Discover Podlasie
Accommodation in Podlasie
In Podlasie, you can choose between a range of travel interests: designated trails and water activities in Wigry National Park, wetlands in Biebrza National Park, and Tatar culture in Kruszyniany. If you are looking for a hotel, it helps to first decide what you want to focus on during your trip.
Key facts about Podlasie
- Białowieża National Park is located in the Podlaskie Voivodeship and covers the central part of the Białowieża Forest.
- Wigry National Park has a total of 190 km of designated and developed trails for hiking and cycling.
- Biebrza National Park encompasses extensive wetlands with marshes and peat bogs.
- Sabantuy in Kruszyniany is celebrated every August as a Tatar ploughing festival.
What trails and water activities are available?
In Wigry National Park, you can choose between activities on land and on the water. The 190 km of designated and developed land trails are intended for hikers and cyclists. This figure describes the total length of the trails, not a single tour. You can therefore use it as a guide when choosing a destination with trails for both types of travel.
The park’s waters also offer a distinct way to explore the landscape: kayaks, rowing boats, sailboats and other non-motorized watercraft are permitted on the waters open to visitors. If you prefer to travel on foot or by bicycle, the same national park has the stated length of land trails. These details highlight different ways to travel without combining them into a single route.
In Narwiański National Park, the Waniewo–Śliwno footbridge provides walking access from both locations. When planning, bear in mind that it may be temporarily closed due to unfavorable weather conditions. On the Narew, there is also the option of crossing the river in a traditional pychówka. This boat was formerly used for agricultural work; distinguish its historical use from its present-day description as a traditional boat.
How do the natural landscapes differ?
Białowieża National Park covers the central part of the Białowieża Forest. The park is also home to the Museum of Nature and Forest, one of its biggest attractions. This gives you a combination of forest and a museum that is part of the park; the two aspects can offer different focuses for your nature interests.
A different type of landscape characterizes Biebrza National Park: its extensive wetlands consist of marshes and peat bogs. If you are specifically looking for these kinds of landscapes when choosing your destination, this description provides a clear point of reference. Suwałki Landscape Park, meanwhile, is Poland’s oldest landscape park. The three areas thus represent distinct, specifically named nature themes: primeval forest, wetlands and a landscape park.
What does Kruszyniany offer in terms of culture?
In Kruszyniany, a place of cultural interest is paired with a festival held every year. Behind the mosque is the mizar, a Muslim cemetery with graves several hundred years old. Visitors can walk among the graves. Sabantuy, the Tatar ploughing festival, is celebrated there every August. This means you can focus your cultural visit on either a historic cemetery or the August festival.
If you want to plan your trip around Sabantuy, August is the stated time of the festival. The mizar, on the other hand, offers a place where visitors can walk among the old graves. When planning your trip, you can therefore decide whether a festival date or a visit to a place shaped by culture is what matters most to you.
For further regional information, find pages about Suwalski, Kolneński, Sejny, Siemiatycze, Sokółka, Wysokie Mazowieckie, Zambrów, Grajewski, Białostocki, Augustowski, Hajnowski, Moniecki, Bielski and Łomżyński.
FAQ
How many trails are there in Wigry National Park?
There are a total of 190 km of designated and developed land trails for hiking and cycling.
Which watercraft can be used on the waters open to visitors in Wigry National Park?
You can explore by kayak, rowing boat, sailboat or other non-motorized watercraft.
Can the Waniewo–Śliwno footbridge be closed?
Yes. The bridge may be temporarily closed due to unfavorable weather conditions.
When is Sabantuy celebrated in Kruszyniany?
The Tatar ploughing festival takes place every August.
For the broader travel overview: Poland.
