I met my Polish bike in an industrial area of Krakow, certainly not the usual tourist destination in this popular city. With Dutch-style handlebars, a step-through frame and a well-padded saddle for comfort, this was the perfect utility bike. Once adjusted it served me well for a week of cycling between 25 and 60km for six days along the ups and downs of southern Poland.
In our pre-campervan days we took cycling holidays by the Danube, in France and the Alps. We enjoyed these self-guided trips and were keen to see if we could still manage the cycling on another campervan-less holiday. On a self-guided cycling holiday your route and overnight stops are decided but you can take the ups and downs at your own pace and stop when you want or need to.
The Dunajec cycling holiday blurb reeled us in with copy about relaxing cycling on paths similar to Germany, so we were surprised to find ourselves on day one being dropped off in ZÄ…b, Poland’s highest village, at 1,013 metres above sea level. After taking in the panoramic view of the Tatra Mountains and the first of many wooden churches, the two of us set off pedalling. I was soon testing the brakes on my hired bike on a 20% hill that snaked down to the valley of the tumbling BiaÅ‚y Dunajec [the White Dunajec].
Around Zakopane
On the first day we were only cycling for the afternoon and after the terrifying road descent we climbed steadily through attractive wooden houses with tidy gardens and pottering chickens to the popular resort of Zakopane and our hotel for the night. Evening meals were included in our holiday and the buffet had already opened when we arrived [they eat early in Poland]. We rushed showers to get to the restaurant before the meal finished.
The designer of our route clearly finds downhill cycling fun but it is my least favourite direction. Day two saw us firstly taking our bikes on Zakopane’s modern funicular to Gubałówka at 1,120 m above sea level. Here we made the mistake of relaxing over coffee in the complex of cafes and market stalls at the top of the funicular while watching dark storm clouds gathering over the Tatras.
By the time we had made our way through the crowds around the souvenir stalls that lined the access road it was raining. The rain continued for all 12km of steep downhill cycling on a busy road. I was relieved me and my bike reached the charming wooden houses of Chochołów in one piece. As we joined the Czarny Dunajec [Black Dunajec], which joins the Biały Dunajec in Nowy Targ to form the Dunajec River, the sun came out and we were following flat traffic-free cycle paths through flower-rich meadows, stopping for cold drinks at a cafe for cyclists and walkers. This was the cycling holiday we had dreamt about!
Even the second rain storm didn’t spoil the joy of good cycling but after 52km we didn’t have the time or energy to visit Nowy Targ either before the not-quite-so-early dinner or after. We were too busy drying off footwear and waterproofs.
The Wooden Churches of Southern Lesser Poland
Rain was forecast just after lunch the next day so we cracked on and rolled into our hotel after 40km of off-road cycling. By now my bike and I were a team and we arrived by magic with seconds to spare before the first rain drops appeared! Following the Dunajec, we cycled fast enough to allow time for a coffee stop and to visit the wooden church in Dębno. This exceptional 15th century church is enclosed by an attractive wooden fence and has a stunning painted ceiling. The church in Dębno and five others are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
After Dębno the Dunajec is dammed forming a reservoir. This area is a popular holiday area with campsites and self-catering chalets and lots of families cycling, many on electric bikes. The cycle path climbs a steep winding hill which I walked up, passed by many smug cyclists using electric to power them up. We stopped to see Niedzica Castle, built by Hungarians in the 14th century, which sits picturesquely over the reservoir.
By now cycling every day had become normal. The evening before we would check through the route, deciding if the main route or one of the many alternatives suited us best. We knew where all our stuff fitted when we packed our rucksacks for the morning baggage transfer. We would eat a hearty breakfast, grab the bags of essentials to put in our panniers and find a local shop to buy bread and cheese for lunch.
A Gorge, a Monastery & a Spa Town
Day four took us through the Dunajec Gorge in the Pieniny National Park and briefly to Slovakia. We had been hugging the border since Zakopane, today we needed to have our Euros handy! With only 30km to cycle we had time for a leisurely visit to Červený kláštor, a former Carthusian and later Camaldolese monastery, that has been restored as a museum.
