Nature trails offering different perspectives
The Osowa Góra–Jeziory nature trail is 5.5 km long; this figure refers to the one-way route. The stated walking time is three hours. The trail introduces basic plant communities and the natural features of areas under strict protection. It ends at a viewpoint overlooking the castle island in Lake Góreckie.
The Nadwarciański nature trail is also 5.5 km long, with a walking time of 3.5 hours. It runs along the Warta River and showcases habitats ranging from poplar-willow floodplain forests to pine forests. Although the stated lengths are the same, the walking times differ by half an hour. The trails also have different focuses: one highlights plant communities and protected areas, while the other follows the sequence of habitats along the river.
Glacial landscapes and protected areas
Wielkopolski National Park protects a glacially shaped landscape with forest and lake ecosystems among meadows, fields and erratic boulders. Its 18 areas under strict protection preserve glacial landforms, near-natural plant communities and the animals associated with them. The Ostoja Wielkopolska Natura 2000 site is a Special Area of Conservation for habitats and overlaps with the national park.
Ostoja Wielkopolska encompasses rolling and hilly terrain on the left bank of the Warta River in the Greater Poland Lowland. Another impressive figure awaits you in Ostoja Rogalińska: this Natura 2000 site is home to more than 1,000 oaks, including three specimens that are over 500 years old. Each of the two areas gives the landscape its own focus—one on landforms and habitats, the other on old oak stands.
The nature experiences also vary. Nadwarciański Landscape Park is well suited to birdwatching. In the Kraina 100 Jezior, you can cycle across distinctly hilly terrain. Wielkopolski National Park is also visited by cyclists and serves as a recreational area for the surrounding communities, especially Poznań. For water tourism, there is the marked Wielka Pętla Wielkopolski: the 688 km route follows the Warta and Noteć rivers, several lakes and two navigable canals. Its scale differs considerably from that of the two nature trails and adds a long-distance water route to the range of options.
Museum and planning your visit
The permanent exhibition at the Muzeum Przyrodnicze WPN is presented in four exhibition rooms on the ground floor of the Wielkopolski National Park Directorate building in Jeziory. The museum is open Monday to Friday from 08:00 to 14:00. On Sundays, it is open from 11:00 to 18:00, from 1 April to 30 September. Check the opening hours again before your visit.
Cultural sites and regional cuisine
Gniezno Cathedral was the site of the coronation of Polish kings. The Muzeum Zamek Opalińskich in Sieraków documents, among other things, Piotr Opaliński’s participation in Władysław IV’s campaign to Moscow. The Muzeum im. Adama Mickiewicza offers a different architectural setting, housed in a Palladian palace in Śmiełów. Pałac w Rogalinie is one of the historic residences worth visiting in Greater Poland.
A regional specialty is also part of the discovery: Andruty Kaliskie are a local delicacy baked using a traditional method. Greater Poland’s attractions thus range from nature watching and cycling to nature trails and water tourism, as well as history, architecture and regional food culture. Plan your trip around the themes that interest you most.
Discover more destinations: Poznań, Krotoszyn, Kalisz, Śrem, Gniezno, Szamotuły, Piła, Wągrowiec, Środa Wielkopolska, Ostrów Wielkopolski, Słupca County, Gostyń, Nowy Tomyśl, Międzychód, Wolsztyn, Czarnków, Rawicz, Warta River crossings, Konin, Leszno, Chodzież, Grodzisk Wielkopolski, Jarocin, Kępno, Kościan, Oborniki, Ostrzeszów, Pleszew, Turek, Września, Złotów.
For the overall travel guide: Poland.
