A Polish bus route once known as the “Highway to Hel” is returning, reviving a tourist favorite that had been scrapped after complaints from religious groups over its supposedly “satanic” number.
Coach operator FlixBus announced it will bring back the 666 service to Hel, a seaside resort in northern Poland whose name is pronounced like the English word “hell.” The route was previously operated by local company PKS Gdynia, but in 2023 the number was changed to 669 following years of objections from conservative Christian groups.
The new FlixBus route will run for about 13 hours from Kraków to Hel, passing through several major Polish towns and cities, including the capital, Warsaw. The bus will depart Kraków at 6 a.m. during the summer season and is scheduled to arrive in Hel before 8 p.m.
FlixBus spokesperson Aleksander Kalenik told Polish news outlet TVN24 that the number was chosen deliberately.
“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,” he said.
For years, the old 666 route was a social media attraction. Tourists posed for photos with the bus and joked that they were “on the way to hell,” turning the route number and destination into a small but memorable tourism brand.
Industry officials in Poland said the combination of the route number and the town’s name helped draw travelers to the region, encouraging them to ride the bus, photograph it and share the joke online.
But the joke proved too much for some religious groups in Poland, a predominantly Roman Catholic country where the Church has traditionally held significant influence. In Christian tradition, 666 is known as the “number of the beast,” while Hel differs by only one letter from “hell.”
In June 2023, PKS Gdynia said it had decided to change the line number after years of letters and requests. A spokesperson for the company said at the time that management had “buckled under the weight” of complaints, which had arrived periodically over many years.
4 View gallery
Beach in Hel; the 13-hour ride also passes through Warsaw
(Photo: Shaiith/shutterstock)
One Polish religious group accused the company of “spreading satanism,” while a Catholic magazine claimed the use of the number promoted “anti-Catholic propaganda.”
The change disappointed passengers and tourism fans who had enjoyed the route’s darkly comic branding. Now, with FlixBus taking over the 666 number, the “bus to hell” joke is back on the road.
Hel itself has no real connection to the English word “hell.” The town sits at the tip of the 22-mile Hel Peninsula, which stretches into the Gulf of Gdańsk on Poland’s northern coast. Its name is believed to come from older Germanic languages, where hel referred to a dune or sand mound.
The town is known for its beaches, old architecture and seal sanctuary, making it a popular summer destination.
With the return of the 666 line, tourists will once again be able to board a bus to Hel, take a photo and tell their followers they are on their way to hell.