The Kampinos Forest (Puszcza Kampinoska) is right next to Warsaw’s northwestern border. Most of its area is protected within the Kampinoski National Park (Kampinoski Park Narodowy). The inhabitants of Warsaw are lucky to be so close to the national park – this is unique on a global scale – the national park borders the state’s capital!

Visitors can enjoy 350 km of hiking trails, a 200 km long bicycle trail, horse trails, ten educational paths, 19 parking lots, and 13 rest areas on the park’s edge.

The symbol of the Kampinoski National Park is the elk. Other animals include roe deer, beavers, foxes, lynxes, wolves, and hundreds of species of birds. The richness of the nature of the forest is very diverse – you will find dunes, ancient trees, peat bogs, or marshes here.

The Kampinoski Forest is one of 11 UNESCO biosphere reserves in Poland.

How to get to the Kampinos Forest?

Location on Google map.
BY CAR. A drive to the Kampinos Forest from the center of Warsaw takes about 30-60 minutes. And from such districts as Bielany or Żoliborz, a drive takes about 10 minutes.
BY PUBLIC TRANSPORT. You can go to the Kampinos Forest from Warsaw by public bus (110, 150, 210, 250, 714, 719, 800, 850). Most buses to the Kampinos Forest run from the vicinity of the Metro Młociny stop but also from the Metro Marymont or Metro Księcia Janusza stops. Please visit the website of Warsaw Public Transport (available in English) for timetables, connections, tickets, and fees.

Selected hiking trails in the Kampinos Forest area

The trail suitable for prams/strollers and people with disabilities

An educational trail (ścieżka dydaktyczna) from Izabelin village.
Trail length: 3,5 km (in both directions, loop).
The starting and finish points are at the same place: the Jakubów resting area (Polana Rekreacyjna Jakubów), location on Google Maps.
Where to leave the car? A parking lot by the headquarters of the Kampinoski National Park, location on Google Maps.
You can also get here from Warsaw by city bus no. 210 (from the Metro Młociny stop to the Izabelin Sienkiewicza stop).
Wooden posts mark the route of the path. Post number 10 is the turning point – the trail leads to the Forest Botanical Garden (Leśny Ogródek Botaniczny) in Laski village, location on Google Maps (it’s a garden with signs with the names of plants, it’s part of the forest).
More in Polish about the trail on the Kampinoski National Park’s website (“Puszczańską Ścieżką do Leśnego Ogródka Botanicznego”).

“Edge of the Forest” (Ścieżka “Skrajem Puszczy”) educational trail – for a walk with children or jogging

An educational trail (ścieżka dydaktyczna) from Granica village.
Trail length: 4 km (in both directions, loop).
The starting and finish points are at the same place: Granica village. The trail leads to the Museum of the Kampinos Forest (Muzeum Puszczy Kampinoskiej), location on Google Maps.
Where to leave the car? A parking lot in Granica village, location on Google Maps.
The trail presents what is most characteristic of the Kampinos Forest – a view of the vast wet meadows, a walk through the dunes covered with pine trees, the folk architecture, a nature museum, a military cemetery from the Second World War (many events in the history of Poland are connected with the Kampinos Forest).
From the parking lot, the path leads along the forest’s edge to a wooden footbridge (through the Olszowieckie Błoto peat bog), leading to an 8-meter observation tower with platforms on three levels.
Spring is beautiful here. Part of the trail – Olszowieckie Błoto (the peat bog) is covered with colorful flowers.
More in Polish about the trail on the Kampinoski National Park’s website (Ścieżka “Skrajem Puszczy”).

“Roztoka Valley” (Ścieżka “Dolinką Roztoki”) educational trail – in the heart of the Forest

An educational trail (ścieżka dydaktyczna) from Roztoka village.
Trail length: 1,5 km (in both directions, loop).
The starting point and the finish are at the same place: the Roztoka resting area (Polana Rekreacyjna Roztoka).
Where to leave the car? A parking lot by the Roztoka resting area, location on Google Maps.
It’s one of the most attractive paths in the Park – located in its very center.
At first, it runs through a dune embankment covered with pine forest and then towards picturesque meadows. It continues along the Zaborowski Canal (Kanał Zaborowskiego), with over 150-year-old oaks growing nearby. You can see traces of beavers feeding by the canal.
More in Polish about the trail on the Kampinoski National Park’s website (Ścieżka “Dolinką Roztoki”).

Karczmisko (Ścieżka “Do Karczmiska”) educational trail – on wooden footbridges across the peat bog

An educational trail (ścieżka dydaktyczna) from Truskaw village.
Trail length: 2,3 km (one way; you can return to the parking lot using a different trail).
The starting and finish points are at the same place: Truskaw village.
Where to leave the car? A parking lot in Truskaw village, location on Google Maps.
You can also get here from Warsaw by city bus no. 210 (from the Metro Młociny stop to the Truskaw Skibińskiego stop).
The path may be partially flooded during the rainy season.
The trail runs through several footbridges over wetlands. Wandering along the path, we will see, among others, almost 300-year-old oaks and trees fallen during the 2004 hurricane.
More in Polish about the trail on the Kampinoski National Park’s website (Ścieżka “Do Karczmiska”).

Other information

Admission to the park is free.
Our tip: we recommend emailing/calling the guides listed by the Kampinoski National Park (here you will find contacts for tourist guides licensed in the Kampinoski National Park). Most of them speak English (and some of them speak many other languages, too). They can suggest the best trail based on the weather, season, and your needs – some tours they can offer can be very exciting!
Hiking trails in the Kampinoski National Park are marked similarly to the entire territory of Poland: the painted signs have the shape of a rectangle consisting of three stripes, of which the outer two are always white, and the middle (marking the color of the trail) is red, blue, green, black or yellow.
The Park has ten educational paths (their sign is a white square crossed out in green).
You can cycle along the hiking trails, but remember that pedestrians have priority.
When setting out on the trail, it is worth having comfortable shoes, insect repellent (when visiting the area in spring and summer), and a raincoat.
Kampinos Forest is a popular destination among Warsaw residents – it is worth coming here when there are fewer visitors – outside the weekend or early in the morning:)

Read about other interesting places in Poland in our posts:

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