In Rabka-Zdrój, you can choose from different ways to plan your stay: the extensive Park Zdrojowy, an open-air inhalatorium, marked hiking trails and culture in a historic wooden church. The central park covers 30 hectares and combines landscaped garden areas with activities for exercise and play. You can shape your time in Bad Rabka around the things that interest you most.
Park Zdrojowy and Tężnia Solankowa
The western part of Park Zdrojowy is home to ten themed gardens. These include a rose garden, a rock garden, a garden for climbing plants and a heather area. The different garden areas give the park a variety of character; its facilities also include a health trail, an outdoor gym, a beach volleyball court, tennis courts and children's playgrounds. Some facilities may be undergoing maintenance. If you have a particular facility firmly in mind, check its current status before your visit, if needed.
Tężnia Solankowa, an open-air inhalatorium, is located at the edge of Park Zdrojowy. Using it is straightforward: walk around the structure while inhaling the brine aerosol. This makes the visit different from a hike or a walk through the gardens. Another waterside attraction is the Rabczańskie Bulwary nad Poniczanką, which combine a pedestrian promenade with a cycle path.
Hiking trails, views and nature education
The marked recreational trails start in Park Zdrojowy, at the intersection of Orkana and Chopina streets in the centre of Rabka-Zdrój. The hiking trail network includes a 2.4-kilometre route through the park and a 4.8-kilometre route from the park to Góra Krzywoń. The second is therefore twice as long, and its destination also differs from that of the park route. These details help you factor the length and course of each trail into your plans, without assuming that the two routes connect.
Rabka-Zdrój also lies on the 519-kilometre Główny Szlak Beskidzki. From Rabka, the trail leads to Turbacz, the highest peak in the Gorce at 1,310 metres. Another viewpoint is the tower on Królewska Góra: it is over 25 metres high and offers panoramic views of the Gorce, Beskid Wyspowy, Babia Góra and the Tatra Mountains. The blue hiking trail there runs from Kościuszki Street towards the pass between Bania and Grzebień.
Leśna Ścieżka Edukacyjna is intended for active recreation and nature education for children and young people. Those interested in nature education will find a different focus here from that of the routes, where the stated length and destination are the main points.
Historic wooden church and regional culture
The Władysław Orkan Museum is located in the bell tower of a listed larch-wood church dating from 1606. Its exhibitions present the tangible and intangible heritage of the Podhalans, Zagórzanie, Kliszczacy, Babiogórans and White Gorals. Guslen, Fujara postna and Trembita from the Podhale microregion are also on display. The history of architecture and regional culture come together here, while the park, trails and Tężnia offer other aspects of a visit.
Rabka-Zdrój also hosts an annual Easter palm competition on Palm Sunday, described as one of the oldest competitions of its kind in Poland; Easter stalls are also part of the event. If you would like to plan your trip around this occasion, check this year's event dates in advance. This helps you distinguish the seasonal cultural event from the park, museum and hiking activities described as available year-round.
Discover more destinations: Spytkowice, Grywałd, Łopuszna, Czorsztyn, Lasek, Maniowy, Szczawnica, Chyżne
For the broader travel overview: Nowotarski.
