The Masurian Lakes in Poland offer a magical holiday paradise in the eastern part of the country, and here we tried a canal boat trip from Mikolajki. Masuria is a region in north-eastern Poland with around 3000 lakes. Although the area is relatively unknown to Swedes, many tourists come here, not least from Germany, and the canal boat trips are numerous.
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From Bialowieza to Mikolajki
We left Bialowieza National Park in the far east and set the GPS to Mikolajki, one of the more popular holiday resorts on the Masurian lakes. The map shows how we drove, and the dotted lines then show the boat trip we made, from Mikolajki to Gizycko.
Camping Wagabunda
In Mikolajki we went directly to the nice campsite. Wagabunda, which is within easy walking distance of the small town. At this campsite we paid 180 SEK per day including electricity and WiFi (2017). The campsite is really nice with modern fresh service houses.
Mikolajki
Mikolajki is a small town with around 4000 inhabitants and everything seems to revolve around the lake, fishing, boats and tourism. Mikolajki is an old Masurian church or town. Besides the campsite, there are several small hotels and the town is full of restaurants and small shops. Above all, there is a large marina with different types of boats - private boats, boats for rent and boats belonging to various tour operators.
The Masurian Lakes in Poland
The Masurian Lakes in Poland are located south of the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad. The largest lake, Sniardwy, is in the north and Lake Ross is in the south. Many of the lakes are connected by long and narrow canals, allowing boats to travel between towns and villages.
Canal boat trip
Of course we wanted to go on a boat trip! We chose a boat tour to Gizycko, but there are also several other tours to choose from. The tour went at a leisurely pace and the first thing that happened (at 10:30 in the morning) was that the staff went around offering nubs of various kinds, for 15 SEK each. A bit exotic for a Swede!
Gizycko
In Gizycko the boat made a stop, and we took the opportunity to pop into a restaurant for a beer and our favourite Polish soup. zurek. We also had some time to stroll along the waterfront, before it was time to jump on the canal boat and travel back to Mikolajki. The weather was not the best (overcast and rain showers), but we still had a nice day in a really nice area.
Video from the Masurian Lakes
Peter has put together a film of our boat trip on the Masurian Lakes. Don't miss it!
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There is, of course, much more to see and experience in Poland. Below you will find lots of reports with tips and inspiration.
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Lennart says:
Great pictures!
10 July 2017 - 7:15
Henny says:
You can really "sniff out" gems. We passed the area when travelling by camper van around the Gulf of Bothnia and the Baltic Sea but had no idea about those lakes. It's great to know more thanks to you. Just waiting for the next gem.
10 July 2017 - 7:35
Helena says:
Haha, don't know if we can promise to find pearls 😉 But these lakes are very nice! Motorhome around the Bay of Bothnia and the Baltic Sea sounds like an interesting route!
10 July 2017 - 13:11
Kenneth Risberg says:
Really exotic with a boat trip in the canals and being offered nubs, will probably be a turn at some point.
10 July 2017 - 7:45
Helena says:
The nubs in particular felt very un-Swedish in that context.
10 July 2017 - 13:12
Mr Steve says:
Thank you for that trip with all the great pictures and film.
As so often when travelling with you, I also learned a lot of new things. I had never heard of the Masurian Lakes before.
10 July 2017 - 8:17
Helena says:
Those lakes don't seem very well known in Sweden, but the Poles seem to love holidaying there. And there were also plenty of Germans and some other foreign tourists.
10 July 2017 - 13:14
Ama de casa says:
No, I had no idea that those lakes exist. On the other hand, the whole of Poland is like a white spot on the map for me. But it really looks super nice! One day we really have to check out both the Czech Republic and Poland. But not today 🙂
Keep up the good work!
10 July 2017 - 9:57
Helena says:
Czech Republic and Poland are great destinations 🙂 Have fun!
10 July 2017 - 13:15
Ditte says:
What a nice place you found and the combination of lakes and boats is liked and if there are also beautiful surroundings, like where you are, it is even better.
I am not well versed in Poland, but there are many "diamonds" to experience and see.
Nice pictures and film from a nice area.
