Cycling trail: Velo Dunajec

By bike from Zakopane to Kraków

Itinerary

The mountain route may deter many cyclists, suggesting difficulties to overcome, but our proposition is accesible for everyone. The direction of travel was chosen in such a way as to go from mountainous to lowland areas

Day 1
Kraków – Zakopane

Our guide will pick up the group from the train station or airport in Kraków. Then, by bus, you will go to Zakopane, a city located in the immediate vicinity of the Tatra mountain range. The surprise of the day will be a visit to the thermal swimming pool complex.

A few hours of relaxation in water rich in minerals will bring full regeneration of the body. Ideal preparation for a multi-day cycling trip.

Arrival
Thermal pool
Day 2
Zakopane

If the weather is good, you will go to the Chochołowska Valley in the morning. It is the longest and largest valley in the Tatras. A very gentle and pleasant hiking trail, suitable for people of all ages, leads along it. The complete walk takes approximately 3.5 hours.

However, when the weather is not good for hiking, we will offer you a visit to the Oscypek Museum, where you will participate in a show of highland cheese production.

In the afternoon you will see the panorama of the Tatra Mountains from the Gubałówka Hill, which you will access by funicular railway.

The culmination of the evening walk around Krupówki will be a dinner with traditional dishes and highlander music.

25 km
15 km
Zakopane - Gubałówka
Dinner
Highlander music
Day 3
Zakopane – Dębno

Leaving Zakopane by bike, you will reach the village of Chochołów, built almost entirely of original highlander huts. It is a local tradition to wash them outside with soap and water twice a year for Easter and Corpus Christi.

Going further you will reach the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Ludźmierz. At the entrance to the sanctuary there will be a statue of Our Lady of Ludźmierz, which has been attracting pilgrims who believe in its miraculous properties since the Middle Ages.

In Nowy Targ, the capital of Podhale, you will stop for traditional ice cream popular among the locals. Finally, you will reach Dębno, which is famous for its wooden Gothic church of St Michael the Archangel inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

50 km
52 m
348 m
Day 4
Dębno – Niedzica – Dębno

There will be a 40 km loop ahead of you. The Velo Dunajec trail runs along the southern side of the Czorsztyn Lake and connects with the local Velo Czorsztyn cycling route, which runs entirely around the lake. On the way, you will pass the mysterious Frydman wine cellars, which were built in 1820 and used to store wine. Currently, they can be visited with a guide. The total length of dark corridors is about 600 m, so it is worth taking a torch with you.

About halfway you will reach the Niedzica Castle on the hill. One of its attractions is the opportunity to admire the beautiful surroundings from the viewing terraces. Right next to it, there is a dam that dams the waters of the Dunajec River, creating Lake Czorsztyńskie.

40 km
592 m
592 m
Day 5
Dębno – Szczawnica

There is an extreme challenge ahead of you. The last moments on Lake Czorsztyńskie and you will travel 20 km to the village of Sromowce Niżne, where a team with pontoons will be waiting for you. You will have some fun on a rafting trip down the Dunajec gorge. It will be an unforgettable adventure in the midst of mountain landscapes. From the pontoon you will see two of the most beautiful peaks of the Pieniny.

The 12-kilometre rafting trip will end in Szczawnica, where a tasty prize will be waiting for you – a barbecue full of meat and fish, followed by a dream rest.

20 km
173 m
240 m
14 km
Barbecue
Day 6
Szczawnica – Nowy Sącz

The first stop on the route is planned in Tłocznia Maurera for a tour of the fruit orchards and juice tasting. For connoisseurs of alcoholic drinks, it is possible to buy cider or fruit wine, but we recommend that you leave them for the end of the tour.

The next point on the map will be the beautiful mediaeval town of Stary Sącz. It is here that St Kinga, a Hungarian princess, decided to build a monastery of the Poor Clares.

In the afternoon you will reach your resting place – Nowy Sącz. We will visit the Sądecki Ethnographic Park, a regional open-air museum presenting wooden architecture and traditional folk culture. You will also pass the Orthodox Church of St Dmitri and the Great Synagogue.

55 km
431 m
571 m
Tasting
2 h
Day 7
Nowy Sącz – Filipowice

After the morning 14-kilometre crossing, you will reach the beautiful wooden church of St Bartholomew the Apostle in Zbyszyce, which is located by Lake Rożnowskie, surrounded by dense forest. The next stages of the route run in the vicinity of the picturesque landscape stretching over the lake.

In the village of Rożnów you will see the equally beautiful church of St Adalbert the Bishop and Martyr and Exaltation of the Holy Cross. A valuable monument is a stone baptismal font from the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries with a wooden cover from 1663. Continuing your journey along the Dunajec, you will reach Lake Czchowskie, where there is a dam with a hydroelectric power plant. We have planned the accommodation for you in the vicinity of the Filipowice village.

55 km
484 m
550 m
Day 8
Filipowice – Wietrzychowice

After a few days filled with tourist attractions, it’s time for catching one’s breath. Clocking up the kilometres surrounded by the sounds of nature, you will have the opportunity to get to know each other better in a group.

For this occasion, we have prepared the only stop on this day, namely a visit to Winnica Janowice, where we plan to taste wine born out of the passion of local winemakers. In good spirits you will reach the village of Wietrzychowice and here your adventure with Velo Dunajec will end.

55 km
71 m
121 m
Tasting
Day 9
Wietrzychowice – Niepołomice – Kraków

Today, you will take off from Velo Dunajec towards Kraków, and you will be led there by the Vistula Bicycle Route built on flood embankments. You will spend most of the day observing the riverside nature. An interesting attraction will be crossing the suspension bridge over the Raba River.

Across the river, you will enter the Niepołomice Forest, through which runs the Bicycle Salt Ring (‘Salina Cracoviensis’), as well as the Greenways Amber Trail, which starts in Budapest and ends at the Baltic Sea.

Rushing along beautiful asphalt paths under the treetops, you will reach the car park, from which you will be transported to Kraków.

59 km
51 m
66 m
25 km
Day 10
Kraków

Welcome to Kraków – the city of Polish kings’ is written under the road sign at the entrance to the former capital of Poland. We invite you on a guided tour that will best explain the history of this place. At the beginning, we suggest a walk around the Old Town with the entrance to St Mary’s Church, which stands on the Main Square. It is worth mentioning that it is the largest mediaeval market square in Europe.

Continuing the tour of the historic streets, you will come to Wawel Hill, on the top of which the Royal Castle is located

After seeing Wawel, it’s time for dinner in one of the restaurants serving Polish cuisine. Then we will go on a sightseeing tour to the Wieliczka Salt Mine, which is on the UNESCO list. We leave the evening at your disposal.

7 h
Lunch
31 km
Day 11
Return home

The day of departure has come. For those who like shopping, we suggest a walk to the Main Square to the famous Cloth Hall, where everyone will find a souvenir for themselves.

For others, we recommend relaxing with a cup of coffee or tea in one of Kraków’s old cafés or a walk along the Vistula boulevards. There are many possibilities to spend the last hours before returning home.

Departure
Cycling trail: Velo Dunajec