Landscape parks in Poland

The tripto catalogue lists 39 landscape parks – large protected areas where, unlike national parks, there is no entry fee and you can freely combine trails with stays in villages and small towns.

Suwałki Landscape Park, created in 1976, was Poland's first landscape park; it includes Lake Hańcza, at 108.5 metres the deepest lake in the country, and the Bachanowo boulder field. Lednica Landscape Park surrounds Lake Lednica with the island of Ostrów Lednicki and the open-air museum in Dziekanowice on the Piast Trail. Masurian Landscape Park covers 56,000 hectares of forests and lakes including Śniardwy and the Krutynia river, and Coastal Landscape Park includes the entire Hel Peninsula and the cliffs of Rozewie. Knyszyn Forest Landscape Park near Białystok has more than 72,000 hectares of forest with 19 nature reserves, and Poprad Landscape Park in the Sądecki Beskids combines the Poprad gorge, spa towns and Lemko wooden churches.

Most landscape parks in the catalogue are in Greater Poland (close to 10, several around Poznań) and Pomerania (a handful); the rest are spread across the country.

In practice: allow half a day to a full day – these are areas for longer walks, bike rides or kayaking, for example on the Krutynia. Entry is free; only museums and open-air museums within the parks charge. The best time is May to October; bring insect repellent for mosquitoes and ticks.