10 July 2017 - 10:54
Helena says:
Poland is a big country and there is a lot to see! We like water, so sea and lakes are often favourites! 🙂
10 July 2017 - 13:24
Ruth in Virginia says:
This whole trip in Poland has been an experience.
Rarely, if ever, do you read about that country in the travel supplements of
the newspapers here; nor in any of the thousands of travel magazines
which publishes every month. As I wrote, I had no idea
of Poland. The last post was, for me, probably the best. Didn't think you
could outdo yourselves, but you did.
The header today is fantastic.
10 July 2017 - 14:30
Helena says:
It may be true that there is not much written about Poland in the travel magazines. Maybe a little more in Sweden than in the US, but still not very much. And if it is written, it is often the same places it is about ... Fun if we could highlight some new! We think Poland is a very nice country to travel in and have had many great experiences here!
11 July 2017 - 7:25
Netti Starby says:
What a wonderful boat trip and so many exciting things to discover! 😀 Hugs
10 July 2017 - 14:49
Helena says:
It's always a bit exciting when travelling in areas that you haven't read much about, then it feels a bit adventurous 😉.
11 July 2017 - 7:26
Mr Nils-Åke Hansson says:
Another such area with canals. We found a similar one in France.
10 July 2017 - 15:54
Helena says:
Yes, I can imagine that! We've seen some canals in France and also read about boat trips on canals there.
11 July 2017 - 7:28
Lena & Jan says:
Interesting area in Poland, seems to keep up with the rest of the EU in terms of the price of a campsite 😉 We had no idea about the lakes, were there mosquitoes in that area?
10 July 2017 - 16:41
Helena says:
We think it is cheap to camp in Poland. Prices are often around 170 SEK per night including electricity and many times free WiFi is included in it. We did not notice any mosquitoes.
11 July 2017 - 7:29
Matts Torebring says:
I know I would love it there. Poland is much more amazing than the beaches along the Baltic Sea. Is our car too big to get around? It's only nine metres. Enjoy!
10 July 2017 - 19:18
Helena says:
Your motorhome is definitely not too big for travelling in Poland. The streets are not as narrow as in Italy and there are big buses everywhere. Occasional campsites can be crowded, but for the most part there are no problems at the campsites. However, if you're driving a car over 3.5 tonnes, you have to get a box that you put on the windscreen and pay per mile. It's called something like "toll". I'll write a post about travelling with a motorhome in Poland when we get home and I'll check this out properly. Another thing is that there are some roads that are bad. New roads are super nice and modern, but sometimes you end up on some old crappy and repaired road, where you can't drive so fast 😉.
11 July 2017 - 7:35
Matts Torebring says:
Thank you, thank you, thank you, it was good to know about the weight. I had certainly not thought about that before, I would think. Then I look forward to new facts posts. Thank you & Bock in advance!
11 July 2017 - 18:35
Britt-Marie Lundgren says:
Most of Poland has been a big white spot for me, have spent a few days in Poznan, that's all. Now it feels more and more like it is something we want to change as soon as possible!
Thanks for another great post!
10 July 2017 - 20:10
Helena says:
Great if we could inspire to Poland! We think that this country has a lot to offer 🙂.
11 July 2017 - 7:36
BP says:
Blogglandia is amazing! Had never heard of the Masurian lakes until now. Oh soooooooo cosy (apart from the weather then). The drone picture at the top is an absolute highlight and really shows how nice it is there.
Then I started drooling of course - I haven't eaten the Zurek soup for a long time. It is sooooo good!!!!
The campsite also seems great (and cheap). And it has a website in English - just one of those things. You're not necessarily spoilt with that in Poland.
Poland is at least as nice as the countries on the Mediterranean, I think, often even more beautiful - if it wasn't for the weather then....
10 July 2017 - 21:17
Helena says:
These lakes are not well known in Sweden, which is funny considering how beautiful they are! The campsites are generally reasonably priced and are often around 170 SEK/day including electricity. If there is WiFi (often but not always), it seems to be almost always included in the price, which is nice. It is also true that there are not always websites in English, but on larger and more modern campsites it is not entirely uncommon.
11 July 2017 - 7:40