Things to do in Augustów
Augustów lies in the Podlaskie region on the Netta River, among seven lakes and surrounded by the Augustów Forest. It is one of the most popular places for a lakeside holiday in north-eastern Poland. Its key monument is the Augustów Canal, built between 1824 and 1839 and a national Monument of History since 2007, with the original Przewięź and Swoboda locks. You can explore the canal and lakes by excursion boat, kayak or rowing boat, and in summer relax on the beach by Lake Necko. In the centre stands the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, and a few kilometres away, on a peninsula of Lake Studzieniczne, the Sanctuary of Our Lady in Studzieniczna. Next to the town flows the Klonownica, considered the shortest river in Poland. Plan several days for a holiday, one for the town itself. Take the train from Białystok or drive the S61 expressway. June to September is best.
Map of attractions in Augustów
All 8 places on one map: see what is close together and plan your route.
All attractions (8)
Technical monuments
Augustów Canal
Augustów
The Augustów Canal (pronounced roughly "ow-GOOS-toof") is a 19th-century waterway in northeastern Poland that links the Vistula and Neman river basins, running from the Biebrza River through the lakes around Augustów to the Neman in Belaru…
120–480 min Free entry
Hidden gemLakes
Lake Necko
Augustów
Linguists trace the lake's name to the Yotvingian word methis, meaning "to throw", and a document from 1396 records it as Meten. Necko is a glacial ribbon lake that makes Augustów both a town and a resort: the town shore has beaches, prome…
120–360 min Free entry
Churches & monasteries
Sacred Heart Basilica in Augustów
Augustów
The two 50-metre towers of the basilica can be seen from far above the rooftops of central Augustów – although they were only rebuilt in 1986, more than forty years after the war. The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is the town's mos…
Lakes
Augustów Town Beach
Augustów
Augustów's town beach lies on the southern shore of Lake Necko, in the Zarzecze area, close to where the Netta flows out of the lake – the river that continues as the Augustów Canal. A sandy shore, a wooden pier with lamp posts and the gua…
Free entry
Nature
Augustów Primeval Forest
Augustów
The Augustów Primeval Forest is one of the largest continuous forests in Poland: more than 114,000 hectares on the Polish side of the border and about 160,000 including the parts in Lithuania and Belarus. Lakes, peat bogs and rivers lie hi…
180–480 min Free entry
Churches & monasteries
Sanctuary of Our Lady in Studzieniczna
Augustów
The Sanctuary of Our Lady in Studzieniczna (roughly "stoo-dzhen-EECH-nah") is the most important pilgrimage site of the Augustów area in northeastern Poland: a wooden church and a white chapel on a former island in Lake Studzieniczne, abou…
Technical monuments
Przewięź Lock on the Augustów Canal
Augustów
On 9 June 1999 Pope John Paul II sailed through Przewięź Lock aboard the boat "Serwy" on his way from Augustów to Studzieniczna. This unassuming, hand-operated lock from 1826–1827 links Lake Białe Augustowskie with Lake Studzieniczne and s…
Technical monuments
Swoboda Lock on the Augustów Canal
Augustów
Swoboda Lock lies deep in the Augustów Forest, on a stretch of the Augustów Canal less than a kilometre long that links Lake Studzieniczne with Lake Ślepe. Built in 1826–1827, it worked for decades with steel gates and a concrete bridge –…