Poland has really grown on me over the last three years. No wonder, really, as my family and I have always had the chance to really get to know the country and its people on our travels. Poland Soul Travel makes it possible, a project dedicated to promoting slow, sustainable tourism in lesser-known regions of Poland.
This year, we are once more headed out to visit Poland. Liam, my older son, says ahead of our trip: “Well this time, daddy is travelling to Poland for the first time, but I have already been there ahead of him!” That’s right my dear! Last year, we were there with the grandparents, on a trip to Lublin in Eastern Poland: Culture & Nature Travel for the whole family. 😀
Poland, let’s go: Liam, his younger brother Levin, my husband and I explore Klodzko Fortress in the town of the same name in southern Poland.
Travelling to Klodzko County from Vienna: All but four hours away by car!
A total distance of 326 kilometres, meaning just under four hours total driving time. With breaks and on-board entertainment, it is fairly easy to manage even with small children in the car. Basically, we find that the south of Poland is really close to the east of Austria, where we live.
A good 200 kilometres of the route to our destination in Klodzko County is on highways, and therefore quickly reached: we whizz past the Czech cities of Brno and Olomouc via north-eastern highways in both Austria and Czech Republic, and then wind our way through picturesque hilly landscapes on the Czech-Polish border region for the last 100 kilometres.
I think I ‘recognise’ the Bohemian Massif, which reminds me a little of the northern Waldviertel in Lower Austria – of legendary forests and mystical rock formations, like we are about to see in Bledne Skaly. More on this in a moment.
The boys make it driving from Vienna to Poland in one go, aided by little naps, fun entertainment and distraction from sitting in the car for so long: Bystrzyca Klodzka, a pretty little town behind the Czech-Polish border with a name that is almost unpronounceable for us!
An accommodation seemingly made for families: Kowalowe Wzgórze near the main city of Klodzko, a typical Polish farm holiday experience.
A real insider tip for families travelling to Poland, the children at Kowalowe Wzgórze farm can run around freely everywhere; the farm grounds not only offering stables, meadows, barns and fun communal areas, but also several spacious playgrounds.
What the owners, Kasia and Jarek, lack in foreign language skills, they make up for with their loving commitment and constant care in looking after their guests. Despite a certain language barrier, we communicate very well overall (note to self: I really need to learn more Polish!).
All the food served as part of our half board arrangement is either home-pressed, home-stirred, home-grown, home-butchered or home-baked. Literally everything comes straight from the farm, and it all but tastes delicious. For our two days out, Kasia and Jarek even offer to prepare lunch bags for our young children (very thoughtful).
Check out more about this accommodation – also here on the Kowalowe Wzgórze website, which offers a nice overview of the house and farm.
Sleeping at Kowalowe Wzgórze: A view of the kids’ room in our large holiday flat.
Right after our arrival, we check out one of several local playgrounds on the farm …
… with the farm dog always joining us …
… later on, Liam and I explore all the stables and animals living here …
… or outside, on the lawn!
A natural foodie’s paradise, as much over breakfast …
… as over dinner here.
Thank you so much, dear Kasia …
… dear Kasia, dear Jarek …
… for making us feel so welcome at your farm!
We really love it here – a true holiday break for us from everyday life!
Must-Do: A winding hike through the stone labyrinth of Bledne Skaly on the Czech-Polish border.
Klodzko County offers plenty of ideas for nice little trips with the family, which can easily be combined in one day. The town of Klodzko is only a 10-minute drive from our accommodation at the farm; the so-called stone labyrinth of Bledne Skaly is around 45 minutes’ drive away.
We withdraw a few Polish zlotys in Klodzko to have some change for the journey and then continue straight away: Liam wants to know how the large granite formations of Bledne Skaly were formed? They seem so bizarre and magical that it comes probably as no surprise that part of the fantasy series “The Chronicles of Narnia” was filmed here!
Our tip for visiting Bledne Skaly with small children is to bring sturdy shoes, some snacks, drinks and a sense of adventure! Some places between the rocks are so narrow that we adults really have to squeeze through.
As our younger son Levin is only two years old and we don’t expect him to walk the whole way through the labyrinth, we have brought my brother’s hiking pram with us for him. But be careful: we almost got stuck between the stones a few times with the big pram! It is therefore advisable to time your visit with (small) children so that the entire labyrinth can be walked on foot and only with small slings or bags. Check out my travel photographs down below, to see what I mean.
Bledne Skaly is located right here, in the middle of the border region between the Czech Republic and Poland, on a fabulously beautiful, wooded high plateau.
For Liam, the exploration is one big adventure. Small as he is, he has the easiest time of all four of us getting through the stone labyrinth!
Hero photo of our adventurous journey through the huge granite formations of Bledne Skaly.
At the end, the rest area with multilingual information boards about the history of this special place is well worth a visit.
Explore the Jaskinia Niedźwiedzia stalactite cave with the remains of Ice Age cave bears.
The next day is just as adventurous. We are booked to visit a mighty stalactite cave in the south of Poland – and yes, you read that right, “booked”! Jaskinia Niedzwiedzia (another unpronounceably beautiful name!) is very busy, even by Polish-rural standards; visitors are only admitted to the cave in very small, guided groups and only by prior appointment.
