To get to know the world around them better, people are increasingly switching from traditional means of transport to alternative ones: bicycles, scooters and even kayaks or... handcars. This is how they care not only about the natural environment, their own health and fitness but also about their home budgets (considering current fuel prices). Therefore, ECO-style MICRO* tours are becoming more and more popular.
* MICRO means “short” (usually one-day).
** ECO means “green” (not increasing the emission of greenhouse gases into the Earth’s atmosphere).
In Małopolska there are countless places to practice cycling ecotourism (this is what we are talking about today). The region is famous for its multitude of valuable and beautiful monuments and natural landscapes which can be reached on two-wheelers thanks to the extensive network of VeloMałopolska route but also local trails and bicycle paths.
Below you will find 5 proposals for MICRO cycling trips in 5 different parts of Małopolska. All of them have the form of loops: you start and end the route in the same place. All of them are of similar length: the distances are selected just right for a one-day trip. All of them have a similar degree of difficulty: even the youngest cyclists should cope with them.
So prepare your bikes, pack your saddlebags, take the kids and... on your way! MAŁOPOLSKA FOR BIKES!
- Tarnów Region – “Painted Zalipie”
Kilometers: 37 | Hours: about 5 | Difficulty: 1/3
Start & finish: Pasieka Otfinowska
Pasieka Otfinowska [Greenways Amber Trail] – ferry on the Dunajec River, Otfinów church – Kłyż – Niwki – Zalipie church – Miłocin – Gręboszów – Wola Gręboszowska – Karsy – [Vistula Bike Route] – Ujście Jezuickie – Okręg – Bieniaszowice – Siedliszowice – Wietrzychowice ferry – [VeloDunajec] – Pasieka Otfinowska
TARNÓW REGION’s cycling route: Northern Loop – painted Zalipie – traseo.pl
The first MICRO trip will appeal to fans of art, architecture and rural folklore. Its central point is the most colorful village in Poland – Zalipie. It is a unique place full of historic wooden huts decorated with floral paintings. Being there, you must definitely go to the House of Painters and find the colorful sundial. A trip to Powiśle Dąbrowskie is a great opportunity to ride two of the most popular VeloMałopolska cycling routes – VeloDunajec and the Vistula Bike Route. An additional attraction of this sightseeing loop is the possibility (and even the necessity) of crossing the Dunajec river twice by ferry.
- Sądecki Region – “Following in the footsteps of displaced villages”
Kilometers: 28 | Hours: about 4 | Difficulty: 2/3
Start & finish: Gładyszów
Gładyszów (Malowane Wierchy) – Krzywa – Jasionka – Czarne – Radocyna – Lipna – Zdynia – Gładyszów
SĄDECKI REGION’s cycling route: Cycling tour “In the footsteps of displaced villages” – traseo.pl
If you are a fan of folk climate seasoned with a hint of an interesting, although often not easy, history, this MICRO trip is the right for you. Following in the footsteps of displaced villages can be an excellent pretext for getting a living history lesson about the first half of the 20th century. Along the way you will come across the historic cemetery No. 53 from World War I, the monument of the Airmen, heroes of WW II, and several pairs of symbolic doors commemorating the pacification of the population during the “Vistula” campaign (in 1947). Especially the latter relics, standing alone among the meadows, give a lot to think about. In addition, on the trail you will come across a lot of historic chapels and you will be able to visit two wooden Orthodox churches.
- Podhale Region – “At the foot of Babia Góra”
Kilometers: 41 | Hours: about 6 | Difficulty: 2/3
Start & finish: Polana Stańcowa
Polana Stańcowa – state border (Stańcowe Siodło, 907 m a.s.l) – Pavola Országh Hviezdoslav Museum – Slaná Voda hostel – Oravská Polhora – Rabča – Zubrohlava – Bobrov – state border – Winiarczykówka – Lipnica Wielka – Przywarówka – Polana Stańcowa
PODHALE REGION’s cycling route: Cross-border cycling tour, Orava – traseo.pl
By choosing this MICRO trip you gain an opportunity to get to know not only our native culture but also (and perhaps above all) the culture of our southern neighbors. This trip will involve crossing the Polish border, so do not forget to pack necessary documents. While clocking up kilometers you will have an opportunity to admire the panorama of the majestic Tatra Mountains and check what the “robber’s nest”, the Babia Góra Mountain, looks like from the Slovak perspective. If you need a moment of rest, you will find a perfect environment for this on the shores of the Orava Lake or on the Lipniczanka Creek where there is the Jack Spring with medicinal sulfide-hydrogen water.
- Western Małopolska – “Discovering the Carp Valley”
Kilometers: 35 | Hours: about 5 | Difficulty: 1/3
Start & finish: Spytkowice
Spytkowice – castle (Zamkowa St.) – Starowiejska St. – Floriana St. – Miejsce, Pasieka na Zastawiu – Miejsce, Wiślana St. – Smolice, Wiślana St., Zaskawie St. – Palczowice, Nadwiślańska St., Orzeszkowa St. – Podolsze, Mostowa St., Starowiejska St., Widok St., Długa St., Jagodowa St., Rybacka St., Przyrębska St. – Jagodowa St. – Zator – return along the same route
MALOPOLSKA ZACHODNIA’s cycling route: “Cycling through the Carp Valley” – traseo.pl
Another MICRO trip intended for connoisseurs of beauty of fauna and flora. In the Carp Valley, not without reason called the “Mazuria of Małopolska”, there are a lot of ponds and meandering rivers inhabited by countless species of fish (headed by the “eponymous” carp) and birds. When traveling, look around well because, with a bit of luck, you can meet endangered (e.g. heron) or exotic (e.g. pink pelican) species of birds among the water thickets. The route leads through the Apiary in Zastaw where (after making an arrangement with the owners) you can take a closer look at the life of extremely hardworking bees and (by the way) taste their honey. We encourage you to see the castle in Spytkowice and take a walk through the nearby gardens and park before or after the tour.
- Surroundings of Krakow – “With legends in the background”
Kilometers: 40 | Hours: about 6 | Difficulty: 2/3
Start & finish: Bochnia (market)
Bochnia: Market Square, Sądecka St., Kurów St. – Kopaliny St., Bocheńska St. – Castle Route – Castle in Wiśnicz – Nowy Wiśnicz: Zamkowa St., Market Sq., Lipnicka St. – road 2077K – Lipnica Górna – Lipnica Murowana: Bocheńska St., Garncarska St., Wiśnicka St., Market Square, Szkolna St., Gęsia St. – St. Leonard Church – St. Leonard trail, Krasnogórska St. – Krasna Góra – Podlesie – Winnica Chronów – Chronów – Kobyle – Stary Wiśnicz – road 2080K – Kurów St. – Bochnia – Market Square
The last MICRO trip is a real treat for history enthusiasts. You will start your adventure in Bochnia where the oldest rock salt mine in Poland is located. This mine was also the longest continuously operating workplace in Europe! From there you are quite close to the former lands of the great magnate families: the Kmits and the Lubomirskis. In Nowy Wiśnicz you will visit the fortified castle towering over the city, erected in the Middle Ages medieval times and expanded in the Renaissance. Interestingly, the first Polish cookbook was written in this fortress in the 17th century. In Lipnica Murowana you can stop for a moment of silence and contemplation at the church of St. Leonard, which is inscribed (as well as the Bochnia’s salt mine) in the UNESCO heritage list.
