ACTIVE SOPOT

Walking trails

By bicycle

Sailing and windsurfing

Equestrian

Tennis

Swimming

Other activities

ATTRACTIONS FOR THE ACTIVE

Walking routes

Sopot is not just about beautiful sandy beaches. It is also ideally suited for walks and recreation with over 60% of the city covered by green parks, gardens and forests. The forests, which form part of the 200km2 Tri-city Landscape Park are particularly worth a visit where you will find numerous, picturesque walking routes. Meanwhile the Northern and Southern Parks, which are located in the heart of the city alongside the beach, are popular places to spend time actively or relaxing in the shaded gardens. Sopot Common is another new green area which offers unlimited recreational possibilities.

For lovers of active leisure, we have prepared a walking guide with 4 separate routes which take you to all the most interesting places in Sopot which can be reached on foot.

By bike – paths and bicycle routes

The bicycle is one of the most convenient ways to get around Sopot.

In the revitalised Northern Park, you will find separate, purpose-built bicycle, pedestrian and roller-blade paths where you can ride, walk or skate in comfort. Thanks also to the unique terrain of the city, Sopot offers you the change to either gently cycle along flat seaside routes or challenge yourself with hilly climbs through the forests on the edge of the moraine plateau. Sopot’s impressive network of bicycle routes make the city safe and extremely bicycle-friendly.

Sailing and windsurfing

Sailing is a both a great sport and a great way to spend your free time. Sailing gives you the feeling of freedom.

Even a short stay ‘on the water’, away from everyday life and your daily routine, allows you to rest and regenerate and explains why sailing holidays are a popular choice for a break. In Sopot there are perfect conditions for enjoying and practicing sailing. There is a choice of sailing schools offering a variety of activities with experienced instructors and Sopot is famous for training children and young people how to sail. The city is proud to boast clubs that have won medals in the World and European Championships.

Equestrian

Sopot is a city where everyone will find something for themselves. That is true for enthusiasts of horse-riding because Sopot is home to the 40 hectare Sopot Hippodrome.

This horse racing track is located close to the Ergo Arena, moraine hills and the Bay of Gdansk and plays host to international equestrian competitions, some of which have taken place here since the nineteenth century.

In December 2013, the investment programme ‘Revitalisation of the historical Hippodrome complex in Sopot along with renovation and extension’ was completed, and the facility is now one of the most modern equestrian centres in Poland and Europe. In June each year the highly ranked International Jumping Competition – CSIO * 5 takes place here.

You will find several riding schools on the Hippodrome and riding badge exams take place regularly.

Tennis

Swimming

Swimming is a great way to spend time actively for everyone regardless of age, sex, those who are very active and those who are just starting to train. Sopot offers perfect conditions for swimming. In the summer, the sea is ideal for swimming while in winter, the city offers a selection of indoor swimming pools. The largest of these is the Sopot Aquapark where you will find not just swimming lanes but also slides, jacuzzies and a wild river. Sopot also has a municipal pool, which offers a 25m by 12.5m swimming pool.

Basketball

Basketball is extremely popular in Sopot to the point that the sport and the local team are referred to as the ‘Heart of Sopot’. It is impossible to imagine Sopot without its basketball club Trefl Sopot representing it in the Polish league.

Trefl Sopot has had many successes on both the national and international stages. The most notable among them are five Polish championships; three vice-championships of Poland; two bronze medals; six Polish Cups; the final of the FIBA Champions Cup and their advance to the final 16 of the Euroleague on two occasions. Trefl play home matches at either the 100th anniversary hall (Hala 100-lecia) or in the wonderful Ergo Arena, found on the border between Sopot and Gdańsk.

Rugby

The Sopot rugby team is named Ogniwo Sopot and plays at the highest level of the game in Poland.

Since its creation in 1963, it has grown to be a respected name in the Polish rugby world and is one of the country’s most successful clubs winning the Polish Championship ten times and the Polish Cup nine times. You will find them playing their home games at the modern stadium at ul. Jana z Kolna 18 – close to Sopot Wyścigi station.