In addition to a fascinating world of stalagmites and stalactites, I think the sound and light show with the enchanting music by Yann Thiersen (think “Intouchables”) is really well done. With lots of coaxing, explaining and showing, it is possible to spend around half an hour in the cave with our two and four-year-old children without them getting scared or bored. You can also see skeletons of Ice Age cave bears and sabre-toothed tigers. Wow!
Hello Jaskinia Niedźwiedzia: It’s a one kilometre walk through the forest from the car park to the cave entrance. So you’ll need to add some time here to catch the pre-booked time to enter the cave.
Inside, typical monumental stalactite formations await you, such as this “waterfall cascade” made up of hundreds of individual stalactites.
This big pond of stalactites and stalagmites really comes into its own in a truly beautiful sound and light show.
The highlight right at the beginning: this skeleton of an Ice Age cave bear, which was put together from several individual finds. The cave was probably once a favourite refuge for animals, and perhaps also humans.
Enjoy the flair of cosy spa towns, as well as the town of Klodzko with its mighty fortress.
The town of Klodzko, at the heart of Klodzko County, impresses us mainly due to its huge fortress. One, for its sheer size in relation to the rest of the town, and also because of the views from up top are really great, and worth the climb.
The boys climbed the inner pathways of the fortress with enthusiasm; even two-year-old Levin trudged up to the donjon, the last defence bastion of the fortress. Where once there were soldiers, today there are toddlers scampering across the green meadows and walls – in my opinion, the latter is definitely preferable.
Car parked and off with the kids to explore the old town centre of Klodzko …
… on every corner, these trilingual street signs inform us about the history of the town …
… the view from up top is really worth climbing Klodzko Fortress …
… and here the highest, now green tower of the fortress. Although today it looks like a large playground, you still have to be careful with small children.
Tip: Having a few zloty in your hand every now and then, like to use this parking machine, is a good idea in Poland, which does not have the euro as its currency, despite the ubiquitous card payments.
Culinary tip afterwards: The fish and speciality restaurant Savoy, which also has a small play corner for children.
In addition to Klodzko, we also visit the pretty spa towns of Kudowa-Zdrój and Ladek-Zdrój, both very close to the Czech-Polish border, on the two afternoons of our nature and adventure days. Time seems to stand still here, the clocks running much slower.
I have to say that we really enjoy this visit to a “non-touristy area”. The rhythm of the region with its German second names, which suggest that it once belonged to the former Sudetenland, really helps us to relax. The children are happy with their ice cream or the local playground, we are happy with a little stroll and shopping. For a better understanding of the area, we read up on the history of the region on Wikipedia and, where possible, listen to the stories of individual families and their fates. Exciting!
Kudowa Zdrój with its “musical fence” right along the main road..
We enjoy the flair of the pretty spa town, which has a large thermal bath and a spa centre.
Most importantly for the children: rest area with delicious ice cream at the fountain in Kudowa Zdrój!
The clocks tick by much slower here, as shown in Ladek Zdrój …
and in the nearby Raj Pstraga, a fish farm with an adjoining restaurant, you can enjoy delicious fresh fish.
Visit the paper mill in Duszniki-Zdrój: Children and adults can make their own paper at the Paper Museum!
Last but not least, I would like to recommend another excursion destination in Klodzko County, one that satisfies both our cultural interests as adults as well as being fun for (small) children.
The paper mill in Duszniki-Zdrój is part of a transnational network of paper mills in Poland, the Czech Republic, Germany and France with the ambitious goal of gaining UNESCO World Heritage status for the ancient craft of papermaking.
Our young guide Emilia, who is herself the mum of a four-year-old son, knows how to make a tour through the museum fun for the kids also. Both our boys are allowed to touch almost everything; in the basement of the house, in the centre of the historic workshops, this is even encouraged. Here, father and son scoop handmade paper out of an old tub together! Of course, it also helps that we are the only guests during the tour, which is naturally a bit noisy with the little ones.
All in all, we remember the Paper Museum as an ideal tip for a visit with children. Emilia confirms that she wants to continue to expand and remodel the museum in order to keep pace with modern museum requirements in international cultural tourism. Perhaps in a few years’ time we will be back in a highly endowed UNESCO World Heritage Site?
The historic building of the paper mill in Duszniki-Zdrój, which is several hundred years old, is impressive even from a distance.
After the tour of the museum, where some exhibits invite you to touch and even take part, my boys are amazed: they have never seen handmade paper lifted from a tub before.
For this paper sheet, Liam is even allowed to sprinkle a few flowers into the water, i.e. later into the paper.
Check out even more impressions from our family trip in this Flickr Photo Album “Mit der Familie das Glatzerland im Süden Polens erkunden”.
Fancy a trip to Poland yourself? Here is an overview of all my travel tips for you.
- Lublin in Eastern Poland: Culture & Nature Travel for the whole family.
- Holidays at Golebnik Farm: Family travel tips for visiting Eastern Poland.
- Krakow with kids: #PolandSoulTravel for the whole family.
- Kwieci Guest House: Slow Travelling through the southwest of Poland.
- City Trip to Wroclaw and the Church of Peace in Swidnica
- We discover the palaces of Lower Silesia and go for a hike in the Izera mountains.
Disclaimer: I have been invited by the Polish Tourism Board on this trip to Klodzko County. All opinions are my own.