Vistula Cycling Route

Directions

The Vistula Cycling Route is a trail laid out along the entire Vistula river, connecting the Beskids with the river mouth in Gdańsk. It already exceeds 1000 kilometres and is ultimately intended to reach about 1200 km. It crosses 8 voivodeships and is one of the most popular cycling routes in Poland, although it is not yet complete everywhere — it functions best in the south of the country. The route also passes through Goczałkowice-Zdrój, touching the areas around Lake Goczałkowickie.

The fishbone concept

The route is based on the fishbone concept: the main trail is meant to be easy and fully passable for every user, and loops branch off from it — marked local and regional trails of varying difficulty leading to the attractions of the area. The route is not only for cyclists: it can be covered on foot, and in winter even on cross-country skis. The marking consists of R4 signs: an orange plaque with the logo of the trail and a black bicycle.

The Silesian section and practice

In the Silesian Voivodeship the route is 80 kilometres long and runs from Wisła Uzdrowisko railway station to the village of Dankowice on the border with Lesser Poland. Originally the trail started at the dam on Lake Czerniańskie in Wisła Czarne, but after changes in 2018 the start was moved to the railway station so that the route would be accessible to rail travellers. The best-known spot of the Silesian part is the dam on Lake Goczałkowickie. The trail runs on asphalt roads with varying traffic and on gravel roads, which can be a challenge for road bikes. Cities on the route include Oświęcim, Kraków, Tarnobrzeg, Puławy, Warsaw, Włocławek and Toruń.