6 best day trips from Warsaw

Day trips compared

The day trips

55 km · About 1 hour by car or bus

1.Żelazowa Wola

The manor house where Fryderyk Chopin was born in 1810 is now a museum surrounded by a landscaped park along the Utrata river. In summer, piano recitals are held at weekends, with music drifting out to listeners in the garden.

Getting there

Car, regional bus or tour

Best for

Culture, Couples, Quiet stays

30 km · About 45 minutes by car or bus

2.Kampinos National Park

A forest of pine woods, marshes and inland sand dunes on the city's north-western edge, with marked hiking and cycling trails and wartime memorial cemeteries. Elk live in the park and are sometimes seen at dawn.

Getting there

Car or suburban bus

Best for

Quiet stays, Families

135 km · About 1 hour 15 minutes by train

3.Łódź

Poland's former textile capital has the 4-kilometre Piotrkowska Street, grand industrialists' palaces, and red-brick mills turned into the Manufaktura shopping and arts complex. It has a strong street-art and film culture.

Getting there

Train from Warszawa Centralna to Łódź Fabryczna

Best for

Culture, Shopping, Food lovers

150 km · About 2–2.5 hours by car or bus

4.Kazimierz Dolny

A small Renaissance town on the Vistula with a market square of ornate merchants' houses, castle ruins, loess ravines to walk through and a long tradition as an artists' retreat.

Getting there

Car or bus

Best for

Couples, Quiet stays, Culture

210 km · About 2.5–3 hours by train

5.Toruń

Copernicus's birthplace is a UNESCO-listed Gothic brick town on the Vistula, famous for its gingerbread, which you can learn to bake at a gingerbread museum. It makes a long but rewarding day trip, or a good overnight stop.

Getting there

Train from Warszawa Centralna

Best for

Culture, Families, Couples

260 km · About 2.5–3 hours by train

6.Malbork Castle

The largest brick castle in the world, built by the Teutonic Knights from the 13th century, rises above the River Nogat. Audio-guided routes cover the High, Middle and Lower Castles; allow at least three hours.

Getting there

Express train to Malbork

Best for

Culture, Families

Day-trip tips

• Leave early: most trips are more relaxed with a morning departure and a return before dinner.
• Buses fill gaps in the network, including routes to Wilanów and the airport, and night buses run after the metro closes.
• SKM and regional trains link Chopin Airport and the suburbs with the centre on city tickets, while intercity trains from Warszawa Centralna reach Kraków in about 2.5 hours and Gdańsk in about 3.
• For trips over about 150 km, an overnight stay or an organised tour saves a lot of travelling.

Questions travellers ask