Szczawnica Poland ended up being on of the biggest surprises of our visit to the country! We added the scenic spa town onto our original itinerary so we could relax and enjoy the nature of southern Poland. Yet, we weren’t expecting it to completely blow us away! Here are some of the best things to do in Szczawnica, our favorite spa hotels we stayed at, and even an adventure cycling along the river to Cerveny Klastor, Slovenia.
Planning Your Trip to Szczawnica Poland
🚙 Szczawnica is only two hours from Krakow Poland by car and roughly one hour from the mountain town of Zakopane. The ultimate small road trip would be combining all three of these destinations.
Poland is small enough where you could even include the cities of Wroclaw and Warsaw in your itinerary. We use this company to compare prices and find amazing deals on rental cars all over Europe.
🚌 If you’re looking to do this by public transport, don’t worry! There are small shuttle buses that leave multiple times a day from the Krakow main bus station. This route is very cheap and will get you there in around 2 hours.
☀️ We stayed at both Szczawnica Park Resort & Spa and Hotel Pieniny Grand Wellness & SPA, which we will talk more about soon! Enjoying the luxury spa amenities is one of the best things to do in Szczawnica, and will truly enhance your visit.
🍁 In the winter, Szczawnica Poland transforms into a small ski town that’s great for families. Spring and Fall are wonderful times to relax, taste all the hearty Polish food, and soak in the spas. While in the summer, it’s all about the beautiful hiking trails and cycling on the Dunajec River.
🏔 If you’re short on time, there is also a super popular day trip that runs from Krakow to this stunning area of Poland.
♥️ We used this company for travel insurance on our recent trip to Poland, but thankfully didn’t have to use it! Remember it’s always better to be safe than sorry when traveling abroad.
Relaxing at the Szczawnica Spa Hotels
Originally, we planned to stay in Szczawnica for only two nights, before continuing on to Zakopane. However, after some unexpected changes to our schedule, we extended it to four.
Honestly, we are so happy we did because two days wouldn’t have been enough. After experiencing all the best things to do in Wroclaw and stomping around the city, we were so excited to relax and enjoy the spa life.
It was also half the price of what we would have paid in Germany or other nearby countries, so that was a welcomed bonus!
Hotel Pieniny Grand Wellness & SPA
Our first Szczawnica spa hotel stay was at Hotel Pieniny Grand Wellness & SPA. This is a super modern hotel that is set above the small town center.
We had a large room with a balcony overlooking the valley and loved the breakfast buffet. Our stay also happened to coincide with Orthodox Easter. This led to a special champagne brunch and full Polish band playing that Sunday morning.
One thing that really made this hotel unique was the rooftop deck. In the summer, there is a bar opened, while in the spring and fall you can go up and simply enjoy the view.
The spa had one main large pool with all different types of jets flowing. It also included another section with warm stone chairs, a hot tub, steam, sauna, and plunge pool.
→ Book the Hotel Pieniny Grand Wellness & SPA
Hotel Szczawnica Park Resort & Spa
After two relaxing nights, we moved down by the river to the famous Hotel Szczawnica Park Resort & Spa. This is a Michelin recommended hotel (the same company that rates restaurants) and it definitely lived up to the hype.
Don’t get us wrong… we loved Hotel Pieniny, but this was just a different type of luxury!
When we first entered Hotel Szczawnica Park it felt like we were walking into more of a historic lodge then an ultra modern resort. Yet, we would find out they had all the amenities you’d expect at a five star hotel.
The rooms are spacious and even have a small kitchen if you need it. The highlight for us was the sheep mural above our bed, as it just felt so authentically Polish.
Obviously, the spa here is the biggest draw. There are two different pools, with the second one being in a separate residential building. You do have to briefly leave the main hotel to get there, but definitely don’t miss it!
This pool is completely surrounded by windows where you can look out to the mountains and town. Another perk of the residential building spa pool was that we had it completely to ourselves in mid-April.
With that said, we did spend most our spa time at the main hotel building. We loved lounging on the massive day beds here, reading a book, and dipping in and out of the pool. The sauna area is adults-only and comes complete with a steam room, dry sauna, and cold bucket plunge.
→ Book the Szczawnica Park Resort & Spa
Bike Ride to Cerveny Klastor, Slovakia
As you can probably imagine, it was difficult to leave the Szczawnica spa resorts! Still, there was one activity that we couldn’t miss out on during our visit.
We had read about how you could ride bikes across the border to Slovakia beforehand, and it was something that really enticed us about the area. The route takes you around 12 km each way along the Dunajec River to the historic town of Cerveny Klastor.
We rented our bikes from Wypożyczalnia Rowerów (location) and paid only 10 USD for the entire day. The stand is right at the start of the path near the chairlift.
The bikes were in perfect condition and we were quoted much higher prices from the other places around town. You can even rent electric bikes if you’d prefer an easier ride. Just know that you need to have cash to pay when you drop them off.
