Biking from Krakow to Ojcow - red trail

How to get to Ojcow and Pradnik Valley by bike?

Full parking lots encourage you to visit Ojcow National Park by bike. It's not that difficult! You can ride the entire route or just a part of it (we will suggest how to shorten the route below).

Attention! This is not a "comfortable bike path". Most of it goes along rural roads (which means sharing the road with cars). It can be rocky (or even muddy). Sometimes you may need to walk your bike or push it up a steep hill.

Red Trail "Eagle Nests" from Krakow

You can start the trip at the Krowodrza Gorka tram loop or in the nearby Krowoderski Park. The first section of the red trail leads through Łokietka Street (sidewalk). After crossing the tracks, turn right - this is where the first "off-road section" begins:

Passing through fields of cornflowers and new housing estates on rural roads, you will reach Zielonki. Here, there are many bends and parking spaces along the road - you can drive here by car and start your journey from here.

Red Bridge and the construction of the bypass

The most challenging section awaits you at the Red Bridge (a historic Austrian viaduct, part of the fortifications of Krakow Fortress) due to the construction of the bypass. The area is dug up, and it is difficult to predict how it will look in the future... In March 2023, we managed to pass through (or rather "struggle through"):

ATTENTION! You can bypass this difficult section, which includes the bumpy Pękowicka Street and the construction area, by starting from Bronowice, along Jasnogórska Street. Here is the description of the detour:

Medium

directions_bike

Cycling from Krakow to Ojców, route from Bronowice District

straighten 16.0km

directions_bike timer 2h 33min

north_east 488m

south_east 384m

Section Pękowice - Giebultow

First, you will encounter a bumpy dirt road in Pękowice, but soon you will reach asphalt: Jurajska Street, and then Ojcowska Street.

And the views of the surrounding fields! Oh, if only the whole route looked like the entrance to Giebultow...

Giebultow and Kwietniowe Doly

In Giebultow, we ride on a comfortable bike path. There is also a newly opened pedestrian and cycling shortcut, which allows us to bypass the winding road near the cemetery:

We cross a busy road, but right after the church, we ride on a peaceful street again. Near the church in Giebultow, the long-distance red hiking trail "Eagle Nests" joins the black cycling trail.

We pass the Volunteer Fire Department, a large park with a playground, and then a stadium, and reach an outdoor restaurant (also with a playground) - Wilczy Apetyt Przy Szlaku. Just behind it, there is a beautiful viewpoint of Krakow and the mountains - we even spotted the Tatra Mountains!

Now we enter the forest called "Kwietniowe Doły". The path is paved and beautiful but steep... In fact, we had to walk our bikes for most of this forest section (both downhill and uphill):

Section Pradnik Korzkiewski - Ojcow

After leaving the forest, we need to cross a busy road again (Wesoła Street). We enter Swawola Street and then Ojcowska Street - and it becomes beautiful! This is finally Pradnik Valley! The first rocks and steep forest slopes appear.

Soon, we will reach the National Park boundary and the first Ojcow restaurant "Pod Puchaczką" (with a playground) - right at the entrance to the beautiful scenic trail. Maybe you feel like hiking in the woods?Green educational trail up the valley >>>

And then there are Źródełko Miłości, Brama Krakowska, Jaskinia Ciemna, Ojcow trout, picturesque rocks... and all other attractions!

If you don't want to use the gastronomic points and prefer a family picnic, we recommend quiet benches and tables near the educational center of Ojcow National Park, here: (you can see the location of the photo on the map)

Ojcow, Ojcow National Park, and Pradnik Valley - attractions

What to see after arriving in Ojcow? It's worth parking your bikes and going for a walk in the forest, climbing the rocks, exploring the caves, or visiting the castle. Learn more about the attractions of Ojcow:

Ojcowski National Park

This is the smallest national park in Poland! But as the old saying goes, "small is beautiful" - so what will we see in Ojców? ...

Practical information for biking to Ojcow

Red Trail "Eagle Nests" on foot?

If you want to walk the route, it is possible, of course! However, we suggest shortening it a bit and taking the bus to the MPK Giebultow Morgi stop (line 220 from Krowodrza Gorka loop, about 30 minutes). Then, you will have to walk about 7 km through Pradnik Korzkiewski.

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Author: Marfusza
Publish Date: 2021-10-24
Last Updated: 2023-03-20