Being a cyclist and living in Kraków is like hitting the jackpot. Enjoy a gentle ride on the flat? You can cycle for mile after mile along the Vistula, Wilga, Dłubnia and Prądnik rivers. Prefer something a bit wilder? The rocky Skałki Twardowskiego Park is a favourite destination, as are Wolski and Sikornik forests, as well as the Tyniecki Forest a bit further afield. If long, steep inclines are your thing, Kraków is surrounded by rolling hills. Best thing is you don’t have to worry about following routes all too closely – you’ll find the best spots beyond “official” trails on the city outskirts. Regardless of which part of Kraków you’re starting from, attractions abound! North to south, east to west – you can dash around every month of the year in search of emotions and bathing your muscles in endorphins.
Jakub Kornhauser
North: Parks and Rivers
Plenty of us love to breathe fresh air, rest by a river and ponder this or that in the cool shade of trees. There are plenty of parks all over Kraków – let’s look at those in the northern reaches of the city. Just a few minutes’ ride out of the Old Town takes you to the Kościuszko Park in Biały Prądnik, where the ducks will pose for photos like the finest supermodels for just a handful of grain; admire the picturesque weir on the Białucha River, teeming with otters, beavers and owls. And there’s plenty more riding to be done: along the charming, quiet, narrow river bank to the nature reserve, to the city boundaries and onwards to Zielonki, Prądnik Korzkiewski and Ojców. If instead you follow the Bibiczanka River – a small tributary to the Białucha – towards Witkowice, nestled among ancient fields and orchards you’ll find Kraków’s only forest park, criss-crossed with narrow paths climbing hill slopes and dropping rapidly back down to the river valley. The park is dotted with little surprises such as teepees, wobbly footbridges spanning the river and information boards explaining the differences between various LBJs.
South: Hills and Valleys
As the urban architecture thins out, the city gives way to a long ridge marked with narrow gorges. As you leave the familiarity of Prokocim, Bieżanów and Wola Duchacka, the concrete all but disappears to be replaced by small wooden houses lining steep, steep roads. To conquer Szczawnicka, Orszańska and Tuchowska streets, you’ll be pushing the limits of your own endurance. Reward yourself with a rest by one of the Kosocice ponds among the reeds and swan families, at the fort in Rajsko, on Siarczana Hill or in the ravines of the Kosocicki Forest, home to diverse fauna including woodpeckers, foxes and stag beetles. The bike trails are as colourful as M&Ms: you’ll cross the Malinówka River and bounce around seemingly endless rutted roads to finally relax at the Swoszowice spa resort. You’ll recover immediately swaddled with a sulfur blanket. The Wilga River meanders among historic villas and old mining shafts. Enjoy the peace and quiet for a bit longer – or, instead of heading back to the centre, go on to explore Świątniki Górne, Siepraw and even Myślenice. But you’ll have reached your limits – you won’t get further than a few hundred metres before you’re spat out by the precipitous slopes like a two-wheeled version of Sisyphus’s boulder.
West: Forts and Marshes
What about Tyniec? Why not wander around woods and fields and warm your feet on the banks of the Vistula – maybe even have a chat with the fishes? Riding on the flat can be as satisfying as tearing up and down mountains. That’s all very well, but pay attention along the way! Both Bodzów with its beautiful tiny church, limestone rocks and fort ruins and Kostrze with its tiny, winding streets provide great challenges for seasoned and beginner cyclists alike. The route culminates with a loop of gravel track encircling an enchanted spot; locals would have it that it is ruled by ghosts of partisans from the nearby bunker The elevation offers panoramic views over Kraków, with new housing estates looming over the Kostrze marshes. Your bike screams in agony now as it climbs rocks only to sink in mossy bogs, but victory is soon yours. Only crumbs of civilisation remain – just enough to feel the wilderness whooshing through the spokes without getting lost in the jungle of the Tyniec Hills like a bewheeled Mowgli.
East: Rocks and Cobbles
Finally, let’s explore the Wild East. Remember not to trust trendy guides; instead of Zakrzówek, head beyond the old steelworks where Kraków’s vibes become more blurred with every minute. From the slagheaps you’ll spot red deer; watch out for raccoon dogs by the old granary in Branice and the railway tunnel (one of the longest in the country!) and mind the weasels scuttling around Kościelniki. Take a well-deserved break at the old Evangelical cemetery in Łuczanowice, from where Kraków seems as compact as Monte Carlo. You’ll pass manor houses, ponds and canals, a school on a hill in Wyciąż and a little wooden chapel in Górka Kościelnicka. It’s a cyclist’s paradise: no other people as far as the eye can see, stunning views, Przylasek Rusiecki and Kępa Grabska revealing lakes gleaming in the autumn sunshine, tarmac emerging here and there among cracked paving and clods of earth. You’ll feel like you’re reaching the end of the world when you arrive in Wróżenice and Węgrzynowice, and even the trendiest gravel won’t help you escape. All that’s left to do is lean your bike against a willow tree, sit by the hedge and wave at herons as they fly overhead.
Jakub Kornhauser
Poet, essayist, translator, editor, literature scholar. Founder of the Avantgarde Research Centre at the Jagiellonian University. Winner of the Wisława Szymborska Prize for a volume of prose poetry (2015) and the “Znaczenia” Prize for a collection of essays on Kraków and cycling (2020).
Text published in the "Kraków Culture" 3/2023 quarterly.
