around the world, but also amphibians, invertebrates and reptiles. We spent almost two hours there admiring the sea creatures, but the kids (and us) were most impressed by the electric eel and the Mexican axolotl.
City beach in Gdynia
While you’re at the pier, it’s worth going to the City Beach in Gdynia, which is a large and sandy beach where you can enjoy a little sunbathing. In high season and on sunny days you can certainly expect crowds there. We, due to the slightly windy weather, didn’t experience a lot of people, but it is certainly one of the most popular beaches in the area.
Right next to the beach there is a large playground with swings, castles, ladders and other things that make for a family-friendly and active time.
Kamienna Góra – a brilliant viewpoint of Gdynia
Another place you should definitely visit while you’re nearby is Kamienna Góra, which offers brilliant views of Gdynia. In addition, you can get to the top of the mountain in two different ways – traditionally by taking the stairs or using a free funicular. The ride itself on such a train is a cool attraction for children.
The funicular itself was built by the city of Gdynia and is operated by it. The very idea to create such a thing was suggested by residents living on Kamienna Gora to help them in their daily lives (especially with the elderly in mind). You can easily fit a stroller in there, which we tested ourselves by taking an off-road Cybex Zeno stroller. Why did the city listen to the small number of residents living there (less than 4,000 people)? Well, Kamienna Gora is the most prestigious neighborhood in Gdynia and in Poland. Famous artists, entrepreneurs and politicians live in villas located on its slope. Probably because of this, the gondola railroad project was implemented.
As for Kamienna Góra itself, there is a large cross, an amphitheater and the Maria and Lech Kaczynski (President of Poland) Park on its summit.
Babie Doły beach and the ruins of the torpedo factory
While being in Gdynia, it is worth going to one of the most recognizable beaches in the area, that is, Babie Doły, which is located near the military unit and the ruins of the former torpedo factory at sea. The beach is not very big, but it has its own atmosphere. From it you can often see ships waiting on the rega to enter the Gdynia harbor, and it also happens to meet seals here.
There is quite a large parking lot at the beach, and for the non-motorized there are two bus lines 109 or in the summer season 309.
For us, beachcombing at Babie Doly was a relaxing time, where we spent several hours searching for shells, amber and other treasures.
The torpedo plant itself has a very interesting history, which was built by the Third Reich in 1940. Why was the bay of Gdynia chosen to build such a military facility? Well, it was outside the range of British aviation, which made it possible to conduct safe torpedo tests. After the war, the torpedo house was abandoned and fell into disrepair.
Rewa Headland, known as the Szperk
Our next point of sightseeing in Gdynia was visiting the beach in Rewa and the Rewa Headland, which is a scythe jutting into the Puck Bay.
The town itself is quite small and can be reached by car and parked in one of the parking lots (mostly paid) or reached by public transportation from Gdynia, Rumia or Puck.
Rewa offers a large sandy beach where you can relax. We hit a rather windy day, so the whole beach was besieged by kite-surfing and wind-surfing amateurs, who were catching the wind in their sails. The children, of course, were not interfered with their fun because of the weather, while we were able to take pictures of the beach without being crowded.
Of course, being in Rewa you have to go to the end of its headland. Interestingly, once a year the “March of Herrings” takes place here, where participants must walk from Kuźnica (Hel Bay) to the Reva Headland. The entire route measures about 12 kilometers, where most of the way leads along a fairly shallow spit. Only a ditch called “Głębinka” is to be swum through.
Orlowo and the Orlowo Cliffs – a beautiful place to observe the area
A place that many people recommended us to visit while being in Gdynia was Orlowo and the Orlowo Cliffs. After so many recommendations, we had to go there to see what it has to offer.
The beach itself in Orlowo is sandy and allows for blissful lying in the sun. The pier nearby is also an extra attraction. Restaurants along the promenade route, are alive with activity where we even had the opportunity to listen to some live music.
The attraction that interested us the most, however, were the cliffs, which are a great viewpoint over the entire Gulf of Gdansk. There is a trail through the cliffs, which is a bit steep in the initial phase. Later it mellows out and you can enjoy the views from the cliffs in peace. In some places you can sit on a tree branch or fallen branch and admire the beautiful Gdansk Bay.
Rumia’s observation tower on Markowiec Mountain
We wouldn’t be ourselves if we didn’t go to the observation tower. In addition, the information that an investment was recently completed to revitalize the Markowca Mountain in Rumia and build a viewing tower on top of it made it impossible for us to miss it.
To reach the tower, we drove our car to Mlynska Street, where we parked next to the Old Mill.
A wooden staircase leads up to the top, which leads all the way to the observation tower itself. There are terraces to help you relax, where you can take a break and observe the surroundings.
The observation tower itself on Markowiec Mountain is a very interesting object that made quite an impression on us. It is not only an observation tower, but also a climbing wall. In turn, the tower itself is shaped like a terrace, so it is a really interesting object in terms of architecture. In addition, at the top there are recreational points, a playground and a small entanglement.
The observation tower on Mount Donas – a telecommunications giant among the forest
Another observation tower we were able to visit during our few days in Gdynia was the observation tower on Mount Donas, which seems to be a rather unpopular attraction in the area. For this reason, we met few tourists on the route and were able to enjoy the peace and quiet.
We parked our car on Kolonia Street right next to Yellow Pond. We followed the yellow and black trail to the tower, which measured less than 1.5 kilometers.
The observation tower itself on Mt. Donas is a metal telecommunications tower with an observation deck about halfway up. It is reached by a see-through truss staircase, so for those with a fear of heights it will be an uncomfortable experience.
However, the tower offers brilliant views of the surrounding area and is sure to give you a ton of excitement.
An interactive map of Gdynia’s attractions in 4 days and a summary of the trip
Definitely, Tri-City is rich in attractions and being there for only 4 days we managed to visit a small fraction of the Pomeranian region. We mainly focused on the places that interested us the most and seemed suitable for children as well. We were here in the first half of July 2023 and the weather was at a trickle, which often required us to change our plans.
On our interactive map we marked all the places we were able to visit. We didn’t go to Sopot or Gdansk, as we wanted to focus solely on Gdynia and its surroundings. We didn’t want to visit these beautiful cities on short notice, so we will definitely return to these beautiful areas.
