World Country Guide

Sport & Activities

Wintersports
The Tatra Mountains are Poland’s main skiing destination, the most popular resort being Zakopane (see also Resorts & Excursions section). The season is from November through to May. The densely wooded Bieszczady Mountains in the southeast are highly rated for cross-country skiing. Another popular wintersport is ice-boating on Poland’s frozen waterways. Sleigh rides used to be popular with the Polish gentry and ‘traditional’ rides are available in most resorts.

Watersports
Poland’s Baltic coast stretches for some 528km (330 miles), with long sandy beaches. Pollution levels in the Baltic sea are relatively high, particularly in the Bay of Gdnsk. Water temperatures are fairly cold, rising to a maximum of 20C (68F) during summer. Cleaner and safer swimming is available in the Mazurian Lake District (consisting of approximately 3000 lakes), also a favourite angling destination. Poland’s rivers (such as the Parseta, Rega and Stupia) are particularly good for bull trout. Tourists need to buy a fishing licence. For sailing, the Augustow, Ilawa and Mazurian lakes are best. Canoeists may also head to the Brodnica or Mysliborz lakelands, or the rivers Brda, Czarna Hancza and Obra where canoeing trips lasting up to 12 days can be undertaken. However, the main waterways are pretty polluted.

Hang gliding
Both hang gliding and paragliding are popular in the Beskid, Bieszczady and Sudety mountains. The town of Leszno is Poland’s main gliding centre.

Other
Poland’s national parks and nature reserves offer a variety of hiking trails through different types of landscapes ranging from dunes, beaches, rivers and lakes to deep forests and high mountains. Nature and wildlife enthusiasts can observe elks in Poland’s marshes and European bison in the Bialowieza forest. Poland is also reputed to have Europe’s largest population of storks. All the parks are open to visitors, though some may only be entered on foot and others, such as the Bialowieza National Park, may only be toured with a guide. Accommodation and catering facilities are available either within or near all parks. Different types of cycling routes are available throughout the country. Special cycling lanes are provided around larger cities. Cycling tours (notably through the Great Mazurian Lake District) are offered by specialist tour operators. Mountain biking is popular in the Bieszczady and Karkonosze mountains. Horses have traditionally been popular in Poland and horseriding enthusiasts have a large choice of riding schools to choose from. Polish stud farms are internationally renowned and welcome guests; board and lodging is provided and many stables also offer riding instruction. Horse auctions are held at Janw Podlaski, Poznan, Racot and Walewice. The main horseracing tracks are Warsaw (Sluzewiec), Sopot, Raculka (near Zielona Gora), Bialy Bor (near Slupsk) and Ksiaz (near Walbrzych). Inexperienced riders may prefer riding a Hucul – a very rare Polish mountain pony.