"The Beautiful & Quiet Szczawnica..." Szczawnica by coceng

Szczawnica Travel Guide: 76 reviews and 116 photos

The Base To Explore Pieniny...

ZAKOPANE<<<<<SZCZAWNICA>>>>>PIENINY

POLANDFriday 17th May 2002
Boy ! I was sure lucky to be in Szczawnica ! Very hard to pronounce the name but you could learn it down below...
Overlooked by Zakopane, Szczawnica is more countryside than a small town while Zakopane is more of a tourist shed.
Came here with Marek because we wanted to do the Dunajec River rafting ! We consulted the guy at the Zakopane Tourist Office & he suggested that we should take a bus to a place called Katy; Then, another bus to Szczawnica & from here we could take a bus to the Dunajec River rafting starting point ! So, we took his advice, also because Szcawnica is also the end journey for the rafting experience !
Arrived in Szczawnica & it was peaceful & quiet...maybe not the tourist season yet ?
We decided to look for a room to stay the night...& Marek approached a guy on the street & voila ! We got the room...The guy showed us the room & we could decline but chose not to as it was okay, we were not too choosy anyway. Me & Marek just wanted to continue with our rafting journey right away...
We left the luggage & decided that we should explore the village of Szczawnica first...& went for the river rafting in the afternoon.
We had our lunch...& wandered around. I saw this cable chair hanging & thought that I should try that, to go up the small mountain & see the villlage down below...Marek was not keen on that; We could hike up the small mountain he said....but for me enough ! I did that the previous day hiking to Lake Morskie Oko.
So I took the cable chair up & up...at the same time taking lots of photos along the way up. Felt good hanging on the chair...not that dangerous but it might be; Didn't think too much about it ! I had the chance to be hanging by a chair, that experience would mean great to me !
Up there, took more photos...it's more like a playground. A small there park ? Not many people, not much activities...
Took the hanging chair back down ...& again more photos !
Down there, Marek asked me how was it, I said it was okay...more mountain scenaries. He just smiled, maybe thinking that I wouldn't enjoy myself much up there & he's not that wrong either.
Then, we took the bus for the Dunajec River Rafting !
For this, you have to go to my Pieniny page, the link is above.
The raft ended the journey at Szczawnica (although you could go a bit further but you have to pay a bit more...) so now you can see why we chose Szczawnica as our base.
Off the raft & it was about 7 pm...we felt hungry.
While looking for a place to eat, we stumbled upon this really nice house with an inviting entrance/door !
Curious that we were, we went & checked...Oh ! It's a restaurant ! By the name of Koci Zamek...
What an amazing restaurant ! The interior was just so amazing ! Looked like a maze, looked like a medieval cellar almost ! We loved the place !
we settled down after choosing the best (sunken) corner to dine...It's almost a fancy dine ! Marek grumbled about not enough money...My treat, Marek ! You had done wonders to me !
Our tummies were filled & slowly we walked back to our pension...feeling almost tired.
We slept early...

The entrance to KOCI ZAMEK...

The following day, me & Marek parted...He had to go back to Bratislava 'cos he had an exams coming...& me, I continued by bus to Krakow !
Me & Marek hugged...feeling sentimental. There & then I thought that it pays the price to have somebody with me...travel with me for a few days; Sharing things, sharing chores...making the best decisions while travelling together.
On the bus, Marek waited till the bus departed....Waving goodbye to me...
After about 2 minutes or so, I started to look forward on Krakow !
Marisha would be waiting for me there ! I would stay with her for a few days !
Szczawnica ! When will I come to see you again ? Tell me...Koci Zamek, I want to dance in your 'medieval' disco dance floor the next time I'm there okay !

A MUST SEE...

There are many things to see around Szczawnica if you look closely !
The beautiful countryside is a top notch this side of Poland ! There are 5 fast daily buses straight to KRAKOW ! (About 118 km).
[Please click on Krakow].
If you have the time, take the cable chair up the small hill called Palenica (photo below) & the views over Szczawnica are excellent from up there !
Szczawnica could also be the end journey of The Dunajec River Rafting excursion.

