Poland Guide
Podhale, the Tatras and the Pieniny
The Tatra Mountains, which form the border with Slovakia, are Poland's grandest and most beautiful, snowcapped for much of the year and markedly alpine in feel. Along with their foothills, the Podhale, and the neighbouring, more modest peaks of the Pieniny, they have been an established centre for hikers for the best part of a century. The region as a whole is perfect for low-key rambling, and there are few areas in Europe where you can get so authentic a mountain experience without having to be a committed climber. Other outdoor activities are well catered for, too, with raft rides down the Dunajec Gorge in summer and some fine winter skiing on the higher Tatra slopes.
Eighty kilometres long, with peaks rising to over 2500m, the Polish Tatras are actually a relatively small part of the range, most of which rises across the border in Slovakia. A two-hour bus ride south of Kraków, the bustling resort of Zakopane is the main holiday centre, conveniently placed for access to the highest Tatra peaks and with plenty of attractive folk architecture in the immediate surroundings. The mountain valleys running south from Zakopane provide easy-going hiking through spectacular scenery, while the peak-fringed Morskie Oko lake just to the southeast is one of Poland's most celebrated beauty spots.
To the east, the Pieniny range are lower than the Tatras but no less dramatic, steep slopes crowding above the Dunajec River to create a spectacular gorge.
Both Zakopane and Szczawnica are easily reached by bus from Kraków. Once there, minibuses shuttle from the resort centres to the outlying attractions, depositing hikers at trail heads and ferrying them back to town before nightfall.
Highlights
1 Zakopane architecture The highland town of Zakopane has long been celebrated for its pointy-gabled, timber-built houses, a rustic style which is still practised in local building.
2 Hiking in the Tatras Offering anything from easy-going valley-bottom strolls to calf-straining high-mountain scrambles, the Tatra range provides hikers with the most varied and beautiful terrain in the country.
3 Morskie Oko A serene high-altitude lake surrounded by lofty peaks, the Morskie Oko ("Eye of the Sea") is one of the most popular targets for trippers in the Tatra Mountains.
4 Niedzica Castle This medieval cluster of towers and bastions rears dramatically above the calm waters of the Czorstyn Reservoir.
5 The Dunajec Gorge Whether you raft down the river or cycle along its banks, this twisting section of the River Dunajec, squeezed by cliffs, represents one of Poland's classic journeys.