The Karkonosze (Krkonoše in Czech, Riesengebirge in German) are the highest range of the Sudetes, topped by Śnieżka (1603 m) on the Polish–Czech border. The Polish side is protected by Karkonosze National Park, which together with the Czech park forms a cross-border UNESCO biosphere reserve. Two resort towns sit at the foot of the main ridge — Karpacz below Śnieżka and Szklarska Poręba below Szrenica — along with smaller Przesieka, Piechowice and Kowary. North of the mountains lies the Jelenia Góra Valley: the city of Jelenia Góra, the spa district of Cieplice, Sobieszów below Chojnik Castle, and the Valley of Palaces and Gardens with Łomnica, Wojanów, Bobrów, Karpniki and Bukowiec at the edge of the Rudawy Janowickie hills.
This travel guide picks ten places across the region, gives 1- and 2-day itineraries with realistic transfer times, explains what changes in winter 2026/27 (avalanche closures, the Kopa chairlift break, the ski season) and lists every attraction in the region's towns with a town filter. Opening hours and prices are as of October 2026; always read the national park's daily trail bulletin (in Polish, on kpn.gov.pl) before heading up.
The region brings together attractions from these towns. Open a town guide or its list of attractions.
Mountains & peaks
Gruszków
Skalnik (945 m) is the highest peak of the Rudawy Janowickie range and of the Rudawy Landscape Park, but the summit itself hides in spruce forest. For the view, walk a few hundred metres on to the granite tor of Ostra Mała, where steps cut…
Our picks for a first visit — each with a short reason why.
Hidden gemMountains & peaks
Karpacz
Śnieżka (pronounced roughly "SHNYEZH-kah"; Czech: Sněžka, German: Schneekoppe) is the highest mountain in the Giant Mountains and the whole Sudetes range, rising above the resort town of Karpacz on the Polish–Czech border. Its rocky cone,…
1. The highest peak of the Sudetes (1603 m), with a 17th-century chapel and the saucer-shaped weather observatory. Take the chairlift to Kopa and walk about an hour, or hike up from Karpacz in about 3 hours.
Churches & monasteries
Karpacz
Vang Stave Church in Karpacz is a medieval Norwegian wooden church that has stood on a mountainside in southwest Poland since the 1840s. Built in the late 12th or around the turn of the 13th century in Vang, Norway, it was bought by the Ki…
2. A Norwegian stave church from around 1200, rebuilt in Karpacz and consecrated in 1844. In winter 2026/27 (1 Nov – 14 Apr) open daily 9:00–17:00; on Sundays visits start at 11:30.
Mountains & peaks
Karpacz
Samotnia mountain hut and the glacial lake Mały Staw (MAH-wee stahv, "Little Pond") form one of the most photogenic spots in Poland's Karkonosze, the Polish half of the Giant Mountains. The hut sits right on the shore of the lake, beneath…
3. A mountain hut on the shore of a glacial lake, about an hour up the blue trail from Wang. In winter and from 15 March to 31 May the direct section is closed and a detour along the access road applies.
Mountains & peaks
Szklarska Poręba
Szrenica (pronounced shreh-NEE-tsa, 1,362 m) is the rounded granite summit that towers over the resort town of Szklarska Poręba in Poland's Karkonosze, or Giant Mountains. It is one of the easiest high viewpoints in the range to reach: a t…
4. A granite summit (1362 m) above Szklarska Poręba with a hut built in 1921–1922. The two-stage chairlift takes about 40 minutes; the lift ticket does not include the national park fee.
Hidden gemWaterfalls
Szklarska Poręba
Kamieńczyk Waterfall (ka-MYEN-chik) in Szklarska Poręba is the highest waterfall in the Polish Sudetes. The Kamieńczyk stream drops 27 m in three cascades into a narrow granite gorge. Visitors walk down on steel platforms, wearing a helmet…
5. The highest waterfall in the Polish Sudetes (27 m), seen from steel walkways in a gorge. Separate ticket (16 zł); from November to March the ticket office opens 9:00–15:00 on weekdays.
Hidden gemMountains & peaks
Piechowice
Two rocky bowls carved by glaciers beneath the main ridge of the Karkonosze, with cliffs, gullies and snow that lingers well into spring — Śnieżne Kotły (the Snowy Cirques) form the most alpine landscape in the Polish Sudetes. On their rim…
6. Two glacial cirques with walls up to 150 m below the main ridge, a nature reserve since 1933. Best seen from the red ridge trail; the path along the cirque floor is often closed in winter for avalanche risk.
