Cycle Trail Of The Eagles’ Nests
Route difficulty
Attractions
Range of services
Price and booking
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SELF-GUIDED AND FOR GROUPS
Experience an unforgettable adventure along the trail of medieval castles in Silesia Region and Lesser Poland.
The best way to explore this 190-kilometer trail is on a bike. Almost every attraction on the route is associated with a legend that gives an aura of mystery to the Krakow – Częstochowa Upland. Castles on the Trail of the Eagles’ Nests, fanciful rock outliers and caves full of bats, apart from their natural beauty, wrapped in folk stories, become even more attractive.
Our trail will also include the Ojcowski National Park. You will admire the Prądnik Valley – a gallery of extraordinary karst works. It is the most beautiful valley of the Kraków – Częstochowa Upland. A karst ravine with perpendicular rocky slopes and a flat bottom, built of 150 million-year-old limestone. Experience a fairytale bicycle adventure with us!
Route and difficulty
Profile of the tour: medium
Bike paths: 20% of the route length, 80% roads with low traffic intensity
Road surface: asphalt 60% of whole tour, the rest – gravel roads
daily climbs: 100 – 770 m
daily distance: 30 – 60 km
whole distance: 180 km
Route difficulty:
Attractions and programm of the bike tour:
Day 1: Cracow – Olsztyn – Bobolice, (distance on bike approx. distance: 45 km)
Transfer by bus with bikes from Cracow to Olsztyn
Olsztyn Castle – the ruins of the Olsztyn castle near Częstochowa are among the most recognizable Jurassic strongholds. It has the cylindrical, 35-meter-high tower attracts attention from afar. Built of white limestone and with a brown brick superstructure.
Wiercica Valley – Złoty Potok – The Wiercica Valley stretches out from the Złoty Potok and Janów to foot of the Ostrężnik castle. It is one of the most beautiful parts of the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland. Tourists are enchanted by the clean water of Wiercica, beautiful forests and limestone rocks with fanciful shapes. In Złoty Potok you can visit a charming manor house, and admire the Raczyński Palace next door.
Mirów Castle – you will admire it closely from the outside. The ruins standing on the hill are also an excellent viewpoint of the surrounding area.
Bobolice Castle – one of the most impressive castles on the Trail of the Eagles’ Nests, especially since it has recently been reconstructed.
Day 2: Bobolice – Ogrodzieniec (distance approx. distance: 30 km)
Bąkowiec Castle in Morsko – the ruins of the “Bąkowiec” knight’s castle dating from the 14th–15th centuries are located in the “Morsko Plus” recreation center. The local lands changed hands many times. The castle was thoroughly expanded at the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries, and perhaps even rebuilt from scratch, by the Włodek family. However, already in the 17th century (after the Swedish invasion), the fortress began to fall into ruin.
Ogrodzieniec Castle – the impressive ruins of the castle are located on the highest hill of the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland – Góra Zamkowa, rising to 515,5 m above sea level. The castle layout was perfectly integrated into the surroundings: it was protected by high rocks on three sides, the perimeter was closed by a stone wall, and the entrance was a narrow gap between the rocks. The stronghold was managed by some of the richest merchant families in the times of the Jagiellonian dynasty. This stronghold also suffered during the Swedish Deluge and subsequent wars. It was finally abandoned in 1810.
Day 3: Ogrodzieniec – Olkusz, distance approx. distance: 55 km
Pilcza Castle – The castle in Smolen probably stood as wooden defence already in the 13th century. The abandoned stronghold in Smolen suffered significant damage during the Swedish deluge.
Bydlin Castle – at the top of the hill here, you will find large fragments of the walls of a building. It was probably built in the 14th century as a watchtower to strengthen the borders with Silesia. The castle built by served as a defensive residence for 200 years.
Błędowska Desert – the largest area of quicksand in Poland. It is less than 10 km long and up to 4 km wide. Currently Błędowska desert is protected. It forms an attractive tourist area with several viewpoints and bike paths along the desert.
Castle in Rabsztyn – the name of the castle comes from German “Rabstein” and means “The Raven Rock”. Built in the 13th century on a limestone rock, it was expanded in the following centuries. In the 16th century, it was rebuilt by its owners in the Renaissance style. Today’s ruins are the remains of a palace from the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries. The pictures to the film “Karol. The Man Who Became Pope”, directed by Giacomo Battiato, were taken among the ruins of the castle in Rabsztyn.
Day 4: Olkusz – Cracow, approx. distance: 56 km
Pieskowa Skała Castle – a pearl of the Renaissance with a collection of works of art, with an arcade courtyard and an elegant Italian garden. It once belonged to the Szafraniec family, exclusively decorated to resemble the royal castle at Wawel.
Hercules’ Club – is the most recognizable rock formation in the Ojców National Park. Together with other fanciful creations of nature, such as the Glove, the Mercy, or the Needle of Deotyma, it is a limestone inselberg formed as a result of rock erosion. The club grows out of the ground under the castle in Pieskowa Skała, on a terrace – the so called “Piano”.
Ojcowski National Park – although is the smallest national park in Poland but one of the most scenic, covering an area of approximately 21 square kilometers.
Here you will find a gothic fortress Ojców and the Chapel on the Water. The Prądnik Valley is full of numerous rock formations and caves.
Here you will be able to admire majestic rock formations resembling various figures or objects, such landmarks as the Glove or the Cracow gate. Here, too, there are many caves shrouded in legends. Łokietek Cave, which is historically important as it is believed to have been the hiding place of King Władysław Łokietek during his struggle for the Polish throne in the 14th century. The park’s caves, along with its karst formations, make it an important geological site.
Sightseeing of Cracow – the former capital of Poland:
Wawel Royal Castle and Basilica of Wenceslas – here you will find the Polishnational treasures, roots of statehood, from here Polish kings ruled for centuries, here is their final resting place.
Old Town – The main Square, Grodzka Street, Cloth Hall, Town Hall Tower, The Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Kazimierz District.
The offer includes:
comfortable accommodation for 3 nights in the hotels and pensions (3-4-stars), double rooms with bathroom
3 breakfasts
lugguage transportation between hotels
transfer by bus with bikes from Cracow to Olsztyn at the start of the tour
digital guide, maps, GPS tracks and information about interesting places to visit for each day
insurance
whole day hotline in case of emergency
The offer does not include:
additional meals durig the trip
tickets to visited attractions
emergency taxi transfers
Price and booking
SELF-GUIDED TOUR
Price (1 person in double room):
Group 2 – 4 participants: from 3.820,00 PLN/910 EUR
Group 5 – 6 participants: from 3.270,00 PLN/780 EUR
Group 7 -8 participants: 3.050,00 PLN/730 EUR
Final price varies depending on the dates and hotels availability!
Surcharges
rental of e-bike, helmet, bicycle pump and repair kits – 200,00 PLN/50 EUR/4 days/e-bike
single room – 360 PLN/90 EUR/3 nights/person
additional accommodation in Cracow before and/or after the trip 550 PLN/130 EUR/night/double room, 450 PLN/110 EUR/night/person in single room
guide in Cracow (up to 3 h) – 700 PLN/170 EUR/group
Offer for groups – individual pricing
BOOK THE TOUR:
In the comments field, please enter the proposed trip date and number of people. At your request, we can modify the route and scope of services – this need should also be described in the comments field.
Contact us for professional and friendly advice!
Trekking bike (included in price)
Gravel bike
E – bike
Gallery
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