Seasonal variability of climatic conditions for tourism and recreation along the southern coast of the Baltic Sea

This paper aims to indicate the periods within the year that are most and least suited to outdoor recreation along the southern coast of the Baltic Sea. The author indicates these periods based on the analysis of annual variability of several meteorological and bioclimatic parameters from the years 1981–2010 in Greifswald and Świnoujście, and from 1985 to 2010 in Hel and Gdynia. Passive recreation is favoured in July and the first half of August. The whole of the summer season has the most favourable conditions for active recreation. Good conditions frequently occur in May, and to a lesser degree in September. The advantages of May are that it has the highest sunshine duration and the lowest frequency of precipitation.