Kazimierz Dolny

Carved facades, Castle Hill and the boat to Janowiec

Reach Kazimierz Dolny's Market Square early, before the Warsaw minibuses, to see the carved Przybyła houses in morning light, then climb past the parish church to the castle ruins and the view. Lunch on Lubelska, walk or cycle the riverside path or take the boat to Janowiec, and end in the Korzeniowy Dół ravine at dusk.

On the right days a morning market fills the square. Walk up past the parish church, a 14th-century Gothic building remodelled in Renaissance style, to the castle ruins and the watchtower above them, then on to the Hill of Three Crosses, the plague memorial with the widest view of the river.

Midday. Come down for lunch at Zielona Tawerna on Lubelska, between the square and the river, or at one of the places on the Rynek. Browse a couple of the galleries in the lanes off the square on the way.

Afternoon. Rent a bike by the river, or walk the 2.5 km riverside path to the old limestone quarry and take the boat across to Janowiec for its castle. Alternatively, join one of the small tourist buses from the square for an hour round the Jewish cemetery and the biggest gorge.

Evening. Walk into Korzeniowy Dół as the light fades, then return to the square for dinner. On a Saturday, U Fryzjera, just off Lubelska, has live klezmer music. If you stay the night, you get the square almost to yourself once the last minibuses have left.

Kogut bread, klezmer suppers and bars on the Rynek

The food you will remember from Kazimierz Dolny is the kogut, a rooster-shaped loaf sold by every bakery and best bought fresh in the morning. For a proper meal, U Fryzjera is the town's best-known restaurant, with Jewish-style dishes and klezmer music, while simpler pizza and kebab places sit on the square.

For a proper meal, U Fryzjera (The Barbershop) is the town's best-known restaurant, about 200 m from the square on a lane off Lubelska. It serves Jewish-style cooking in a nod to the large Jewish community that once made up nearly half the town, and has live klezmer music every Saturday night. Zielona Tawerna, the Green Tavern, also on Lubelska between the Rynek and the river, has a garden and a claim to fame: the Polish and Czech presidents ate there in the summer of 2007.

Evenings belong to the bars around the square. On a summer weekend the whole square becomes one long terrace.

Kazimierz Dolny festival summers and day trips

Kazimierz Dolny comes alive in summer, when its festivals fill the town, including one of Poland's larger folk festivals in June. Outside festival time, the loess ravines around town are the draw, and across the Vistula, Janowiec's hilltop castle is reached by boat in season.

June brings one of Poland's larger folk festivals, with bands and singers from around the country performing on and around the square. A klezmer festival, revived in 2022, celebrates the town's Jewish heritage. Around the turn of July and August, the Two Riversides film festival takes over for a week, with screenings, concerts and an international crowd; rooms go months in advance.

The loess hills around town are cut by sunken lanes, and Korzeniowy Dół, where tree roots dangle from the walls, is the most dramatic and a short walk from the centre. The Jewish cemetery, about 2 km out on the road to Opole Lubelskie, is a quiet and moving stop.

Across the Vistula, Janowiec has a large castle on a hill, reached by boat in season from near the old quarry. Puławy, 8 km away, is the nearest town with trains, and Lublin, about 50 km away, makes a good second base for an Old Town and castle on a bigger scale. Spring and autumn are calmer, with the ravines at their greenest in May and the woods turning colour in October.