The Pieniny are a small limestone range on Poland's border with Slovakia, about two hours south of Kraków. This guide covers the Polish side: the spa town of Szczawnica with the village of Jaworki and the Homole Gorge, Krościenko nad Dunajcem at the foot of the Three Crowns (Trzy Korony), Sromowce Niżne, where the raft trip through the Dunajec Gorge begins, and the Spisz side of the range around Czorsztyn Lake with Niedzica and Czorsztyn. Krynica-Zdrój and Muszyna belong to the Beskid Sądecki and are not included here.
Distances are short – most places in the region are less than an hour's drive apart – and at the centre lies Pieniny National Park, founded in 1932 as Poland's first national park. Short but sometimes steep trails lead to the viewpoints on the Three Crowns and Sokolica, wooden rafts steered by local boatmen drift through the gorge below, and two castles face each other across the lake: the former Hungarian fortress at Niedzica and the Polish royal castle at Czorsztyn. Below are ten picks for a first visit, one- and two-day itineraries with walking and driving times, and seasonal notes: the rafting season ends on 31 October, and in winter 2026/27 the trails stay open but can be icy.
The region brings together attractions from these towns. Open a town guide or its list of attractions.
Hiking & tourist trails
Szczawnica
The Pieniny Road (Polish: Droga Pienińska, say "DRO-gah pyeh-NEEN-skah") is a car-free path carved into the cliffs of the Dunajec River gorge, linking the Polish spa town of Szczawnica with the village of Červený Kláštor in Slovakia. Nearl…
Our picks for a first visit — each with a short reason why.
Mountains & peaks
Sromowce Niżne
Trzy Korony (say "tshih koh-ROH-nih"), meaning "Three Crowns," is the most famous peak of the Pieniny Mountains on the Polish–Slovak border. From the railed viewing platform on its highest crag, Okrąglica (982 m / 3,222 ft), you look strai…
1. The Pieniny's best-known summit. From Sromowce Niżne it takes about 1 h 40 min up. The platform costs 10 PLN from 1 April to 15 November and is free in winter.
Other
Sromowce Wyżne
The oldest picture of a trip down the Dunajec dates from 1589 – a wall painting in the old church at Krościenko. Today raftsmen in highland costume take visitors on wooden rafts through the Pieniny Gorge of the Dunajec: about 8 km of meand…
2. Wooden rafts take about 2 h 15 min from the Sromowce-Kąty landing to Szczawnica. The 2026 season runs from 1 April to 31 October; there are no trips in winter.
Mountains & peaks
Krościenko nad Dunajcem
At the edge of Sokolica's rocky ridge (747 m) grows a pine that has become one of the icons of the Pieniny, and its neighbours are among the oldest pines in Poland — a study of three trees in 1995–1996 found them to be about 550 years old…
3. A rock pinnacle with a famous relict pine above the river; the shortest route is about an hour on the green trail from Krościenko. The Three Crowns ticket is valid here the same day.
Hidden gemCastles
Niedzica
Niedzica Castle (say "nyeh-JEET-sah"), also known as Dunajec Castle, is a white-walled Gothic and Renaissance fortress on a rocky hill above Czorsztyn Lake in southern Poland. For six centuries it was a Hungarian border stronghold, facing…
4. Dunajec Castle, with a museum, carriage house and terraces above the lake. From October to April it opens Tue–Sun 9:00–16:00 (last entry 15:20) and is closed on Mondays.
Castles
Czorsztyn
Czorsztyn Castle (say "chor-shtin") is a romantic medieval ruin perched on Castle Hill, about 50 meters above Czorsztyn Lake in Poland's Pieniny Mountains. For centuries this royal Polish fortress watched the Hungarian border and the Dunaj…
5. Ruins of a royal castle across the lake from Niedzica, with one of the widest views in the region. In winter 2026/27 open Tue–Sun 10:00–15:00; tickets 12 PLN.
Hiking & tourist trails
Szczawnica
The Pieniny Road (Polish: Droga Pienińska, say "DRO-gah pyeh-NEEN-skah") is a car-free path carved into the cliffs of the Dunajec River gorge, linking the Polish spa town of Szczawnica with the village of Červený Kláštor in Slovakia. Nearl…
6. About 9.7 km from Szczawnica to Červený Kláštor along the bottom of the gorge, closed to cars – walk, cycle or push a stroller. Free and open all year, but not cleared of snow.
