By common agreement there’s no better place for hiking in Poland than the magnificent Tatra Mountains, a range divided between Poland and Slovakia. Featuring Poland's tallest peaks and a multitude valleys, lakes, and caves easily accessible from Zakopane, as well as a sprinkling of rustic mountains huts, they can keep outdoorsy types occupied for weeks. The trails here are non-technical and in the summer there is little to no snow in the mountains, but come winter, they take on an Alpine character accessible mostly to experienced mountaineers.

While the Polish Tatras might be small, but they are not to be underestimated; many routes are highly exposed and careless hikers have fallen to their deaths and been buried in avalanches. Check conditions before you go, including wind velocity and (in winter) the avalanche danger scale, don’t wander off the marked trail, and you’ll be fine. Other than that, standard principles apply: plan your route carefully, wear layers and good hiking boots, be prepared for sudden weather changes, carry food, water, a map, a basic first-aid kit, headlamp, and sunscreen, use crampons in the winter, and keep the search and rescue phone number handy (it’s +48 601 100 300). Planning your hike is best done with the help of mapa-turystyczna.pl or the mapa turystyczna app, which is incredibly useful but unfortunately lacks English functionality. Type in your start, intermediate, and end points (we list names of all points of interest in Polish, so just use those), and the system will spit out a suggested route complete with elevation profile and estimated time. You can also click points on the map and choose “ustaw jako początek trasy” (set as start point), “idź przez” (via), or “ustaw jako koniec trasy” (set as end point). Click the print icon for a printable map.

Trails are marked with a coloured stripe between two white stripes; you’ll find them painted on trees in wooded areas and on stone at higher altitudes. Roughly, red is for main trails, blue is for long but less important trails, yellow and green are for connecting trails, and black is for short and steep trails. In the winter, exposed trails will have stakes planted every ten or so metres marking the way. Popular trailheads are located at Palenica Białczańska, Kuźnice, and Kiry; to reach those three and others, you can take small buses from the temporary bus station or the stop in front of the old bus station, which run either on a schedule or as they fill up, depending on the company - either way, you won’t need to wait long if you want to reach one of these three. The fee is usually 5-10zł and is payable upon exiting the bus. Make sure to have coins or small bills.

Most if not all peaks can be done as a day hike, using Zakopane as your base. Camping is unfortunately prohibited in the national park (seriously, do not attempt this - you will be given a fine of 1000zł and a stern talking to), but there are numerous mountain huts sprinkled around the Tatras. Be warned that due to their limited capacity and the popularity of the Polish mountains, getting a bed for the night is tricky - make a reservation well ahead of time, even a month or two before your visit. Due to fire regulations most mountain huts no longer sleep people on the floor, but there is one notable exception: the mountain hut in the Five Polish Ponds Valley cannot turn hikers down if they show up around dusk, as it has been deemed too dangerous to try to make your way down and out of the park in the dark. Bring a sleeping bag and mat and be ready to settle in on the ground.

The fee to enter the park is 5zł, payable at trailhead booths. If there is no attendant present, you’re free to enter for free. There is no such thing as a closing time - the park can be entered year round, 24/7. With this in mind, be sure to check the sunset time before you set out on your hike and carry a headlamp in case you get delayed on the trail.

If you plan to hike in the winter, crampons are a must unless you’ll be walking on flat ground (the Kościeliska and Chochołowska valleys fall into this category, as does the trail to Morskie Oko). Certain trails are closed once a significant amount of snow has fallen, and others are simply not a good idea unless you have serious winter mountaineering experience. In the cold season, it is imperative to check the avalanche danger rating before heading out; you can do so at lawiny.topr.pl. The website is in Polish, but all you really need to know is encapsulated in the number given in the box on the left side, which is the rating in the standard five-point scale. One is perfect, two is okay, and if you see three or above, stick to the valleys instead of attempting any of the uphill trails. Don’t try crossing over to the Slovak side in the winter - all trails above mountain huts on that side of the border are closed from the end of October till June.

If you run into trouble, the phone number to call is, again, (+48) 601-100-300; you will reach the lovely people at TOPR (Tatrzańskie Ochotnicze Pogotowie Ratunkowe, the Tatra Volunteer Search and Rescue), who will come save your butt - for free. That’s right, the cost of rescue in the Polish Tatras is covered by taxes, and it is not necessary to hold insurance of any kind. However, if you plan to wander across the border to the Slovak Tatras, you will be wise to purchase hike insurance, as the costs of a rescue operation there can number in the thousands of euros.

All the summits listed in this section (and indeed all marked trails in the Polish Tatras) are non-technical climbs, though some require basic scrambling skills and a head for heights. To get you started, here are our recommendations for different ability levels:

Easy: try one of the Tatras’ picturesque valleys like Dolina Chochołowska or Dolina Kościeliska, or walk to Poland’s most famous mountain lake, Morskie Oko.

Intermediate: Giewont and Kasprowy Wierch are both popular hikes which will make you sweat along the way and offer great views from the top, but without the dizzying drops.

Difficult: Poland’s highest peak, Rysy, is a steep 4h hike from Morskie Oko, while Orla Perć is famous as Poland’s most demanding trail; neither should not be attempted in the winter. If you like the sound of Orla Perć but don’t have time to do the full 6-8h trail, try Świnica, another high-exposure hike.

Winter: the ‘easy’ trails listed above are always a safe bet (unless there’s an active blizzard, of course), but you might be in knee-deep snow if you’re setting out first thing in the morning after snowfall. Popular winter hikes include Kasprowy Wierch, Dolina Gąsienicowa, Grześ, and the Five Polish Ponds Valley; for more of a challenge, try Zawrat, Kozi Wierch, or Kościelec, but conditions MUST be right to do those.