Activities in Poland
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Zakopane and Tatras Mountains Day Tour from Krakow
9 hours (Departs Krakow, Poland)
by Viator
Experience a ride up a funicular railway to the top of Mt. Gubalówka and take a walk around the peak. Visit the oldest part of Zakopane with its old mountaineer…Not LP reviewed
from USD$71.06 - All activities
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Hiking
Gorlice sits at the foot of the mountains and is excellent starting point for hiking into the Beskid Niski. Two marked trails, blue and green, start near the tourist office and wend southeast from the town up the mountains, joining the main west-east red trail that crosses the range.
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International School of Polish Language & Culture
A private school that gets good reports is the International School of Polish Language & Culture, with courses lasting one/two weeks (25/50 hours) costing €170/260.
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Exploring Biebrza National Park
With over 200km of water trails crisscrossing the length of the valley, the best way to explore the park is by boat. The principal water route flows from the town of Lipsk downstream along the Biebrza to the village of Wizna. This 140km stretch can be paddled at a leisurely pace in seven to nine days. Bivouac sites along the river allow for overnight stops and food is available in towns on the way. The visitors information centre in Osowiec-Twierdza can provide maps and information.
You can also hire a kayak for just a few hours or a day and cover part of the route; a handy two-hour stretch runs from Goniądz to Osowiec-Twierdza (kayaks can be rented from Goniądz' camping…
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Beskid Sądecki - Hiking
Krynica is an excellent springboard for hiking in the Beskid Sądecki. Two marked trails, green and red, head westward from Krynica up to the top of Mt Jaworzyna. It takes three hours to walk there by either trail (or you can get there faster by the Mt Jaworzyna cable car). At the top, you'll get some good views, and may even spot the Tatras on clear days.
There's a PTTK Mountain Hostel just below the summit, where you can eat and stay overnight in doubles or cheap dorms, or you can return to Krynica the same day.
You can also continue on the red trail northwest to Hala Łabowska (1038m), another three hours' walk from Mt Jaworzyna, where you'll find another PTTK mountain…
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Spas - Day of Transfiguration of the Saviour
Grabarka's biggest feast is the Spas (Day of Transfiguration of the Saviour) on 19 August. The ceremony begins the day before at 18:00 and continues with Masses and prayers throughout the night, culminating at 10:00 with the Great Liturgy, celebrated by the metropolitan of the Orthodox Church in Poland. Up to 50,000 people may come from all over the country to participate.
On the 18 August the surrounding forest turns into a car park and camping ground. Cars and tents fill every space between the trees. Despite this wave of modernity, the older, more traditional generation comes on foot without any camping gear and keeps watch all night. The light of the thin candles adds…
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Bieszczady Forest Railway
The narrow-gauge train known as the Bieszczady Forest Railway, based at the station in Majdan, 2km west of Cisna, was built at the end of the 19th century for transporting timber between Nowy Łupków and Majdan. The line was later extended north to Rzepedź and east to Moczarne, beyond Wetlina. The train on the Majdan-Rzepedź route was in use as recently as 1993, but the line has since been turned into a tourist attraction.
The train makes three runs. The 12km stretch from Majdan to Przysłup, midway between Cisna and Wetlina, operates daily in July and August and at weekends in May, June and September. The other two runs - the 17km one between Majdan and Wola Michowa…
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Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum Half-Day Trip from Krakow
5 - 6 hours (Departs Krakow, Poland)
by Viator
Leave Krakow for a morning or afternoon to visit the UNESCO-listed Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum. This sobering half-day trip will have a lasting impact,…Not LP reviewed
from USD$49.61 -
Pttk Mazury
The travel agency PTTK Mazury runs 10-day kayaking tours along the Krutynia River route (known as Szlak Kajakowy Krutyni). The 103km trip begins at Stanica Wodna PTTK in Sorkwity, 50km east of Olsztyn, and goes down the Krutynia River and Lake Bełdany to Ruciane-Nida. It’s regarded as Poland’s top kayak trip and few come away disappointed. Tours depart daily from May to October, and the price (around 950zł) includes kayak, food, insurance, lodging in cabins and a Polish-, English- or German-speaking guide.
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Bird Service
Bird Service is Poland’s No 1 specialist in bird-watching tours. It organises birding trips in eastern Poland, including the Białowieża and Biebrza National Parks and organises the Polish Bird Festival, held annually in the second week of May in northeastern Poland. This is a holiday package (from €400) that covers eight nights’ accommodation in an optimal bird-watching location, half-board and information. Bird Service also offers week-long bicycle tours along the Dunajec River in the Carpathian Mountains (from €420).
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Greenway Bicycle Trail
The region around the Bieszczady (byesh-chah-di), in the far southeastern corner of Poland and sandwiched between Ukraine and Slovakia, is one of thick forests and open meadows. Scantily populated and largely unspoilt, it's one of the most attractive areas of the country.
One of the most exciting developments in recent years is the completion of the 350km bicycle loop known as the Greenway Bicycle Trail, which links the Bieszczady towns of Sanok, Lesko, Ustrzyki Dolne and Solina before crossing into Ukraine, Slovakia and back into Poland.
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Hiking to Mt Śnieżka
Bordered to the south by Karkonosze National Park, Karpacz is an ideal starting point for hiking. Most tourists aim for Mt Śnieżka, and there are half a dozen different trails leading there. The most popular routes originate from the landmark Hotel Biały Jar and will take you to the top in three to four hours. When planning a trip to Mt Śnieżka, try to include in your route two picturesque postglacial lakes, Wielki Staw and Mały Staw, both bordered by rocky cliffs.