Nature
Jaworki
The Homole Gorge (Polish: Wąwóz Homole, say "VON-voos ho-MO-leh") is a short, spectacular limestone ravine in the village of Jaworki near Szczawnica, in the Little Pieniny Mountains of southern Poland. In about 800 meters the Kamionka stre…
7. A short nature reserve in Jaworki with cascades and cliffs up to 120 m; walking to the Dubantowska meadow and back takes about an hour. Steps and footbridges can be icy in winter.
Mountains & peaks
Szczawnica
Palenica (say "pah-leh-NEE-tsah") is a 722-meter (2,369 ft) hill in the Little Pieniny range right above Szczawnica, a historic spa town in southern Poland. A four-seat chairlift whisks you from the town center to the top in under five min…
8. A chairlift from central Szczawnica reaches 722 m in under five minutes. It is closed for maintenance from 19 October to 6 November 2026; in winter it serves a small ski area.
Hidden gemLakes
Czorsztyn
On one shore stand the ruins of Czorsztyn Castle, on the other Dunajec Castle in Niedzica, and between them lies water that as recently as the 1990s was a valley of villages and fields. Lake Czorsztyn is a reservoir on the Dunajec River, s…
9. A reservoir held back by the Niedzica dam, with a castle on each shore and the Tatras on the horizon; in season boats run between the castles and the VeloDunajec cycle route circles the lake.
Old towns & squares
Krościenko nad Dunajcem
The market square in Krościenko nad Dunajcem measures about 120 by 70 metres – larger than the Old Town Market Square in Warsaw. It was laid out when the town was founded in 1348 and still keeps its medieval plan: a town hall in the middle…
10. A market square laid out in 1348, with a town hall and the Ziemroźka spring – the usual starting point for the trails to Sokolica and the Three Crowns.
The shortest route to Okrąglica climbs through the Szopczański ravine: about 1 h 40 min up and 1 h down. Start early – on sunny days there is a queue for the platform, and winter days are short. From 16 November the platform is free, but the stepped final section can be icy.
Places: Trzy Korony Pieniny National Park
From Sromowce Niżne it is a 15-minute drive up the Dunajec valley. An hour is enough for the ruins and terraces. From October to April the site opens Tue–Sun 10:00–15:00, so in winter arrive before 14:00.
Places: Czorsztyn Castle Lake Czorsztyn
Cross the dam to the opposite shore, about 15 minutes by car. Allow 1.5–2 hours for the castle and carriage house; in winter the last individual entry is at 15:20, and the museum is closed on Mondays. You can stop on the dam crest on the way.
Places: Niedzica Castle Niedzica Dam
Niedzica to Szczawnica is under half an hour by car. The lit riverside promenade along the Grajcarek stream is flat and open around the clock – an easy end to the day before dinner in the spa town.
Places: Szczawnica Promenade Upper Park (Park Górny), Szczawnica
Start at the market square in Krościenko and take the green trail to Sokolica, about an hour's walk. This is the shortest approach and the practical one in winter, because the boat crossing from the Szczawnica side only runs from mid-April.
Places: Market Square in Krościenko nad Dunajcem Sokolica in the Pieniny Mountains
Follow the ridge trail past Czertezik and the ruins of Pieniny Castle to the Three Crowns. One ticket covers both viewing platforms on the same day. The path is rocky with steps in places – bring microspikes in winter.
The nearest airport is Kraków, and from Kraków to Szczawnica or Krościenko nad Dunajcem is about 2–2.5 hours by car, via Nowy Targ or via Limanowa and Nowy Sącz. There is no railway into the Pieniny – the nearest stations are Nowy Targ and Nowy Sącz – but buses and minibuses run to Szczawnica and Krościenko, including from Kraków.
A car or bike is the easiest way to get around: Krościenko and Szczawnica are a few kilometres apart, and Niedzica and Czorsztyn on the lake are under half an hour from Szczawnica. The raft landing is at Sromowce-Kąty (Kąty 12) and trips finish in Szczawnica or Krościenko, so plan to take the boatmen's shuttle back to your car. Trailheads and landings have paid car parks; at Czorsztyn Castle, visitors get the first 90 minutes free on showing their tickets. The Pieniny Road crosses into Slovakia, where the currency is the euro.
May, June and September are the best months for hiking – green slopes and fewer people than in the summer holidays. In July and August everything is open, but expect queues at the raft landing and on the Three Crowns platform. October brings autumn colours to the beech woods and is the last month of rafting (the 2026 season ends on 31 October); on 10–11 October, during the autumn sheep drive in Szczawnica, raft tickets cost more.
