Bus 666 to Giel: FlixBus is bringing back the controversial route in Poland

Polish bus route No. 666, which once sparked a wave of protests from religious communities, is returning to the country’s roads. This time, the route is being launched by FlixBus, running from Kraków to the Baltic resort of Hel. Learn more about the new route, its schedule, and the history of the controversy surrounding the “devil’s” bus

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A bus route with the “devilish” number is set to return to Poland's roads, according to a report by UNIAN. FlixBus has announced the launch of Route No. 666, which will run to the resort town of Hel on the Baltic coast.

Why was this route previously canceled, who is behind its revival, and what is known about the schedule—we’ll cover all that below.

Why did the 666 bus to Hel become famous worldwide?

Route No. 666 to the town of Hel gained international popularity thanks to a play on words: in English, the town’s name sounds almost identical to the word “hell.” That is why the route quickly earned the unofficial nickname “Highway to Hel”—an analogy to the famous AC/DC song “Highway to Hell.” Tourists flocked to take photos next to buses with this number, and the pictures spread widely on social media.

Why was Route 666 canceled in Poland?

In 2023, the route operated by PKS Gdynia was renamed to No. 669. The reason was complaints from religious organizations. In particular, one of them publicly accused the bus company of “spreading Satanism.” Under pressure from protests by believers, the route number was changed.

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FlixBus is bringing back route 666: details of the new route

Now, FlixBus is launching a new 13-hour route numbered 666, which will connect Kraków with Hel via Warsaw and popular resorts on the Hel Peninsula. The route will run daily during the summer season.

Key details of the route:

• departure from Kraków at 6:00 a.m.;
• arrival in Warsaw — around 10:30 a.m.;
• arrival in Hel — approximately at 8:00 p.m.;
• the route passes through the most popular resorts on the Hel Peninsula.

FlixBus representative Oleksandr Kalenyk confirmed in a comment to the Polish agency TVN24 that the number 666 was chosen deliberately—as a marketing tool to increase the route’s visibility on the resort route. FlixBus Managing Director for Eastern Europe, Michał Lehman, also noted that the route number speaks for itself and requires no further explanation.

The town of Hel is located in the Pomeranian Voivodeship, at the tip of the 35-kilometer-long peninsula of the same name on the Baltic Sea coast. The town has a population of about 3,000, but in the summer, Hel attracts tens of thousands of tourists every day who come for beach vacations and picturesque Baltic landscapes.

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Reminder! In our previous article, we reported that Ryanair will increase the number of flights to Warsaw.

Photo: The Warsaw

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