Poland has 440 km of coastline, almost all of it sandy, with wide beaches and pine forest immediately behind the dune. The sea is cold, only weakly saline and has no tides, and the swimming season realistically runs from late June to the end of August.
Słowiński National Park
Between Łeba and Rowy lie shifting dunes, among the few in Europe: the Łącka dune is around 40 m high and moves up to ten metres a year, burying forest whose dead trunks project from the sand. The walk from Rąbka is about 8 km return, on foot, by bicycle or by electric cart. The park is a UNESCO biosphere reserve and also protects the coastal lakes Łebsko and Gardno.
The Hel peninsula
Thirty-five kilometres of sand spit, in places two hundred metres wide, with sea on both sides. Chałupy and Jastarnia are the centre of Polish windsurfing and kitesurfing thanks to the shallow sheltered bay. At the end is Hel, with a seal sanctuary researching the grey seal and a coastal defence museum in the Laskowski battery.
Wolin and the cliffs
Wolin National Park protects cliffs up to 95 m, the highest on the Polish coast, and a bison enclosure. Międzyzdroje below them is one of the oldest resorts, and Świnoujście sits on the German border with the widest beach in the country.
The spa towns
Kołobrzeg, Ustka, Sopot and Świnoujście have functioned as spa towns since the nineteenth century, using brine and peat. A graduation tower, a pier and a promenade are the standard set. Out of season these towns live on sanatoria and are much cheaper.
Amber and storms
After autumn and winter storms the sea throws up amber, and collectors work the beaches with sieves. The stormy Baltic in November is an attraction in itself and some resorts now market that season.
The water
Sea temperature in July is usually 17 to 20 degrees and can drop several degrees in a day when offshore winds bring cold water up from the deep. There are no tides, but longshore currents after storms can be strong and swimming outside guarded beaches is not sensible.
Practicalities
A railway runs the whole coast from Gdańsk to Świnoujście with extra summer services. July and August mean full accommodation and high prices; June and September are cheaper, and September water is often warmer than June.