In this guide
💡 The Short Version: Kampinos National Park (Kampinoski Park Narodowy) covers 385 square kilometres on the north-west edge of Warsaw (kampinoski-pn.gov.pl). It is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve (since 2000) with 350 km of marked hiking trails, 200 km of cycle paths, forested sand dunes and the Palmiry Memorial Museum. The park is free to enter. Or book a tour: For a guided day out of Warsaw instead, Small-Group Tour from Warsaw to Torun with Lunchad (from 1,311 PLN, 4.9 stars from 3 reviews) is a small-group trip to Toruń with lunch.
⚠️ Stay on the marked trails. Walking or cycling off the colour-coded routes is illegal and park rangers issue fines. The park has elk, wild boar and adders (żmija zygzakowata); keep your distance and wear closed boots.
Trailhead access and public transport from Warsaw
City buses (ZTM) reach the trailheads from the Młociny, Słodowiec and Bemowo metro stations:
| Trailhead / Gate | Best Bus Route | Departs From | Journey Time | Access to Sights |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dziekanów Leśny (Eastern Gate) | Warsaw Bus 150 | Metro Młociny (Line M1) | 35 minutes | Red Main Kampinos Trail; Sieraków Nature Reserve; direct forest entry |
| Palmiry / Pociecha | Warsaw Bus 750 / 850 | Metro Młociny (Line M1) | 40 minutes | Palmiry Memorial Cemetery and Museum; Cmentarz 2 Pułku Szwoleżerów |
| Truskaw (South-Eastern Gate) | Warsaw Bus 210 | Metro Słodowiec / Młociny | 35 minutes | Black path to Zaborów Leśny; wooden duckboard marsh walks; bike trails |
| Leszno (Southern Gate) | Warsaw Bus 719 | Metro Bemowo (Line M2) | 45 minutes | Southern dune ridges; connections to GPA Bus 42 towards Żelazowa Wola |
| Kampinos Village | GPA Bus 42 (from Leszno or Błonie) | Błonie Station / Leszno | 25 minutes | Park headquarters; historical educational centre; Lipków trail connections |
Tickets: The buses cross into suburban Zone 2. Validate a Zone 1 and 2 75-minute ticket or a Zone 1 and 2 24-hour pass before boarding; see public transport in Warsaw.
Kampinos in autumn. Photo: Dixi, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Day trip tours from Warsaw
Kampinos is a do-it-yourself walk. For a guided day out of Warsaw instead:
Small-Group Tour from Warsaw to Torun with Lunch
From 1,311 PLN · 4.9 stars from 3 reviews · 10 hours · small group, lunch included
Small-Group Tour from Warsaw to Torun with Lunchad: a small-group trip from Warsaw to Toruń, a medieval Gothic town on the UNESCO World Heritage list, with lunch.
From Warsaw: Krakow Sightseeing Tour by Express Train
From 1,333 PLN · 4.7 stars from 19 reviews · 11 hours · express train and guided Old Town tour
From Warsaw: Krakow Sightseeing Tour by Express Trainad: a full-day trip to Kraków by express train, with a guided tour of the Old Town.
From Warsaw: Lodz Private Full-Day Tour
From 1,201 PLN · 5.0 stars from 2 reviews · 8 hours · private full-day tour
From Warsaw: Lodz Private Full-Day Tourad: a full-day private tour of Łódź, covering its industrial architecture and factory owners’ palaces.
Forest hike or guided day trip
| Trip | What it is |
|---|---|
| Kampinos forest hike (independent) | Pine woodland and dune ridge trails; free |
| Palmiry Memorial and Museum | Wartime memorial in the forest; closed Mondays |
| Żelazowa Wola Chopin day trip | Chopin’s birthplace manor house and park |
| Full-day tour to Toruń (organised) | Gothic old town and gingerbread, with lunch |
| Express-train tour to Kraków (organised) | Wawel and the Old Town in one day |
Flooded woodland in Kampinos. Photo: Wojsyl, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Top hiking routes and sights in Kampinos
Trails are blazed in the standard Polish colours (red, blue, green, yellow, black), painted on tree trunks at eye level.