A couple of trails pass near the lakes.
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Kazimierz Landscape Park
In 1979, the area around Kazimierz was decreed the Kazimierz Landscape Park . Many walking trails have been traced in its 15,000 hectares, winding through the distinct gorges of the region.
There are three easy short trails known as szlaki spacerowe (walking routes) signposted in yellow, green and red, and three significantly longer treks called szlaki turystyczne (tourist routes) marked in blue, green and red. Almost all these routes originate in the Rynek. The tourist office sells maps of the park and its trails.
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Greenway Bicycle Trail
The region around the Bieszczady (byesh-chah-di), in the far SW corner of Poland and sandwiched between Ukraine and Slovakia, is one of thick forests and open meadows. Scantily populated and largely unspoilt, it's one of the most attractive areas of the country. One of the most exciting developments in recent years is the completion of the 350km bicycle loop known as the Greenway Bicycle Trail, which links the Bieszczady towns of Sanok, Lesko, Ustrzyki Dolne and Solina before crossing into Ukraine, Slovakia and back into Poland.
reviewed
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Kayaking - Stanica Wodna PTTK
You can do the Krutynia River kayaking trip on your own, hiring a kayak from the Stanica Wodna PTTK in Sorkwity, but check availability in advance. You can use the same overnight bases as arranged tours but you can't always count on cabins, so be prepared to camp. It's easier to secure a kayak and shelter in June or September than in July and August.
Brochures in English and German, with a detailed description and maps of the Krutynia route, are available at the Mazury office. Information in German is also available online.
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Red Tourist Route
Rome wasn't built in a day, and Szceczin's historic heart won't be rebuilt overnight. Gradually, however, the local authorities are building up the city's tourist infrastructure. A prime example is the Red Tourist Route, a 7km walking circuit around town covering 42 important historic sights and buildings; pick up the explanatory map at one of the tourist offices and look for the red arrows sprayed graffiti-style on the pavement.
It's a great overview of Szczecin's attractions, if you have limited time in the city.
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Wieliczka Salt Mine Half-Day Trip from Krakow
3 hours 30 minutes (Departs Krakow, Poland)
by Viator
Leave Krakow behind and spend a fascinating morning or afternoon touring the legendary Wieliczka Salt Mine, one of the oldest salt mines in Europe. Along with…Not LP reviewed
from USD$50.95 -
Mt Kasprowy Wierch
Mt Kasprowy Wierch (1985m) offers some of the most challenging ski slopes in the area, as well as the best conditions, with the spring skiing season sometimes extending as late as early May. You can get to the top in 20 minutes by Cable Car, then stay up the mountains and use the two chairlifts, in the Goryczkowa and Gąsienicowa valleys, on both sides of Mt Kasprowy. The view from the top is spectacular (clouds permitting) and you can stand with one foot in Poland and the other in Slovakia.
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Fantasy Park
Roughly 2km east of the city centre, Fantasy Park, in the Kraków Plaza shopping centre, is the perfect place to head on a rainy day. It has 20 ten-pin bowling lanes (54zł to 84zł per hour, depending on the time of day and day of the week), plus billiards, air-hockey, video arcades and even an internet café and bar. There’s also a supervised kids’ play area (10zł to 15zł per hour).
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Raft Landing Place
The raft trip begins in the small village of Sromowce Wyżne-Kąty, at the Raft Landing Place. You’ll take an 18km-long trip and disembark in Szczawnica. The journey takes about 2¼ hours, depending on the level of the river. Some rafts go further downstream to Krościenko (23km, 2¾ hours), but there’s not very much to see on that stretch of the river.
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Kurt Scheller’s Cooking Academy
The most famous cookery school in the land (partly because he has appeared on his own TV programme) is Kurt Scheller’s Cooking Academy in Warsaw. It has day, weekend and holiday courses available of many flavours and descriptions. A course in ‘Traditional Polish Cuisine’ lasts about four hours and costs 170zł. An extended weekend course on the same subject is 420zł.
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Krakow in One Day Sightseeing Tour
3 hours 30 minutes (Departs Krakow, Poland)
by Viator
For over a thousand years, Krakow has been the center of science, culture and art in Poland. Come and see for yourself upon boarding the Krakow City Sightseeing…Not LP reviewed
from USD$49.61 -
National Championships in Scything Boggy Meadows for Nature
One of the most celebrated festivals in the park's calendar is the National Championships in Scything Boggy Meadows for Nature, held on the second weekend of September. Teams from all over the country turn up with scythes in hand, all eager to be the quickest to cut 100m of bog meadow. It's both a fun day out and ecologically sound - if the grass was left to grow, birds would have trouble nesting in the meadows.
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Horse-Drawn Carriages
The most romantic way to tour Kraków is in one of the many horse-drawn carriages, which line up at the northern end of Rynek Główny and on ul Grodzka opposite the Church of St Andrew. You decide which route you want to take, or leave it up to the driver to take you for a trot round the sights of the Old Town or even down to Kazimierz.
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Walking Routes
If you're challenged for time in Poznań, a good way to get a feel for the city's history is to follow one or more of the 10 self-guided walking routes, outlined in free brochures available from the tourist office. Each walk takes two hours, and leads you past selected historic and scenic locations, with the brochure explaining their significance in English.
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Zakopane and Tatras Mountains Day Tour from Krakow
9 hours (Departs Krakow, Poland)
by Viator
Experience a ride up a funicular railway to the top of Mt. Gubalówka and take a walk around the peak. Visit the oldest part of Zakopane with its old mountaineer…Not LP reviewed
from USD$71.06