Athletics

Athletics have played a major part in the huge sporting successes enjoyed by the city of Sopot. Stars such as pole-vaulter Anna Rogowska and sprinter and hurdler Anna Kiełbasińska both developed their talents here before reaching for World and European Championships as well as Olympic medals. Sopot athletes have been present at all the major athletics events over the years.

Among the regular events organized by the athletics club, the best known are probably ‘Tyczka na Molo’ (Pole Vaulting on the Pier), the Amber Mile and the Janusz Sidło Sopot Grand Prix events. The club’s stadium – the Leśny Stadium (the Forest Stadium) is located in a beautiful place in the upper part of Sopot, surrounded on three sides by the Tri-City Landscape Park. You will find it on ul. Wybickiego.

The stadium was modernised in 2002 thanks to which it can now accommodate 4,000 spectators and host large scale events.

In the club centre you will find modern sports facilities (locker rooms, changing rooms, gym); offices and storage rooms; fitness rooms (men’s and women’s gyms, group exercise room for aerobics, Callanetics, spinning, etc., a sauna, solarium, water massage, classic massage); a hotel (including a restaurant) and media facilities for when large events are hosted here.

Also of note is the fact that in 2014 the Indoor World Athletics Championships were held in Sopot, which were broadcast all over the world. The event provided great promotion for the city and received very positive reviews from the Athletics Federation.

Go-carting

KartCenter in Sopot is one of the largest and most modern carting tracks in Poland. It is great fun for anyone who is over 1.30 m tall and wants to feel like a F1 driver for a moment. Carting teaches strategy, mastery and precision at the wheel.

The Sopot facility brings completely new standards to Polish, amateur carting. The outdoor track guarantees unforgettable, adrenaline-filled and emotion-packed racing like in Formula One. The 500m long track has a width of 5 to 7 meters which allows up to 10 go-carts to race at any one time. Specially reinforced polyethylene barriers, modern computer timing and synchronized traffic lights ensure the safety of the drivers. It is the only track in Poland offering a 40-metre covered steel bridge and two 4-metre tunnels which offer a truly unique driving experience.

Ice Swimming

Ice swimming, or ‘Walrusing’ as it is called in Poland is an activity for the brave. In recent years, it has become more and more popular as a leisure activity and with people looking to improve their immune systems. These walruses, as they are known, wear swimsuits and usually hats and gloves, to help prevent excessive heat loss. Ice swimming has been shown to increase the immunity of the human body. While in the water, the swimmers’ veins are significantly widened, and blood circulation is improved. Lowering the body temperature is also supposed to have a positive effect on the complexion.

In Sopot, there is a Walrus Club, which meets every Sunday during the winter season at 12:00 on the beach. Since 2017, on the beach at entrance No. 15 next to the M15 restaurant, two saunas are available to visitors throughout the winter, one of which requires a prior reservation. You’ll also find changing rooms and a room with toilets and showers. The hot-stone, steam sauna will comfortably accommodate 10 to 15 people and you can relax while enjoying the beautiful views of the Bay of Gdansk.

Football

The Sopocka Akademia Piłkarska (SAP) or Sopot Football Academy was established in August 2014 on the initiative of a group of Sopot parents.

They wanted to create a club where children of all ages could develop in a sporting climate and enjoy playing football. Each day now sees around 200 children, born between 2005 and 2015, and an older group of about 35 players take part in training sessions.

The senior team, which was formed in 2017 have quickly advanced up the league pyramid to League V thanks to the efforts made on and off the pitch.

Skiing

In Sopot, even winter sports enthusiasts will find something for themselves. All thanks to Łysa Góra, which is the only ski slope in Poland with a view of the sea.

Łysa Góra (Bald Hill), found close to the centre of the city and on the edge of the Tri-City Landscape Park has a ski-lift which is nearly 300 metres in length and which takes you up to 110m above sea level where the slope offers you a drop of 39m. This is the one place from which you can enjoy views of the sea while skiing. Two ski runs, a toboggan run, a ski school, professional instructors and a well-stocked equipment rental and service await guests. It also caters for the increasing number of snowboarding enthusiasts and a new snow park has been created.