ARTICLE • October 16, 2026
Pieniny and Gorce — two ranges, one calm weekend
The Pieniny are steep and dramatic, the Gorce gentle and quiet. They sit side by side and give completely different experiences — which is why they are worth combining into one trip rather than choosing between them.
The combination works because the ranges complement each other. In the Pieniny you climb steeply to see the Dunajec gorge from above. In the Gorce you walk long and gently to see meadows and silence. Together they make a weekend after which your legs know something happened.
Pieniny — the gorge and Trzy Korony
Pieniński National Park is small but intense. The best-known view is the Dunajec gorge — the river cuts between cliffs and trails run above it. Climbing Trzy Korony (982 m) takes about two hours up, with stairs and chains in places, but with one of the best views in Poland.
The classic is also the raft trip through the gorge — commercial, but genuinely impressive, because the gorge looks different from the water than from the trail. If you want to avoid crowds, go in the morning.
Szczawnica — a base with water
Szczawnica is a spa town at the foot of the Pieniny, with a pump house, a park and a chairlift to Palenica. A good base: you are on the trail within minutes in the morning and have somewhere to eat in the evening.
See Jaworki — a former Lemko village, now part of Szczawnica, with the Homole gorge and a church. A less obvious spot that shows the Pieniny are not only Trzy Korony.
Gorce — Turbacz and the meadows
Gorczański National Park is gentler: wide meadows, beech forests, trails where you can walk for hours without meeting a crowd. The highest summit is Turbacz (1310 m), reached from several sides, including Ochotnica and Rabka.
There is a mountain hut on Turbacz, one of those places worth a break longer than a cup of tea. Around it, meadows open up with views of the Tatras on a clear day.
Practical
The easiest way is to combine Szczawnica and the Gorce by car, but it works without one too: buses to Szczawnica and Rabka run from Kraków and Nowy Targ. Details: Pieniny, Gorce and Szczawnica.
In the Pieniny park entry is ticketed and the Trzy Korony trails close when icy. Gorce trails are gentler but long — bring water.
When to go
May–September is best. September is especially good: fewer people and beech forests in the Gorce start turning. Winter in the Pieniny can be risky — icy chains on Trzy Korony are no place for first steps in the mountains.