Last but not least, please check a truly nice restaurant called : ~~~~~~~~~~~~KOCI ZAMEK~~~~~~~~~~~~.Click on the name to see some photos inside the restaurant taken by me !

Cable chairs on Palenica Hill...

SZCZAWNICA ...(pronounced 'Shchahv-nee-tsah) is the major tourist center in the region of The Pieniny.
Picturesquely located along the Grajcarek River, the town has developed into a popular summer resort, & it's mineral springs have made it an important spa.
It's also the finishing point for Dunajec Gorge raft trips.

The Town spreads over 4 km along the main road, ul Glowna, & is devided into 2 suburbs :
The Nizna (Lower) to the West;
Wyzna (Upper) to the East;
With the bus terminal between these 2 suburbs.
The town is also a good starting point for hiking in The Pieniny or The Beskid Sadecki.

MY ITINERARIES :

Arriving in Szczawnica by bus from Nowy Targ; Which was just our connection from Zakopane...on the morning Friday 17th May, 2002...; My 2nd day in Poland (out of 9 days).
After Szczawnica, Marek would go hiking back to Slovakia ( my previous visiting country & before that, Austria) & I would continue to Krakow the following day....
Please visit all my Travel Pages in the previous 2 countries, with so many places that I went to & lots of photos taken along the way...

Thank You.

Pros and Cons

Pros:A Great Base To Explore The Pieniny !
Cons:Too Quiet For Some People During The Off Season...
In a nutshell:A Truly Off The Beaten Path In Poland ! Be There !

Last visit to Szczawnica: May 2002
Intro Updated Jun 3, 2004
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Reviews (31)

Szczawnica : Palenica Hill Views ! - Szczawnica

On The Palenica Hill... Things to Do (12)

On The Palenica Hill, we could see excellent views over Szczawnica ! I took many photos ! The views over Szczawnica... more travel advice

Szczawnica : Me On The Palenica Hill - Szczawnica

On Top Of Palenica Hill Favorites (3)

Here's a photo of me on The Palenica Hill ! It's a theme park up there, with not many people as it was too early in... more travel advice

Szczawnica : On Palenica Hill - Szczawnica

Going Up ! Things to Do (12)

I finally reached the top of Palenica Hill. There's a small theme park on top there but no people maybe because too... more travel advice

Szczawnica : Up Palenica Hill - Szczawnica

Going Up ! Things to Do (12)

These are the photos GOING UP for me on Palenica Hill. I even had the time to look behind me; Not a good thing to do... more travel advice

Restaurants (12)
See All Nice Light Decorations...
Transportation (2)
See All Arrived In Szczawnica...

Travelogues (2)

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Comments (9)

Pawtuxet Dec 17, 2003 at 9:07 AM Report Abuse

I like the way you've linked your pages...and they are so colorful. Good job.
gale.blog.pl Oct 14, 2003 at 9:45 AM Report Abuse

Another great page on a Polish place by Arnaud :) I'm really impressed with your Polish pages - including this one :)
slug_69 Jun 30, 2003 at 4:05 AM Report Abuse

it really is a beautiful place, i spent a week there at a place named Hutnik, never thought i'd see a webpage about the place - good stuff
katmag May 22, 2003 at 7:55 AM Report Abuse

koci zamek sounds like a nice place to eat. the food has tough competition from the interesting setting.
orlikins May 21, 2003 at 2:15 PM Report Abuse

looks really lovely!
marishabandb Apr 19, 2003 at 1:28 PM Report Abuse

I love Szczawnica. So much I could live here one day, if I can ever leave my beloved Krakow.
ania70pl Apr 14, 2003 at 12:32 PM Report Abuse

I was in Koci Zamek, too. Amazing place!
mafootje Apr 14, 2003 at 11:10 AM Report Abuse

Amazing stairway
Wiktoria Apr 11, 2003 at 1:26 PM Report Abuse

Brings back childhood memories:-). I used to spend summer vacations there:-). I love the spa and the Pieniny Mountains!