The limestone gorge winds through the mountains to Szczawnica, cyclists and walkers sharing a good path, only the sounds of the gushing river and the birds to accompany us. Rafts navigate the twisting flow of the river as it makes its way between steep wooded slopes. The valley opens out again on the edge of Szczawnica and here we stopped to watch a tall black stork fishing in the rapids.
The pleasant spa town of Szczawnica was a good overnight and after a short cycling day we even had the energy and time to wander around its steep streets in the evening. Fountains were lit up colourfully and other holiday makers enjoyed a constitutional.
The Finish Line
No longer worried we wouldn’t manage the distance, we chose the longer [60km] but less hilly riverside route for the next day, firstly following the now much wider Dunajec and later the Poprad River. We cycled below the hills, through hamlets of neat houses on quiet roads, well away from fast traffic. In Stary Sacz we bought fluffy and sweet PÄ…czki, filled Polish doughnuts and had excellent coffee at the friendly Frida Art Cafe before the final section.
The coffee and the cafe were so good we were back at the Frida Art Cafe the next morning on our way to Nowy Sacz. We sat in the deck chairs on the terrace and made friends with the member of staff who served our cake with handwritten notes wishing us a good day in Polish. This and stopping to admire some of the murals in Stary Sacz meant we didn’t have much time to look around Nowy Sacz’s impressive large market square and cafe-filled streets.
The Dunajec continues flowing for some distance from Nowy Sacz before it reaches the Vistula but our tour through this corner of Poland was at an end. I said a fond farewell to my trusty bike as it was loaded on the trailer.
The Dunajec cycling experience
Overall, we had fun on our Polish cycling holiday, although many aspects were not what we expected. One cyclist was so spooked by the first day’s steep downhill, a near miss with a vehicle and a skid on gravel that they didn’t cycle again for the rest of the week! Although the route was mostly traffic-free from the second half of day two, I would suggest this is a route only for those confident cycling on roads.
The trip is promoted as being on cycle paths as good as anything in Germany but this didn’t quite stack up. Poland has invested in cycling infrastructure in the area but the early road sections and the signage didn’t meet the standard of more established cycle paths. Picnic spots have been provided, but with few other cyclists around in many of the areas we passed through, nice-to-have facilities like cafes have not opened.
The weather in southern Poland is unpredictable, we had temperatures of 30C plus and a chilly day of 16C. We had sunshine, thundery showers and prolonged rainfall.
We were in three star hotels and these were all clean [although one bedroom had a lot of ants] and functional. The plumbing was vintage in a couple of places but delivered a hot shower. The holiday was half-board and despite informing the booking company that we were two vegetarians and this being passed on to the Polish organiser, the message didn’t reach the hotels. Each one dealt with our surprising dietary needs professionally and hospitably, the chef creating something tasty for two hungry cyclists. The meals often involved cheese and eggs and being vegan would have been more challenging
The bikes were sturdy, comfortable and worked well, although it was handy to have the tools to make small adjustments during the first days. We were given a panier and a lock but had to take our own helmets and we wore padded cycling shorts for extra comfort.
Details
We booked our holiday through Freewheel but other companies offer the same trip and it is organised by Bird Cycling based in Krakow in Poland.
The trip began and finished in Krakow and we had an extra day in this beautiful city before our cycling trip. We travelled in July, getting to Krakow over three days, taking the train to Newcastle, the overnight ferry from Newcastle to Ijmuiden / Amsterdam [so expensive for 2 foot passengers] and then trains across Europe, firstly from Amsterdam to Berlin (7-8 hours) and, after an overnight, Berlin to Krakow (7-8 hours) across Poland. I guess flying could have been cheaper but much less of an adventure and more environmentally damaging. We considered using Le Shuttle via Brussels but with the cost of an overnight hotel in Brussels there wasn’t much in it. We would have saved money if we hadn’t travelled in July!
We also spent a week pottering around Germany after our cycling tour, but the costs below relate to the Polish part of the holiday and the return travel:
Eight nights [an extra night in Krakow] with Freewheel £1,674.
Hotel for two nights in Berlin £158.
Trains Amsterdam to Krakow return £276.
Overnight ferry Newcastle to Ijmuiden with meals and bus transfers to railway stations, return £897.
Trains Lancaster to Newcastle return £99 [with railcard].
Total for two people for 12 nights £3,104.
Back on the road again 