Caves and underground routes in Poland

The tripto catalogue lists 10 caves and underground routes open to visitors – natural karst caves in the Jura and the Sudetes, as well as man-made tunnels.

The Bear Cave in Kletno is the longest cave in the Sudetes, with rich dripstone formations and cave bear bones; it can only be visited with a guide and a booking. Wierzchowska Górna Cave, 15 km from Kraków, has a 700-metre route – the longest open to tourists in Poland. In Ojców National Park, Łokietek Cave has 320 metres of passages with the Knights' Hall and the legend of the king, and Nietoperzowa Cave in the Będkowska Valley holds traces of hunters from 38,000 years ago. In Kraków, the Dragon's Den below Wawel leads through three chambers to an exit by the Vistula, right under the fire-breathing dragon. The Chełm Chalk Tunnels are a labyrinth of passages beneath the Old Town, with a 2-kilometre route.

Most places in this category are in Lesser Poland (5, mostly in the Jura around Ojców), followed by Lower Silesia (2) and one each in the Lublin and Holy Cross regions.

In practice: a visit usually lasts 30 to 60 minutes, almost always with a guide. Tickets range from 15 zł (Dragon's Den) to 65 zł (Bear Cave). Caves stay a few degrees above zero all year – about 9°C in Chełm – so bring a jacket and comfortable shoes. Some caves are seasonal, such as Łokietek, open until 11 November. Caves are a good plan for hot days and rainy ones.