The Perfect One-Week Itinerary for Poland’s Podlaskie Region

Poland’s Podlaskie Voivodship turned out to be unlike any other region we had visited in the country. For one, it has an interesting cultural makeup with traces of a century-long mixture of nationalities, cultures and religions.

Catholic and Orthodox Churches stand next door to synagogues and mosques, and the mixture is also reflected in the different traditional foods of the region (which is always a plus in our book).

The other interesting thing about Podlaskie are the different landscapes and in the span of a few days, we discovered pretty glacial lakes, bird-filled marshlands and deep primeval forests. Here’s our one-week itinerary to this unique corner of Poland.

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How to Get Around in Podlaskie

While the region has a quite well-developed network of public transportation, having your own car makes your trip so much easier and more comfortable. The prices are also quite low, and we paid about 100 złoty a day for a small car with insurance at EastRent in Białystok. You can search for the best current offer in the box below.

The Perfect One-Week Podlaskie Itinerary

The following itinerary is quite busy, giving you a good overview of the region in just a week. It’s really only possible to follow if you have your own means of transportation. If you rely on public transportation, you’ll have to add a few days to pack in everything or drop one or two spots.

Day 1: Białystok

The region’s capital is the perfect introduction to Podlaskie, as you can see traces of its multicultural history everywhere. Our favourite spot in the city was the Branicki Palace with its beautiful baroque-era garden, but there are also plenty of interesting museums around town.

The best of the bunch in our opinion is the Sybir Memorial Museum, which deals with Polish people who were deported to Siberia and Kazakhstan during WW2 and shortly after.

Also worth checking out are the Historical Museum, preserving a turn-of-the-century townhouse and the Ludwig Zamenhof Centre, detailing the life of the inventor of the Esperanto Language. Apart from the cultural attractions, the town is full of traditional restaurants serving regional food and cozy pubs, making it a nice place to base yourself, if you have more time in the region.

See Also: The Best Things to Do in Białystok, Poland in One Day

Day 2: Augustów and the Augustów Canal

We found Augustów in Podlaskie’s northern part to be a pleasant-enough small town, but the main reason to come here is to explore the woods and lakes of the surrounding forest and to take a boat tour along the famous Augustów Canal.

Built in the beginning of the 19th-century, the canal leads into neighbouring Belarus over a series of locks. You can traverse part of it either by kajak or a tour on a bigger boat. We opted for the latter and enjoyed the tour along the stretches of canal and peaceful lakes along the way.

The boat also stopped at Sanktuarium Studzieniczna, an important Catholic pilgrimage site, on the way before returning to Augustów.

Day 3: Wigry National Park or Suwałki

The beautiful Wigry National Park is close to Augustów. It’s centred on the massive Wigry Lake and to thoroughly explore the area, we rented a pair of bicycles to cycle around the whole thing. It was a great outing, but at the end we were completely exhausted.

If that doesn’t sound like your idea of fun, you could also do a short hike in the park and check out the pretty Post-Camaldolese Monastery on a peninsula in the lake, then continue on to nearby Suwałki, where we enjoyed checking out the cutting-edge museums and a unique multiconfessional cemetery at the edge of town.

See Also: Taking a Bike Tour Around Wigry Lake in Poland’s Wigry National Park

Day 4: Biebrża National Park

Podlaskie is full of interesting National Parks, and Biebrża isn’t only the biggest park in the region, but in all of Poland. It protects nearly 600 square kilometres of the nearby river in three main sections, of which the central one is the most interesting.

Here we hiked to the border of the strongly protected Red Marsh Zone and rented some kajaks, to explore a peaceful stretch of the river. The northern section of the park sees fewer visitors, but here we actually managed to spot one of the park’s resident elks.

We spent almost three full days in this huge National Park, but if you’re pressed for time, I recommend concentrating on the central part, which you can explore in a full day. Beside the natural attractions, there are also some late 19th-century Russian Czarist Bunkers to check out in the area. The best base to explore this part of the park is the village of Goniądz.

Day 5: Ciechanowiec and Grabarka Holy Mount

Making your way from Biebrża National Park to Białowieża, this day entails more driving than the last, but there are two interesting stops along the way. First off is Ciechanowiec, which has an interesting open-air museum full of 19th-century wooden houses, set it a pretty park. It’s a fun place to explore for a few hours.

The other stop along the way is somewhat more unusual. Grabarka Holy Mount is the most important Orthodox Pilgrimage Site in the country. A spring flowing from the foot of the hill is said to have healing properties, and since the 17th-century pilgrims have come here and placed tens of thousands of crosses all around the wooden church on the summit of the Holy Mount.

It’s a somewhat unreal sight, but we truly enjoyed wandering through the dense forest of crosses of all shapes and sights. We came in the evening, when there was hardly anyone around, and I recommend you do the same to be able to enjoy the unique atmosphere. The final drive of the day should bring you to Białowieża Village (for Hotel Tips, look below).

Day 6: Białowieża Forest National Park

Białowieża Forest seems to be the main attraction in Podlaskie, judging by the number of foreigners we met here (still very modest numbers, but more than in other parts of the region). The large reserve is the last remaining part of the primeval forest that once used to cover this entire part of Europe.

The special protected zone can only be visited with a certified guide. We went to the PTTK Association at the southern exit of the castle park, who connected us with our super passionate and knowledgeable guide, Joanna. Without her eye for details and vast natural knowledge, we would have missed a lot of the forest’s details and wildlife. You can browse for private tours from other companies in this box.

Other sights in the area that we found worthwhile were the English-style castle park and the modern Natural History Museum in its centre. You can also visit the nearby Bison Reserve, where you can see the park’s most famous inhabitants. We at least didn’t spot any of them in the wild, while we were here, so this was a nice way to see some of the giant creatures.

See Also: How to Take a Tour of the Strictly Protected Area of Białowieża Forest, Poland

Day 7: Kruszyniany, Bohoniki and Tykocin

On your final day in the region, you’ll have to make your way back to Białystok, but there are some more interesting stops along the way. Kruszyniany and Bohoniki are tiny villages, where you can still see traces of the region’s Tatar past.

Both villages boast interesting 18th-century wooden mosques and overgrown Muslim cemeteries in the nearby forest. I can also highly recommend stopping for lunch at the Tatarska Jurta in Kruszyniany to try some Tatar food.

Your final stop before returning to Białystok should be pretty Tykocin, where you can visit a beautiful 17th-century Synagogue and interesting city museum in the nearby Talmudic House. The pretty baroque-style cathedral at the main square is also worth checking out. Afterwards, make your way back to Białystok to spend your final evening in town.

Podlaskie Itinerary Map

The following map contains all the stops in the suggested itinerary of the region.

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