Winter 2026/27 (as of October 2026): Pieniny National Park trails stay open, and from 16 November to 31 March the Three Crowns and Sokolica platforms are free. Steps and rocks can be icy, so bring microspikes and check the park's trail report. There is no rafting – the river route is closed from November to March – and the boat crossing to the Sokolica ridge trail starts again in mid-April. Niedzica Castle is open Tue–Sun 9:00–16:00 and Czorsztyn ruins Tue–Sun 10:00–15:00. The Palenica chairlift in Szczawnica is closed for maintenance from 19 October to 6 November 2026, and the ski season opening depends on snow.
According to Pieniny National Park, it takes about 1 h 40 min up and 1 h down from Sromowce Niżne, or about 2 h 10 min up and 1 h 30 min down from Krościenko nad Dunajcem. Allow 4–5 hours for the whole trip.
Entry to the national park is free. From 1 April to 15 November the viewing platforms on the Three Crowns and Sokolica cost 10 PLN (reduced 5 PLN), and one ticket covers both on the same day. From 16 November to 31 March there is no charge. Children under 7 go free.
In 2026 the traditional rafts run daily from 1 April to 31 October, except Easter Sunday and Corpus Christi, water levels permitting. A ticket to Szczawnica costs 111 PLN (117 PLN in July, August, on long weekends and on 10–11 October); children under 10 pay 78 or 82 PLN. A raft leaves once at least 11 passengers have gathered.
Yes. From 1 October to 30 April Niedzica Castle is open Tuesday to Sunday 9:00–16:00 (ticket office until 15:20) and Czorsztyn Castle ruins Tuesday to Sunday 10:00–15:00. Both are closed on Mondays. Tickets cost 40 PLN at Niedzica and 12 PLN at Czorsztyn.
Yes, it is about 2–2.5 hours each way by car, enough for the Three Crowns and one castle or a raft trip in season. With two days you can add Sokolica, the Pieniny Road and the Homole Gorge without rushing.
No. Krynica-Zdrój and Muszyna are in the Beskid Sądecki range, so they are not covered here. This guide covers Szczawnica with Jaworki, Krościenko nad Dunajcem, Sromowce Niżne, and Niedzica and Czorsztyn on Czorsztyn Lake.
Landmarks
Szczawnica
When the rebuilding of Dworek Gościnny in Szczawnica began in 2008, no plans of the building survived. The architects had an old postcard showing a man standing in front of the entrance – they assumed he was about 180 cm tall and used him…
Mountains & peaks
Szczawnica
Palenica (say "pah-leh-NEE-tsah") is a 722-meter (2,369 ft) hill in the Little Pieniny range right above Szczawnica, a historic spa town in southern Poland. A four-seat chairlift whisks you from the town center to the top in under five min…
Gardens
Szczawnica
Park Górny – the Upper Park – is Szczawnica's oldest spa garden, laid out from 1824, when Jan Kutscher began creating it. It occupies a rise on the east side of ul. Zdrojowa and Dietl Square, and among its trees stand a Gothic Revival spa…
Other
Szczawnica
Roughly 1,800 metres of promenade follow the Grajcarek stream from the lower station of the Palenica chairlift towards the Dunajec valley, and the town council calls it one of the longest promenades in Poland. It is the easiest way to get…
Landmarks
Szczawnica
The Nad Zdrojami Villa, also known as the House over the Springs, stands on the eastern side of Dietl Square in the heart of spa-town Szczawnica. Since the 19th century, spa guests have been served the local carbonated waters here, right a…
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The blue trail via the Szopka pass brings you back to Krościenko in about 1 h 30 min; the whole loop takes 4–5 hours. Szczawnica is a few minutes' drive away for a walk through the Upper Park and along the promenade.
Places: Upper Park (Park Górny), Szczawnica Szczawnica Promenade
Between 1 April and 31 October, raft from Sromowce-Kąty to Szczawnica (about 2 h 15 min; the shuttle back to your car costs extra). Out of season, walk the Pieniny Road from Szczawnica to the Slovak border and back – 1.5–2 hours at an easy pace.
Places: Dunajec River Rafting Pieniny Road (Szczawnica – Červený Kláštor)
Jaworki is a few kilometres east of Szczawnica. The walk through the gorge to the Dubantowska meadow and back takes about an hour; keen hikers can continue to Wysokie Skałki (1,050 m), about 1 h 45 min up.
Szczawnica to Niedzica takes under half an hour. In winter both castles close early (Czorsztyn at 15:00, Niedzica's last entry at 15:20), so swap the days or pick one castle; in summer you can see both without rushing.
Places: Niedzica Castle Czorsztyn Castle