Castles
Jelenia Góra
Chojnik Castle (say "HOY-neek") is a ruined medieval fortress on a rocky, forested summit 627 m above Sobieszów, a district of Jelenia Góra in southwest Poland. It sits inside Karkonosze National Park, part of a cross-border UNESCO biosphe…
7. Ruins of a 14th-century castle on a crag above Sobieszów, with a lookout tower and an inn. A 45–60 minute climb; November to March open 10:00–16:00 and closed on Mondays.
Cities & towns
Jelenia Góra
Cieplice Śląskie-Zdrój (say "chyeh-PLEE-tseh SHLON-skyeh ZDROO-y") is the spa district of Jelenia Góra and Poland's oldest spa town: therapeutic bathing in its hot springs has continued since the 13th century. Known in German as Bad Warmbr…
8. Poland's oldest spa town: Piastowski Square with the Schaffgotsch palace, the Spa Park and the Cieplice thermal pools, open daily 8:00–22:00 (as of October 2026).
Hidden gemPalaces
Łomnica
A square, three-storey palace with two corner turrets stands where the roads to Karpniki and Wojanów split, about 5 km from Jelenia Góra. In the early 1990s it was a ruin; today it is one of the liveliest estates in the Valley of Palaces a…
9. A Baroque palace 5 km from Jelenia Góra, restored since 1992 by a descendant of the pre-war owners. The estate farm has a bakery and shops — a good first stop on the palace trail.
Technical monuments
Kowary
Sztolnie Kowary (SHTOL-nyeh ko-VAH-rih, "the Kowary Adits") is an underground tour through the former Liczyrzepa uranium mine in Kowary, a small town at the foot of Poland's Giant Mountains. On a one-hour guided walk you follow tunnels whe…
10. About 1200 m of lit tunnels in a former uranium mine, toured with a guide in around an hour (in Polish). It is about 8°C underground. Open all year; adult ticket 49 zł (October 2026).
Start at the Kopa chairlift on ul. Olimpijska in Karpacz, ideally on the first run. From Kopa walk past the Dom Śląski hut to the summit, about an hour each way. The uphill ticket includes the national park fee. The lift is closed from 16 November to mid-December 2026; then the only way up is on foot.
Places: Kopa Chairlift (Karpacz) Śnieżka
From Dom Śląski follow the blue trail down to the Mały Staw lake and Samotnia, then on to Wang Church in upper Karpacz. When the Domek Myśliwski – Samotnia section is closed (winter, 15 March – 31 May), ride the lift down and drive to Wang instead; the church takes 30–45 minutes.
Places: Samotnia Hut and Mały Staw Lake Vang Stave Church in Karpacz
Cieplice in Jelenia Góra is about 20 km away (the Karpacz – Jelenia Góra train takes around 18 minutes, then a city bus). A walk around Piastowski Square and the Spa Park takes 1–2 hours, and the thermal pools stay open until 22:00.
Chairlift to Kopa and an hour's walk to the top; in bad weather turn back at Dom Śląski. On the way down, look in at the Wild Waterfall right next to the lower lift station.
Places: Kopa Chairlift (Karpacz) Śnieżka Wild Waterfall (Dziki Wodospad), Karpacz
A short visit to the Norwegian stave church and its churchyard, where the poet Tadeusz Różewicz is buried. There is a national park ticket point next to the church.
Places: Vang Stave Church in Karpacz
By train. Direct trains run from Wrocław to Jelenia Góra (about 110 km). Since June 2025 Lower Silesian Railways again run from Jelenia Góra to Karpacz (about 18 minutes), but the station is on the edge of town, nearly 3 km in a straight line from the Kopa chairlift. Szklarska Poręba Górna has direct trains from Wrocław taking about 2.5–3 hours.
By car. From Wrocław it takes about 1.5–2 hours to Jelenia Góra and around 2 hours to Karpacz. Karpacz and Szklarska Poręba are each about 20 km from Jelenia Góra; allow roughly an hour between the two resorts via the valley. Ul. Na Śnieżkę in upper Karpacz is closed to traffic, so park lower down. In peak season arrive at the lifts early; there are paid car parks at the lower station in Szklarska Poręba.