The bike path starts out paved and turns into gravel once you get across the border to Slovakia. However, the entire trail is well maintained and flat except for two small hills.
We took our time and stopped to take lots of photos. One cool thing is that we saw was local guides taking groups down the river on wooden rafts. This is one of the best things to do in Szczawnica and something we’d love to try on our next visit.
Our Traditional Slovakian Lunch
Once we made it to Slovakia, we were definitely ready to eat. If you plan to do this ride, we highly recommend going to Goralská reštaurácia Červený Kláštor (location). It’s a family run restaurant serving up amazing local food.
We ordered fried potatoes, Bryndzové halušky, and of course two Slovakian beers for strength on the ride back. Bryndzové halušky is the national dish of Slovakia with sheep cheese and dumplings. We’ve had it before while in Bratislava and Kosice Slovakia, and it’s an absolute must try on your visit to the country.
The ride back actually went really smooth! In total, the trip was about 24km (14m mies), but most of it was flat. We didn’t really realize how tired our legs were until we cruised back into town. Luckily, we were able to head right to our Szczawnica spa at our hotel for a quick recovery.
Where to Eat in Szczawnica
For such a small town, there are so many great places to eat traditional Polish cuisine in Szczawnica Poland! We should tell you that our spa hotels had enormous breakfast buffets included.
Nevertheless, we still left room in our bellies to enjoy the best restaurants in Szczawnica. Here are three spots in particular that we wanted to highlight from our visit. Be sure to read our complete guide to Poland food before you go!
Restauracja Pod Siekierkami
This was the first restaurant we ate dinner at in Szczawnica, and it ended up being one of our favorites. The small eatery is set just back from the river with picnic tables outside for the warm summer months.
We ordered a tasty roast duck and pork knuckle with all the fixings. To be honest, we probably could’ve split the pork knuckle because it was so big… but when in Poland!
Karczma u Polowacy w Szczawnicy
This is one of the most popular restaurants in town, and for good reason. It was packed for lunch on the day we went. There was even a wedding reception going on on the 2nd floor that sounded like quite the event.
We started out with the classic Polish side salad that had a carrot, beetroot, and cabbage mix. After that, we got some delicious lamb and veal goulash with dumplings. We ate goulash practically everyday in Poland, but these were something else.
The location right on the river also makes for the perfect spot for a big meal after hiking and outdoor adventures.
Restaurant BOHEMA – Willa Marta
Restaurant Bohema doubles as a boutique hotel set on the main road in town. The atmosphere is very nice in here with a feeling like your back in the olden days.
We were definitely hungry this day, so we started off with a sauerkraut soup before ordering three different types of pierogi. This included the classic ruski, pork filled, and a white cheese with cranberry sauce.
These were quite simply some of the best pierogi we’ve ever had! We went here for dinner on our last day, otherwise we may have went back again.
To top it all off, we ordered an apple cake that seriously made our heads spin. They have a number of nice beers and wines available, but give their homemade honey liquor a try if you’re keen.
More Fun Things to do in Szczawnica Poland
While it’s mostly known as a spa town, there are many other great things to do in Szczawnica outdoors. We can’t wait to go back again and see more on our next visit!
Hiking Trails: There are great hikes all around Szczawnica for all different levels. This is a fun morning activity so you can work up an appetite for all the yummy food we just mentioned.
Skiing: Szczawnica has a small ski resort in the winter months. The trails are easy and perfect for families with younger kids.
Szczawnica Chairlift: Take a ride up the short chairlift from the river if you have time! You’ll get some of the best views of Szczawnica from the top.
River Rafting: Head just over the border to Slovakia and take a traditional wooden river raft back to Szczawnica. They start from the different towns such as Cerveny Klastor (where we cycled to), Sromowce Nizne, and Sromowce Wyżne for a magical ride through the limestone canyons.
Sheep Drive: Every spring and autumn an old Carpathian tradition called “redyk” takes place. The local farmers walk with their sheep on their annual migration through the Pieniny Mountains.
The most well known sets off in late September or early October every year, passing through Szczawnica and other small villages. This is something that we unfortunately just missed on our trip! Now that we know, we are 100% planning around the event for next time.
Have any questions about this article or want to share more of the best things to do in Szczawnica Poland? Leave us a comment below!
Safe Travels,
Brigitte & Jake
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We’re Brigitte and Jake! American travel bloggers currently based in Spain. If you can believe it, we started Nothing Familiar way back in 2015 on an Ipad in the Ecuadorian jungle. Ever since, we haven’t stopped traveling! We’ve now been to over 60 countries around the world, with our expertise being Europe and Southeast Asia. We love outdoor adventures, tasting local specialties, and island hopping through tropical destinations. Hopefully, our guides and authentic experiences will inspire you on your own travels!
