A guide to the Giant Mountains and the Table Mountains in Poland

Getting lost in a labyrinth of weirdly shaped rock formations, spending the nights in castles like it’s usual business and hikes to crystal clear mountain lakes – What’s not to love? After a previous beautiful multiple day trekking adventure in the same region (Sudety), I returned to spent a few days in the spectacular Giant Mountains, the Table mountains and the nearby area around Kłodzko. Here is a mini guide to the Giant Mountains and Table Mountains.

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Introduction to the Giant Mountains and Table Mountains in Poland

Both the Giant Mountains and Table Mountains are part of the Polish Sudeten mountain range and are located only 2 hours by bus from Wrocław. The Polish Sudeten mountain is located in the south-western part of Poland on the border with the Czech Republic. It can be divided into smaller mountain chains of which the most well-known are Góry Izerskie (also known as ‘IJzergebergte‘ in Dutch), Karkonosze (also known as the Giant mountains), Rudawy Janowickie, Góry Kaczawskie and Góry Stolowe (also known as the Table Mountains).

The Table mountains are famous for its unique ‘horizontal rocks’ which were piled on top of each other millions of years ago. Wind and water erosion shaped the rocks in their current form. The landscape consists of ‘table shaped mountains’, but also many smaller cool rock formations resembling humans, mushrooms, animals etc.

The Giant Mountains are mostly made up of forest, but you can also find spectacular cirque’s (bowl-shaped depressions carved by glaciers), steep cliffs and mountain lakes. It’s the home of local legend ‘folkloric mountain spirit’ Krakonos (or Rübezahl or Liczyrzepa). The highest mountain top is Śnieżka (1602 meters).

Compared to Pieniny, there are definitely more international tourists in this region, but compared to Kraków and Tatra, it still feels a bit off-the-beaten-track. We only saw some German and Czech tourists and one Danish family. That’s it.

Best time to travel the Giant Mountains and Table Mountains in Poland

The best time to visit the Giant Mountains and Table Mountains in Poland is from July to October when most trails are open. July and August are generally more busy. In winter, Karpacz transforms into a ski town.

How to get to/from/around in the Giant Mountains and Table Mountains?

It’s about 2 hours by bus / car from Wrocław to Karpacz. We drove our own car from the Netherlands to Poland for a Southern Poland road trip, this was quite convenient. For backpackers: public transportation between the touristy places should be quite ok. Otherwise is hitchhiking an option.

Quick sum-up of things to do in the Giant Mountains and Table Mountains in Poland!

Here’s an overview of our activities in and around the Giant Mountains and Table Mountains. For some of the things you can find a more extensive description below.

Hike to the Mały Staw mountain lake including a visit to the Wang Church (Giant Mountains)

There are numerous hiking options in the Giant Mountains. During a previous trip I did a fantastic 3-day hut-to-hut trekking in Sudety through the Giant Mountains and the Góry Izerskie massif. This time I only did a one-day hike to the beautiful Mały Staw and Wang Church.

The hike took about 2 hours and 20 minutes (10-11 km). We started at the parking place near Dziki Wodospad (Wild Waterfall) and hiked up via the Yellow Path and took at right at the blue path. Not long after you pass the small Mały Staw lake, situated at the bottom of a cirque. There is a charming mountain hut offering meals and beds.

If you follow the blue path all the way back down you will end up at the stunning Wang Church. The Wang Church was built in Norway in the 12th Century. It would have been demolished, but fortunately it was bought by Friedrich Wilhelm IV who wanted to relocate the church to Poland. By boat, through the mountains, after a year the church finally arrived in 1844. It’s still in use.

Expands your taste buds with Polish traditional ‘mountain food’

In touristy places like Karpacz and Szklarska Poręba you can find plenty of restaurants serving traditional Polish ‘mountain food’ (as they call it). We enjoyed an awesome sour bread soup, mountain tea (with orange/apple/herbs and in the original version a bit of vodka), potato pancakes and Giant Mountain soup. In Karpacz we ate at the Restauracja Górski Klimat and the Dwór Liczyrzepy restaurant. Both restaurants offer a large variety of ‘traditional mountain food’ including vegetarian options.

Feel like royal when sleeping in a castle hotel

Do you feel like staying in something different than a standard hotel room? Poland boasts plenty of castle hotels and offers some unique, affordable sleeping experiences. We stayed at the beautiful Zamek Sarny castle, which is still under renovation adding to its charm. Part of it is ruin, part of it is already hotel, cafe and restaurant. It’s fun to explore the castle grounds and the cafe is the perfect place to read a book and eat some delicious cake. I loved our delicious dinner in the romantic garden. Do a search and you can find plenty of other palaces, castles and old mansions to stay in!

Hike through a labyrinth of oddly-shaped rock formations at Błędne Skały (Table Mountains)

After spending the night at former spa town ‘Kudowa Zdrój’ you can take the road of 100 bends to the start of the awesome Błędne Skały rock labyrinth. A one-way 40-minute (loop) path consisting mostly of wooden walkways leads you past the most bizarrely shaped rock formations, most of them with catchy names like Hen’s foot, Tunnel or The Ship. The rock labyrinth also has an interesting history as it was once used by smugglers allowing them to hide and sneak past authorities in the 17th century. Some scenes for the Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” were filmed here.

