Masurian Lakeland

Your trip will start with a Saturday arrival in Warsaw where you can check into your hotel.

You will travel by car or minibus, the three hours to Babięta, a village on the banks of the river Krutynia. Bicycles will be handed out during the lunch break then you’ll cycle the short first leg of your tour to Mrągowo, a resort with a historical town centre and a lakeside promenade.

You cycle through the historic region of Ermland with its small villages and beautiful lakes to Reszel, where you’ll find a picturesque old town, a Gothic bridge and an impressive castle that belonged to the Bishops of Ermland. Finally you’ll go on to the pilgrimage church at Święta Lipka a beautiful place which holds special value in Polish culture.

The old castle in Kętrzyn at one time belonged to the former German Teutonic Knights. You will also ride by the Fuehrer’s headquarters, ‘Wolfschanze’, a bleak concrete ruin which holds a recent dark past and then the still well-kept headquarters of the Supreme Command of the Armed Forces at ‘Mauerwald’. You finish day 4 of your tour in the sleepy port town of Angerburg by cycling directly on the shores of Lake Mamry for a few kilometres until reaching the lodgings.

Travel by ship to Giżycko this afternoon if you’d like to extend your rest period or choose between a shorter and a longer route. The shorter route, of around 30km, goes via Harsz a village credited with the most White Stork nests in the tour. The longer loop through the Borecka forest is, however, the recommended choice. With its network of car-free cycle routes this (almost) untouched, pristine forested area is home to the European bison and a rich variety of plant life.

Today you will journey by ship to Mikołajki. This 3-hour boat trip (included in the price) will take you to the St. Tropez of Masuria with its idyllic and modern city centre, attractive sailing port and old fishing houses. An old-fashioned rope ferry will take you to Popielno. One of the few villages on the shores of Jezioro Sniardwy, Poland’s largest lake, Popielno is also a scientific breeding station for Tarpan horses. Dark forest paths lead past the small but lively resort of Krutyń to the Russian Orthodox monastery in Wojnowo.

This morning you will remain in  Masuria and can choose to either cycle to the other tourist attractions in the area of Krutyń (the Ernst Wiechert memorial for example) or take a highly recommended 3-hour canoe ride on the most beautiful part of the river. At 3:00pm we journey back to Warsaw.

Or prolong your stay.