Trips for free afternoons:
The Cave of Bats (Jaskinia Nietoperzowa)
A trip to the Cave of Bats, inclusive of travel and visiting, will take around 2 hours.
Leave Chochołowy Dwór, then turn off right and take trunk road 94 towards Cracow. After about 1 km, on the right-hand side, you will notice an information board on the cave. Turn off right again and after around 1 km you will reach the parking area at the cave.
The cave is situated in the cluster of rocks in the upper part of the Będkowska Valley, at an altitude of 447 m above sea level and is 306 m long. One of the largest caves in the Cracovian Jura.
This cave has a rich history; special attention should be focused upon a dripstone waterfall in the entrance part of the cave as well as upon numerous potholes in its deeper zones. In the cave was once arranged the setting for making one of the scenes for the film ‘With fire and sword’.
The cave is open from early April to mid-November
Price list and more information available on: www.nietoperzowa.ojcow.pl
The Upper Wierzchowska Cave (Jaskinia Wierzchowska Górna)
If you still have around 1.5-2 hours free, you can visit another cave in the neighborhood – the Wierzchowska Górna Cave (Upper Wierzchowska Cave).
Drive down the trunk road no.94 towards Cracow, and at the village of Biały Kościół - turn off right on Zabierzów. At the next bifurcation you have to turn off right again. Leave your car in a parking area at the village of Wierzchowie. After about a 10 minute walk, you will reach the cave. The Wierzchowska Cave is almost 1,000 m long and it constitutes an underground labyrinth passing thru fabulous rooms and corridors of unique ornaments and shapes, is full of impressive dripstones. This is the largest cave in the Cracovian Jura.
It was among the first European caves adapted to sightseeing. Nowadays, the Wierzchowska Cave has the longest tourist route among all Polish caves.
Opening hours and further information available on: www.gacek.pl
Cracow’s valleys (Dolinki Krakowskie)
The landscape Park "Dolinki krakowskie" [Cracow’s valleys’] will make you enchanted with the beauty of a smooth, undulating countryside and steep limestone rocks which have developed into picturesque valleys and gorges. Some use them as perfect places for weekend strolls, others climb vertical walls on which there is actually no place to set one’s foot on.
We cannot say what is more interesting – observations of spidermen or climbing itself…
In particular, we recommend a trip to the Będkowska Valley (about 7 km long) and Kobylańska Valley (about 4 km). A convenient place to start sightseeing the valley said is Będkowice (Province of Małopolska). Będkowice, since it is situated halfway between the Będkowska and Kobylańska Valleys. So, the Kobylańska Valley is a convenient place for sightseeing both the valleys.
Those who like being active, may be offered nordic walking in the valleys; instead, those who prefer resting may have a picnic under the limestone rock.
Ideal all-day trips:
The Ojców National Park (Ojcowski Park Narodowy)
Despite being the smallest National Park, its wealth and uniqueness of works of nature make it up with a surplus. According to your preferences, you can either have a bike trip down the Prądnik Valley or reach Ojców by car stopping over to see the castle at Pieskowa Skała.
In both the cases it is also worth stopping over at the Hercules Club and listening to its legend, then sitting by the Shrine on the Water, relishing the vista from the castle of Ojców and eventually, paying a short visit to the Łokietek grotto.
It is advisable to leave the car in the parking area at the foot of the castle of Ojców.
Trail of the Eagles’ Nests (Szlakiem Orlich Gniazd)
During a one day trip, you can see picturesque limestone rocks situated in deep gorges and the ruins of former fortresses – the Eagles’ Nests, fantastic strongholds or even…desert sands when you head for the Błędowska Desert on your way back.
The trail was named after the fortresses whose ruins lie along the route, and the fortresses were named so for their situation on rocks up to 30 m high.
Traditionally, the Eagles’ Nests trail runs from Cracow to Częstochowa, and it comprises castles and ruins of the following fortresses:
Korzkiew – Knight’s Castle at Korzkiew (restored)
Ojców – Ruins of the Royal Castle on Golden Hill [ Złota Góra] at Ojcow
Pieskowa Skała – the Royal Castle at Pieskowa Skała
Rabsztyn – Ruins of the Knight’s Castle at Rabsztyn
Bydlin – – Ruins of the Knight’s Castle at Bydlin
Smoleń – – Ruins of the Knight’s Castle at Smoleń
Pilica – – Ruins of the Knight’s Castle at Pilica
Ogrodzieniec – Ruins of the knight’s castle at Ogrodzieniec
Morsko – Ruin of the knight’s Castle "Bąkowiec" at Morsko
Bobolice – royal castle ruins at Bobolice
Mirów – knight’s castle ruins by Mirów
Olsztyn (by Częstochowa) – royal castle ruins at Olsztyn
Other landmarks along the route according to other sources:
The Castle of Cracovian Bishops at Siewierz
The Castle at Będzin
Wooden Architecture Trail around Cracow (Szlak Architektury Drewnianej wokół Krakowa)
Almost 250 most precious and interesting wooden landmarks constitute the Wooden Architecture Trail in the Małopolska Region. Along the trail, you can admire picturesque RC churches, beautiful Orthodox churches, tapered belfries, Old Polish manor houses, wooden villas and open air museums which belong to the most valuable landmarks of folk culture.
We would like to offer you only a trip to a dozen or so structures clustered westwards from Cracow in the so-called Jurassic – Oświęcim region. The trail starts and ends at Jerzmanowice, is about 220 km long, and the driving time (without sightseeing) – is about 4 hours. The trail is well-marked, and its landmarks are well described.
Racławice - Church dedicated to the Nativity of the Virgin Mary
Paczółtowice – Church dedicated to the Visitation if Our Lady
Tenczynek – belfry at the St Catherine Church
Wygiełzów – Vistula Ethnographic Park (open air museum, development of Cracovian subregion, small town houses, farmsteads, church of 16th century)
Mętków - church dedicated to Our Lady of Częstochowa
Bobrek – manor granary
Grojec – St Lawrence Church
Poręba Wielka – St Bartholomew Church
Polanka Wielka – Church dedicated to St Nicholas
Osiek – Church dedicated to St Andrew
Głębowice – Church dedicated to Our Lady of Mount Carmel
Nidek – St Simon and St Jude Thaddeus Church
Graboszyce – parish St Andrew Church
Radocza – Transfiguration of the Lord Church at Radocza
Woźniki – church dedicated to BVM Assumption-
Barwałd Dolny – church dedicated to St Erasm at Barwałd Dolny
Lanckorona – wooden housing development
Wola Radziszowska – church dedicated to BVM Assumption
Modlnica – church dedicated to St Adalbert and Our lady of Sorrows