To get to Błędne Skały you will have to drive on a narrow one-way road which changes direction every 15 minutes, so you may have to wait until the road opens. On our way back I think we had to wait even longer. There are no shops. The entrance fee is 2-4 euro. You can hike the small tourist loop or you can continue like us to the Szczeliniec Wielkie mountain hut. The route is not persé extremely scenic, but we preferred it above a car. It goes through fields and a bit of forrested hills.

Hike to the Szczeliniec Wielki mountain hut on top of a steep rock wall (Table Mountains)

From Karlow you will need to climb 682 steps to get to the Szczeliniec Wielki mountain hut (919 meters), located on top of a steep rock wall and providing a beautiful view on the surroundings. This is an excellent place to have lunch. From the Szczeliniec Wielki mountain hut you will take another road down leading you past many other beautiful soft sand stone formations. Some parts of this road can become quite slippery when wet, so keep this in mind.

Visit the macabre Chapel of Skulls (Table Mountains)

Another not-to-be-missed attraction in this guide to the Giant Mountains and Table Mountains is the Chapel of Skulls. This chapel was built in 1776 and its walls and ceiling are covered with 3000 skulls and leg bones of victims of wars and cholera. In the crypt an astonishing additional 21000 remains can be found.

The chapel was probably intended as a shrine for the dead, as well as a ‘memento mori’ for the living. Memento mori means something like: make use of our days living (because death is inevitable). Photos are not allowed inside. Every 20 minutes or so a group is allowed inside together with a guide. English speaking people will get a leaflet with explanations in English.

Visit a skansen ‘open-air museum’ (Table Mountains)

Skansen are open-air living history museums aiming to preserve local architecture and customs. Some of the historic buildings in the skansen have been moved from other places. There are several skansen all over over Poland and the one in Kudowa Zdroj is one the more famous ones. There is limited explanation in English, but it’s nice to wander around for an hour or so.

Visit the impressive Kłodzko Fortress

Kłodzko Fortress is worth a visit. This huge well-preserved fort has a rich and turbulent history. In one of the rooms there is an exposition on every day life of Prussian soldiers. You can also visit the underground tunnels, but unfortunately we understood that the guides only speak Polish, so we didn’t go.

Go for a wine tasting at a Polish vineyard

Did you know that Poland has more than 500 vineyards? Polish wine is quickly gaining popularity and the industry is fast-growing. Like well-known regions such as Piedmont and Loire, Southern Poland knows a continental climate. In Poland, most wine makers do everything themselves: harvesting, the entire vinification process, bottling, labeling and selling. We spent the night at the Niemcza Winery, Hotel and Spa, a 7-year old mostly family-run winery born out of passion. They have five hectares of land with many different grapes likes Muscaris, Chardonnay, Cabernet Cortis, Palava etc.

Go for some adrenaline-filled downhill enduro biking

Ohh, I will admit it immediately: I last minute chickened-out. Mountain biking is just not my thing. Jermo went and absolutely loved it. I think it was his favorite day of the entire trip. Trasy Enduro Srebrna Góra NS bikes is all about enduro and offers the most insane tracks. Enduro generally consists of technical single track sections in several stages. The descending time is measured, the ascending time not. At this particular track you could opt to take a comfortable jeep up and then bike down. There is also a practice area.

This place is definitely not for the faint-hearted! We were lucky enough to meet two of the best Enduro bikers in the world: Jesse Melamed and Jack Menzies. If you love mountain biking this place is a must visit. If you don’t love mountain biking, it’s still a fun place to hang out and I had one of the best veggie burgers ever. In weekends it can be very busy on the tracks, so keep this in mind.

Go for a rafting or kayaking trip on the beautiful Nysa Kłodzka river

From Pałac Ławica you can hire a kayak or raft (for multiple people) for a relaxing peddle trip on the beautiful Nysa Kłodzka river. For about 12 km/2 hours you kayak towards Bardo. Most of the time the water is calm, but some sections have small waves or rocks. The nature is beautiful with lots of green and birds. In Bardo you should be able to get transport back. Please note that Pałac Ławica and ski-raft seem mostly catered towards large groups and families. It’s best to send them an email beforehand to see what is possible.

Be a gold digger at the Złoty Stok gold mine

The gold mine of Złoty Stok is a huge complex with three different modern ‘parks’. This mine was at some point one of the largest gold and arsenic mines in Europe. You can visit the Mine, a Medieval Mining Settlement and the Ochrowa Adit. The gold mine is definitely a bit disneyfied, but thereby making it also a great attraction for kids. Still, a must visit if you’re in the area. Make sure to ask for an English speaking guide!

Our hotels in and around the Giant Mountains and Table mountains

• Niemcza Wino & Spa
• Zamek Sarny
• Pałac Ławica
• Willa Elżbieta

For (solo)backpackers: to my knowledge there are no classic backpacker hostels in this region (with exception of Wrocław). It may be difficult to meet other people.

Recommended reads

• If you speaks Dutch I highly recommend the ‘Zuid Polen’ ANWB guide. I also have the Poland Lonely Planet, but it has very limited information on Southern Poland unfortunately. Also check out the website of the tourism organizations: Dolnyslask Travel and the Polish Tourism Organisation

More photos of this guide to the Giant Mountains and Table Mountains in Poland

I visited the Giant Mountains and the Table Mountains partially in collaboration with Dolnyslask Travel and the Polish Tourism Organisation. Views and opinions remain my own.