Hiking

When taking a walk around Poland, hikers will find a network of some 15,000 miles of marked trails, including the Polish sections of the trans-European routes.

Favorite hike routes include: the dunes, lakes and forests of the seaside Slowinski National Park; the high peaks of the Tatras (the most eastern alpine mountains) frame the horizon of the visitor base at Zakopane in southern Poland; the Sudeten Mountains where the Polish, German and Czech borders meet - rich in castles, caves and wildlife.

Hiking trails in and around Zakopane range from winding paths suitable for leisure walks to rocky ridges to high mountain treks for the more adventurous.

Small new inns capture the Polish way of life along trails in the Carpathian highlands near the near Slovakian/Ukraine border)

Walking tour companies offer a three-country tour: in Poland including Krakow and Kazimierz, in Slovakia the Tatra Mountains, in Hungary the Tokaj vineyard country.

Hike to the summit of Rysy (8,197), the highest peak in Poland; or toTeryho Chata (6,609 ft.), a hut built more than 100 years ago; or to the base of Gerlachovsky (8,710 ft.), the highest peak in the Tatras.

Biking

Suwalki National Park is a favorite with both experienced bikers and hikers. The route begins in Smolniki, from which bikers head out through a splendid region of meadows, stony paths, lake trails, mountain vistas.

Upland from Krakow and Czestochowa lies the Aeries’ Tourist Route, a 25-mile stretch passing through the Ojcow National Park whose forests and rocky hills are crowned by ruins of fortified castles.

Skiing

Zakopane hugs the foot of the Tatra Mountains, Poland’s version of the Alps, stretch about 50 miles into Slovakia and have peaks that reach 8,200 feet. Eastern Tatras are part of the 56,800-acreTatra National Park. Zakopane offers over 40 ski lifts and a gondola, and Mt. Kasprowy Wierch is everyone’s favorite mountain.

Szczyrk, located an hour from Krakow airport in the Beskidy Mountains, competes with Zakopane as the best ski resort in Poland. It offers 50 lifts and 60 miles of ski trails.

Karpacz, one of the most popular resorts in Poland, sits on the slopes of Mt. Sniezka, the highest peak of the Sudetens Mountains.

Zieleniec, the highest village in the Bystrzyca Dusznicka Valley region, offers a specific microclimate that permits up to seven months of snow a year; ski facilities include 20 lifts.
The idyllic Mazurian Lake District, 30 lakes tucked away in the northeast corner of Poland, offer cross-country skiing and ice sailing in winter. Mragowo is one of region’s the best-known resort towns.