1. Dziekanów Leśny to Pociecha (Red Trail / Yellow Trail)
- Distance: 12 km loop (roughly 3 to 3.5 hours).
- Route: Take bus 150 to Dziekanów Leśny. Follow the red Main Kampinos Trail (Główny Szlak Kampinoski) west through the Sieraków Strict Nature Reserve. The trail traverses sandy inland dunes before dipping into swampy birch depressions, reaching the clearing at Pociecha where an insurgent monument stands. Loop back via the yellow trail.
2. The Palmiry Memorial Museum (Miejsce Pamięci Palmiry)
In a forest clearing 5 km west of Pociecha. Between December 1939 and July 1941, German SS and Gestapo units took Polish prisoners from Pawiak Prison in Warsaw into the woods and shot over 2,100 people, burying them in pre-dug mass graves. The victims included parliamentarians, physicians, writers and Janusz Kusociński, the 10,000-metre gold medallist at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics.
- The memorial cemetery: 2,115 concrete crosses and Stars of David under Scots pines.
- The museum: A concrete-and-glass pavilion with four skylights around living pines. The exhibition shows recovered personal effects: watches, identity cards, fountain pens and eyeglasses. Open Tuesday to Sunday 10:00 to 16:00; free; closed Mondays.
3. Truskaw Wooden Marsh Boardwalk (Black Trail)
- Distance: 6 km easy walk (1.5 to 2 hours).
- Route: Take bus 210 to Truskaw. Follow the black trail north-west into the Długie Bagno marsh. A raised wooden boardwalk crosses the peat wetlands, where cranes, black storks and tree frogs live.
A winter trail in Kampinos. Photo: Aga Viburno, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Practical advice for hikers and cyclists
- Maps: Mobile signal can fail in the low marsh hollows. Download offline maps in the
mapy.czapp, or pick up a paper 1:50,000 Kampinos tourist map at the tourist information centre on Plac Zamkowy in Warsaw. - Cycling: Mountain bikes and gravel bikes are allowed on the tourist routes and the 144-kilometre Kampinos Bicycle Trail (Kampinoski Szlak Rowerowy). Paths can be deep sand in hot summers, so use tyres of 40 mm or wider.
- Water and food: There are no cafés, shops or water fountains inside the forest. Carry at least 1.5 litres of water and buy snacks in Warsaw.
- Ticks and mosquitoes: The wetlands are thick with mosquitoes from June to August; bring repellent. Check for ticks after walking through ferns and tall grass.
What to see next
- Żelazowa Wola Chopin Day Trip: The composer’s birthplace sits just outside the south-western edge of Kampinos forest.
- Day Trips from Warsaw: Day trips to Łódź, Toruń, Treblinka and Kraków compared.
- Public transport in Warsaw: Fares, validation rules and Zone 2 bus connections.
- Best Time to Visit Warsaw: Weather for hiking and autumn colour.
- Warsaw travel guide: Sights, transport, food and hotels.
Common questions
Is Kampinos National Park free to enter?
Yes. Admission to Kampinos National Park (Kampinoski Park Narodowy) is free, every day of the year. You need no permit or ticket to hike or cycle on the marked trails.
How do I get to Kampinos National Park from Warsaw by public transport?
Take Metro Line M1 to the northern terminal at Młociny. From the Młociny transit interchange, city buses 150, 750 and 850 run to the eastern trailheads at Dziekanów Leśny, Palmiry and Łomianki in 35 to 45 minutes on a Zone 1 and 2 ticket. Alternatively, bus 719 from Metro Bemowo runs to Leszno on the southern edge.
What is special about the landscape in Kampinos National Park?
Sand dunes covered in Scots pine alternate with wetland marshes and alder woods. The park lies on the edge of a capital city; the Tijuca National Park in Rio de Janeiro is the only other national park of its kind.
Can I see wild elk (European moose) in Kampinos?
Yes. Over 300 elk (*łosie*) live wild in the park, along with beavers, wild boar, roe deer, cranes and lynx.
What is the Palmiry Memorial and Museum?
A memorial cemetery and museum in the forest near Palmiry, on the site where German occupation forces secretly executed over 2,000 Polish political leaders, professors, writers and Olympic athletes between 1939 and 1943. Admission is free; it is closed on Mondays.
