Szczawnica – Hiking Trails, Spa Parks and Palenica

Marked hiking trails lead from the town centre to, among other places, the PTTK “Orlica” mountain hut and the mountain hut on Prehyba. The Palenica lift is in the town centre near the bus station. The spa district is home to the town’s oldest spa park; another park is in the centre at the foot of Bryjarka.

One of the described routes leads from the town centre via Czeremcha (1,146 m) to the PTTK mountain hut on Prehyba (1,138 m). It is marked blue, and the stated walking time is 3 hours and 30 minutes. Another route is marked yellow at first, then blue, and passes via Palenica (722 m) and Szafranówka (742 m) to the PTTK “Orlica” mountain hut (520 m). The stated walking time for this route is 1 hour and 40 minutes. These different route details give you concrete guidance when adding hikes to your stay plans.

Another trail leads from Szczawnica to Sokolica. It is about 2 km long and has steep climbs. Take the terrain into account when deciding whether this hike suits your planned outing; the distance alone is not enough to determine a walking time.

The detachable Palenica chairlift has four seats and is in the town centre near the bus station. It reaches the summit in about 3 minutes. The ski area on the slopes of Szafranówka has beginner areas with three drag lifts, a snowboard run and a halfpipe. There is also the challenging Palenica I descent and the floodlit Palenica II family run. Snowboard competitions are held regularly on the halfpipe. All the slopes are covered with artificial snow and groomed by machine.

The promenade along the Grajcarek begins at the bottom station of the Palenica lift and is about 1,800 m long. It leads to the connection with the pedestrian and cycle path along the Dunajec towards Slovakia. If you would like to include a longer route in your trip plans, there is also the red-marked Droga Pienińska: it begins at the landing stage in Szczawnica and runs via Červený Klastor to Veľký Lipnik. The section from the PPN pavilion via the border crossing and the Leśnicki Stream to Červený Klastor is listed as 10.5 km long.

Szczawnica is also listed as a point along a Dunajec rafting route. The distance is given as about 18 km and the trip duration as about 2 hours and 15 minutes. If you would rather include a trip than a hike in your outing plans, these approximate figures can help you estimate how much time to allow.

Park Górny is Szczawnica’s oldest spa park and lies in the central spa district. Its development was initiated by Jan Kutscher in the first half of the 19th century. The park surrounds a small bottling plant for medicinal water; later landowners expanded it. Józef Szalay added various plant species as well as paths for strolling and relaxation.

Park Dolny was created between 1861 and 1868 in connection with the opening of the spa house at Miedziusiu. It is in the centre at the foot of Bryjarka and features well-kept paths, lush vegetation, a music pavilion, a pond and a botanical garden. Visitors can taste the water at the “Wanda” spring. Plac Dietla is also home to the old Dom nad Zdrojami, built in 1863, with a drinking hall and the “Stefan” and “Józefina” mineral springs. The historic Willa Pałac at Plac Dietla 7 is a residential building.

For more pages about localities, you can also visit Czarna Woda, Ponice, Grywałd, Ochotnica Dolna, Rogoźnik, Ratułów, Zubrzyca Górna and Raba Wyżna.

How long does the hike to the PTTK “Orlica” mountain hut take?

The route, marked yellow at first and then blue, via Palenica and Szafranówka has a stated walking time of 1 hour and 40 minutes.

What details are available about the hike to Prehyba?

The blue-marked trail leads from the town centre via Czeremcha to the PTTK mountain hut on Prehyba. The stated walking time is 3 hours and 30 minutes.

How long is the promenade along the Grajcarek?

It is about 1,800 m long and leads from the bottom station of the Palenica lift to the connection with the pedestrian and cycle path along the Dunajec towards Slovakia.

What distance and duration are given for the Dunajec rafting trip?

Szczawnica is named as a point along the route; the trip is listed as about 18 km and about 2 hours and 15 minutes.

For the wider travel overview: Nowotarski.