Holiday ideas | PolishTrains
Admittedly, the summer holidays are over, but we still have an appetite for travel. What's more, there are places where it is definitely better to go outside the high summer season, and you don't need very high temperatures to make your trip a success. Where to go on holiday in September in Poland? Discover our types and inspirations!
At a glance
At a glance
- September holidays in Poland benefit from continued warm weather and significantly smaller crowds than August
- Lower Silesia's Ksiaz Castle and Chojnik Castle are ideal September destinations, reachable by train to Walbrzych
- The Trail of Eagles' Nests stretches approximately 169 km through the Krakow-Czestochowa Upland
- Winobranie, Zielona Gora's wine harvest festival, takes place every September with exact dates announced annually
- The Bory Tucholskie offers kayaking routes and cycling paths in a quieter late-summer atmosphere
- Zakopane is served by train in September; connections run from Cracow, Warsaw and Gdynia
The holiday season does not end at all with the start of the school year. Especially if you yourself have long since left school. A holiday in September in Poland actually has only advantages. The calendar summer continues to spoil us with beautiful weather and warm sunshine. Tourist attractions and destinations are less besieged, and post-season promotions encourage you to take advantage of the wide range of accommodation on offer. Fewer people will also be encountered on the trails and on the beach. This is a chance to finally enjoy the views and space. In the cities, cultural life begins and in the vineyards...September is harvest time! Introducing an inspiring selection of train travel destinations!
Mysterious Lower Silesia
An ideal choice for a September holiday is the Lower Silesian region. Crowded in summer
in September delights with its mature green gardens and excellent conditions for sightseeing (accessible by train to Wałbrzych station). Another interesting excursion idea is to visit Chojnik Castle, located near Jelenia Góra, whose tower offers a magnificent view of the Karkonosze National Park. At this point, Szklarska Poręba and Karpacz should also be mentioned. Both towns are excellent starting points for mountain excursions, facilitated by a rich hostel infrastructure. Among the Krkonoše classics are **Śnieżka, the highest peak of the range, or the Kamieńczyk waterfall.**Bad weather? It is best to take shelter from the rain... underground. This is facilitated by the Lower Silesian Trail of Mysterious Undergrounds, which includes, among others, the Książ Castle Underground, the Old Mine in Wałbrzych, Kłodzko Fortress or the Złoty Mine in Złoty St ok. Another place that captures the imagination of tourists and history enthusiasts is the mysterious Riese Complex in the Owl Mountains. No one quite knows why the Nazis built the vast tunnels and halls and what is in them....
Coast by bike
The Polish sea delights with its beauty at literally any time of the year. September temperatures make it necessary to approach beachcombing in a bikini with some caution, but it is still a perfect time for long walks along the coast, admiring sunsets or simply relaxing on the beach with a book in hand. You can also penetrate the coast by bike. The EuroVelo 10 trail is a cycling route that runs through all the Baltic States. Its popular section is the R10 route covering West Pomerania and the Pomeranian coast.
At the end of the summer, there is more iodine in the air, and fewer tourists and therefore cars make the air here crystal clear. The seaside theatres also resume their activities, and museums and cultural institutions launch new programmes and exhibitions. This is a good time to visit Gdańsk's Solidarity Museum or Gdynia's Aquarium. Prices are also returning to normal, so you no longer have to fear the famous horror receipts! Planning your trip is made easier by the large number of train connections to cities such as Gdynia, Gdańsk, Sopot, Międzyzdroje and Kołobrzeg.
Historic cities
The end of summer is the ideal time to visit Poland's historic cities. So if there are places you are curious about but have never been to, a September weekend will be just right. Especially as there is a lot going on in September. In the middle of the month, the traditional Beer, Wine and Cider festival begins in Cracow, where local producers will talk about traditional methods of brewing and seasoning spirits. At the same time, the Podgórska Jesień Kulturalna festival will also begin, with concerts, theatre performances and a photography exhibition. In Wrocław, the great Wrocław Dwarf Festival returns, and with it the iconic parade of the city's friendly inhabitants.
