When planning a holiday by the Polish seaside, we often ask ourselves which place to choose and what can we expect when we arrive there? Our attention is often drawn to two neighboring popular holiday destinations - Jurata and Jastarnia.

Jastarnia with the neighboring Jurata, approx. 3 km away, are located in the central part of the Hel Peninsula. It would seem that the differences between them, if they exist at all, are small. It turns out, however, that each of these places offers a completely different type of rest, which you may not know when you go to them for the first time.

How are the two resorts different and which one will be the better choice? We will try to answer these questions in a short comparison.

Two resorts, one commune

When we talk about Jurata and Jastarnia, we often mean two separate cities. In fact, Jastarnia is an urban-rural commune, a Jurata is a settlement located within the administrative boundaries of the Jastarnia commune.

Jastarnia as a town originally acquired municipal rights in 1973, but this status was changed in 2017, and the town itself Jastarnia was given the status of a town. Jurata remained a settlement.

Within the administrative boundaries of the Jastarnia commune there is also a third town - Kuźnica.

History

The history of the uprising differs significantly between both towns.

Jurata was established by a private company in the interwar period. Jurata's history it is therefore not rich, but extremely interesting. It was supposed to be a modern and luxurious resort. So it happened. From the very beginning, Jurata has attracted representatives of the elite, business, sports and artists of various colors. It was called "Polish Palm Beach".

 

History of Jastarnia is much longer. The oldest traces of human habitation date back to the 1st century BC, and in the sources its name appeared for the first time as early as 1378. Over the centuries, Jastarnia was a fishing village, and the development of tourism took place here in the 1920s. in.

Due to their location and values, both towns have the status of health resorts.

The seat of the commune authorities is in Jastarnia.

 

Official bathing areas

In Jastarnia covering approx. 55% of the entire commune, we can find 4 summer sea bathing areas:

• Jastarnia "Ogrodowa" bathing beach - with the entrance to the beach no. 44 from ul. Ogrodowa, covering 100 m of the coastline;
• Jastarnia "Leśna" bathing beach - with the entrance to the beach no. 52 from ul. Leśna, covering 100 m of the coastline;
• Jastarnia "Nadmorska-Plażowa" bathing beach - with the entrance to the beach no. 47-48 from ul. Nadmorska and Plażowa, covering 100 m of the coastline;
• Jastarnia "Zdrojowa" bathing beach - from the entrance to the beach no. 49 from ul. Sychty and No. 50 from ul. Zdrojowa, covering 200 m of the coastline.

In a much smaller and more intimate setting Jurata 1 sea bathing area was organized:

• Jurata "Międzymorze" bathing beach - with an entrance to the beaches no. 60 from ul. Intermarium, encompassing 100 m of coastline;

Bathing areas established by the municipal authorities should be distinguished from public beaches and there are many more walks to them, and the use and bathing are also allowed.

In Jurata, walking along the coast towards Hel, you will find secluded and less frequented areas of the seaside beach.

Buildings and infrastructure

Jastarnia it is characterized by dense and typically settlement buildings. We can find here small fishermen's huts arranged along numerous narrow streets, stately single-family houses, villas and guesthouses, and among them modern hotel facilities, apartment buildings and service premises along with the entire urban infrastructure, such as the town hall, post office, school, convenience stores, church, banks, restaurants and many others. There is also a port and a small pier.

 

Jurata in turn, it is a place dominated by apartment buildings. Characteristic for Jurata is the modernist style of the buildings and numerous one-story villas and bungalows in the style of the 1920s. There are also large holiday centers here, but they are located rather off the beaten track. The focal point of Jurata is unique Intermarium promenade connecting the seaside beach with a 320-meter wooden one pier on the side of the Bay of Puck. There are 3 grocery stores, one of them is a post office, a church and seasonal souvenir pavilions, and fashionable boutiques open only in the season.

Jastarnia will be a good choice for people who like to party. You can find here numerous pubs and discos open until late at night. 

Jurata is more intimate, there are no crowds of tourists, especially passers-by, and it is also in vain to look for night entertainment in Jurata.

Prices

The price you have to pay for your stay in both places makes the biggest difference between Jurata and Jastarnia.

In both resorts you will find cheaper and more luxurious offers, but it is Jurata that is intended for owners of richer wallets. Prices in restaurants are very similar and do not differ from prices in other places on the Polish coast. The difference comes from converting the amount you have to pay for the nights.

Jastarnia, with its much more extensive accommodation base, it is more advantageously priced. This is due not only to the availability of sleeping places, of which there are definitely fewer in Jurata, but also to the separate statuses that both towns have developed over the years.

Jurata it is more often chosen by celebrities and politicians to spend holidays by the sea. While strolling the streets of Jurata, it is not an art to meet famous people. It is also located in the vicinity of Jurata Presidential Seagull Centerwhere the head of state spends his holidays with his family and the guests they invite. Accommodation in Jurata It includes many more luxury apartments and hotels than in Jastarnia, and many representatives of the media, politics and sports have their private holiday apartments here.

All this means that the difference in average accommodation prices is as high as 50% and makes Jurata a less accessible place, and therefore more elite than other Baltic towns.

Drive

The same leads to both places provincial road DK 216 stretching through the entire Hel Peninsula, all the way to Hel. This is the only way to get there by car. The road is 56 km long and starts in Reda.

An alternative to traveling with your own means of transport is rail transport. A single-track railway line runs here, and railway stations are located in both towns.

You can also easily get to the Hel Peninsula by bike. There is a bicycle path running from Puck all the way to Hel.

 

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