Three years after the disappearance of Poland’s famous 666 bus route to the Hel Peninsula, coach operator FlixBus has announced the return of the service for the 2026 summer season. The new Route 666 will connect Kraków with the Baltic resort town of Hel, travelling through Warsaw and several popular seaside destinations along the peninsula.
The return of the route number has attracted attention across Poland because of its long association with the so-called “Highway to Hel”. The number 666, commonly linked to the Biblical “number of the beast”, combined with the destination name Hel, made the service one of the country’s most recognisable bus routes.
FlixBus said the number was chosen deliberately as part of the route’s identity.
“The number 666 was deliberately chosen as a marketing communication element, intended to increase the visibility of the connection on the popular holiday route to Hel,” FlixBus spokesperson Aleksander Kalenik told Polish news service TVN24.
The route has a history stretching back many years. A service operated by PKS Gdynia connected Dębki and Hel and became popular because of the wordplay surrounding the route number and destination. Tourists frequently photographed the buses and shared images on social media, earning the service the nickname “the bus to hell”.
The route's popularity extended beyond Poland’s northern Pomerania region and was covered by international media. However, in 2023, PKS Gdynia changed the route number from 666 to 669 after objections from some religious groups. Petitions were launched calling for the number to be removed.
At the time, a PKS Gdynia spokesperson said: “The management board buckled under the weight of letters and requests that were sent to us, maybe not in large numbers, but periodically for many years with a request to change the line number.”
Some religious groups accused the operator of “spreading satanism” because the Bible identifies 666 as the “number of the beast”. The issue gained attention in predominantly Roman Catholic Poland, where the Church has traditionally held influence.
FlixBus executives said the decision to bring back the number was intentional.
“It’s better when a route explains by itself where it’s going. In this case, there’s really nothing more to say. Everyone will understand,” Michał Leman, managing director of FlixBus in Eastern Europe, said at a press conference, according to Trójmiasto.pl.
The company said the route is not only a marketing exercise. According to FlixBus, passengers have been seeking direct connections to the Hel Peninsula from major Polish cities for several years.
The service will operate daily during the summer season. Buses are scheduled to leave Kraków at 6:00 a.m., arrive in Warsaw at around 10:30 a.m. and reach Hel before 8:00 p.m. The journey is expected to take about 13 hours.
Along the way, the route will serve destinations including Władysławowo, Chałupy, Kuźnica, Jastarnia and Jurata, some of the most visited resorts on the Hel Peninsula. FlixBus said the timetable has been designed to reduce delays caused by heavy holiday traffic heading to the Baltic coast.
Despite its nickname, the route does not lead to hell. Hel, spelled with one “l”, is a town located at the tip of the 35-kilometre-long Hel Peninsula on Poland’s northern coast. The sandy strip of land is one of the country's most popular tourist destinations.
The town’s name is also unrelated to the English word “hell”. According to historical accounts, the name originates from Old Germanic languages, where the word “hel” referred to a dune or coastal hill. Medieval Danish maps reportedly used the name “Heel”, possibly referring to the peninsula’s shape.
Known for its beaches, historic architecture and seal sanctuary, Hel continues to attract visitors from across Poland and abroad. With the return of Route 666, one of the country's most talked-about bus services is set to make a comeback as well.