Getting around. City buses (including line 15) link central Jelenia Góra with Cieplice, Sobieszów and Jagniątków. The palaces of the Valley of Palaces and Gardens are easiest by car or bike — each has its own opening hours and tickets.
Summer and early autumn are the best time for the main ridge, although Śnieżka is in fog on more than 300 days a year and strong wind is common even in August. Autumn usually brings the clearest air. Waterfalls are fullest in spring, but from 15 March to 31 May some park trails are closed to protect wildlife.
Winter 2026/27. Several trails close because of avalanche risk, including the red trail through the Łomniczka cirque from Karpacz, the Śnieżne Kotły area and the Domek Myśliwski – Samotnia section. The Kopa chairlift does not run from 16 November to mid-December 2026, and neither ski area had announced its opening date or lift pass prices as of October 2026. In winter the Szrenica lift runs 8:30–16:00, with the last ride down for walkers at 15:30. Take microspikes and a windproof jacket, and check the national park bulletin before setting out. Mountain rescue (GOPR): 985.
On a rainy day head for Cieplice, the Karkonosze Museum in Jelenia Góra (permanent exhibitions free on Wednesdays) or the underground routes in Kowary.
As of October 2026 a one-day ticket costs 11 zł (reduced 5.50 zł), two days 20 zł and three days 26 zł. Children under 7 enter free. Kamieńczyk Waterfall has a separate ticket (16 zł, reduced 8 zł). The uphill ticket on the Kopa chairlift includes the park fee; the Szrenica lift ticket does not. Tickets are sold online and at ticket points by the trailheads.
Take the chairlift from Karpacz to Kopa (about 8 minutes), then walk about 2.5 km past the Dom Śląski hut to the summit, roughly an hour. Hiking all the way from Karpacz on the red trail through the Łomniczka cirque takes about 3 hours, but that section is closed in winter because of avalanche risk.
Karpacz is closer to Śnieżka, Wang Church and Kowary. Szklarska Poręba is the base for Szrenica, Kamieńczyk Waterfall, the Śnieżne Kotły cirques and the largest ski area on the Polish side. Jelenia Góra with Cieplice suits travellers combining the mountains with palaces and getting around by train.
Yes, on a lead, on most national park trails (about 97 km). Dogs are banned on about 34 km, including at Kamieńczyk Waterfall and in the Łomniczka cirque. The park publishes the list of closed sections on its website.
Try the thermal pools and Spa Park in Cieplice, the Karkonosze Museum in Jelenia Góra, the uranium mine tours in Kowary, the Park of Miniatures in Kowary, or the Ducal Tower in Siedlęcin with its 14th-century Lancelot murals.
As of October 2026 neither Karpacz Ski Arena nor Szrenica Ski Arena had announced an opening date or lift pass prices. The Kopa chairlift has a maintenance break from 16 November to mid-December 2026. Check both ski areas' websites for updates.
Nature
Gruszków
The Colorful Lakes (Kolorowe Jeziorka, say "ko-lo-RO-veh yeh-ZHOR-ka") in the Rudawy Janowickie mountains are four small ponds filling old pyrite mine pits above the village of Wieściszowice in Lower Silesia, southwestern Poland. Each has…
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Kowary is a few kilometres from Karpacz. Choose the Kowary uranium mine tunnels (an hour underground, bring a fleece) or the Park of Miniatures of Lower Silesian Monuments, open daily 10:00–16:00 including winter 2026/27.
Places: Kowary Uranium Mine (Sztolnie Kowary) Park of Miniatures of Lower Silesian Monuments in Kowary
From the lower station on ul. Turystyczna ride the chairlift to Szrenica (about 40 minutes) or walk the black and then red trail to Kamieńczyk. The waterfall needs its own ticket and dogs are not allowed there.
Places: Szrenica Ski Lifts in Szklarska Poręba Kamieńczyk Waterfall
Heading back towards Jelenia Góra, stop by road 3 in Piechowice: about 375 m of level path through beech forest, suitable for pushchairs and wheelchairs.
Places: Szklarka Waterfall
Climb from Sobieszów to Chojnik Castle (45–60 minutes; November to March until 16:00, closed Mondays) or drive to Łomnica, 5 km from Jelenia Góra, and continue along the palace trail to Wojanów.