It is also a good time to visit the famous baroque Leopoldina Hall before classes begin in earnest. Poznań will host the Inauguration of the 2022/2023 artistic season of the Grand Theatre and with it the premiere performances. The end of the month is also a hail mary for lovers of thriller literature, the Poznań Granda Crime Festival. And every month is just as good to taste the famous Poznań croissants!
Weekend in Jura
Our next suggestion is a weekend in Jura Krakowsko-Częstochowska. Preferably a longer one, although you can also jump here for the classic two days. There are two variants of the route and at least a few possibilities to complete it. What is it all about? You can start the trail in Cracow or Częstochowa (both cities can be reached by train) and, depending on the starting point, head either south or north. You can also divide it into smaller sections, starting in Zawiercie, Rabsztyn or Zabierzów. The route of the red trail is very well marked and passes through all the most interesting places along the way. These include picturesque castle ruins and limestone monadnocks, i.e. clusters of characteristic Jurassic rocks among which you can take a picnic break. The trail can be traversed on foot, by bicycle or on horseback. For this reason, there are a number of marked out camping sites where you can pitch a tent. The camping sites are also popular with climbers, for whom the Jura is a real rock-climbing paradise. The official name of the red trail is the Trail of the Eagles' Nests. It takes its name from medieval fortresses built into difficult-to-access cliffs, whose location is reminiscent of the Eagles' Nests. The length of the hiking trail is 168.7 km, and the cycling variant is 186 km long. It includes Ojców Castle, Pieskowa Skała, Ogrodzieniec, Mirów and Bobolice or Ostrężnik or Olsztyn. Some of them are open to tourists, others can only be viewed from the outside, which is also a great pleasure due to the beauty of the Jurassic landscapes. So if you want to experience an interesting and inexpensive adventure, come to Jura!
Mushrooming in the forests!
Mushroom picking has a reputation as our national autumn sport, but it is hard to find crowds in the mountain forests. Wondering where to go on holiday in Poland in September? We recommend the Tuchola Forest in the north of Poland. You can get there by train between Gdynia Główna and Kostrzyn. While traversing the numerous trekking and educational trails, you can admire ripening chestnuts and the colour-changing leaves of birch, oak or beech trees. This is also the period when deer begin their roaring. You can also find whole families of delicious mushrooms in the forests. You can also penetrate the forests on bicycles, and if the weather is good, extend your stay with a canoe trip on the Brda or Wda.
Mountain hiking
September and October are the months that mountain hikers look forward to every year. Unlike spring, the trails are dry and safe, and much less besieged than during the holidays. In the mountains, autumn comes later, so you can enjoy the greenery for longer or watch the landscape gradually change and the trees begin to take on all sorts of colours. When packing your rucksack, however, don't forget to take warm clothes and remember that the day is a little shorter, so you may need a headlamp. Wondering where is the best place to spend your holiday? The undisputed capital of mountain tours is Zakopane.
Organising your holiday is also made easier by the fact that you can easily get here by train. On our blog you will find descriptions of easy and not overpowered trails in the Tatra Mountains. If the weather is bad during your stay, you can take advantage of the thermal pools, visit the Tatra Museum or go to a performance in the Witkiewicz Theatre. Alternatively, you can visit the aforementioned Karkonosze or Beskid Sądecki! It is then worth combining your excursions with a walk in picturesque Krynica Górska and a water tasting in Muszyna.
Where to go on holiday in September in Poland? The autumn wine harvest!
Culinary tourism is an increasingly popular way of exploring new corners of Poland or the world more broadly. The key here may be local food or...drinks! This is how the autumn grape harvest and wine fairs have been attracting foreign tourists to Tuscany for years. If you want a similar experience, be sure to visit Zielona Gora and the picturesque wine hill in September ! For a few frenzied days, Bacchus will take over the keys to the city and a special wine bus will be waiting for tourists visiting Zielona Gora. Another region famous for its wine production is the always cheerful surroundings of Wrocław. Local wineries here grow varietals such as Solaris, Regent, Dornfelder and Gewurztraminer.