Guides

Świętokrzyski National Park Day Trip From Warsaw: Tickets and Trails

The essentials: Świętokrzyski National Park entry costs 11 zł (5.50 zł reduced), valid for one calendar day and sold online around the clock. The Święty Krzyż sanctuary is open daily 9:00-17:00 and the gołoborze gallery costs 14 zł. From Warsaw, take a train to Kielce, then a regional bus toward Nowa Słupia.

Published 24 Oct 2026, 08:05 CEST · By Expats Poland Editorial Team

The gołoborze quartzite blockfield on Łysa Góra with a view over the Świętokrzyskie foothills

The oldest mountains in Europe, within reach of Warsaw

The Świętokrzyskie Mountains, presented by the region's official tourism portal as the oldest mountains in Europe, rise in south-central Poland between Warsaw, Łódź and Kraków. Świętokrzyski National Park protects the Łysogóry, the highest of their ranges, including the two best-known summits: Łysica at 612 metres, the highest peak in the Świętokrzyskie Mountains, and Łysa Góra, also called Święty Krzyż, at 595 metres, crowned by a working monastery. For an expat based in Warsaw it is the most distinctive upland landscape within day-trip range: ancient fir and beech forest, slopes of loose quartzite boulders called gołoborze, and a pilgrimage site on top.

Late October is a fine moment to go. The beech forest turns copper, the summer crowds are gone, and the park's trails stay open from dawn to dusk all year. A few closures apply this autumn, so check the current state below before you set out. This guide covers what entry costs, what is open, and how to do the trip from Warsaw with or without a car.

* Data source: swpn.gov.pl official park site and swietokrzyskie.travel regional tourism portal, checked 23 October 2026.

Tickets: 11 zł, valid for one calendar day

Entry to the park costs 11 zł for a normal ticket and 5.50 zł for a reduced ticket, and the price list applies year-round. Reduced tickets cover pupils and students, pensioners, people with disabilities and active soldiers. Entry is free for children under 7, holders of the Large Family Card (Karta Dużej Rodziny), and pilgrims travelling to the sanctuary for worship. A package combining park entry with the gołoborze viewing gallery costs 18.50 zł normal and 10.50 zł reduced.

You can buy tickets online around the clock through the park's online sales platform, or offline at sales points in Nowa Słupia, Święta Katarzyna and at the gallery entrance (the seasonal points operate at minimum from 1 April to 31 October), as well as at the park office in Bodzentyn. One rule catches visitors out: the ticket is valid only for the calendar day of the visit, and you should keep it on you because tickets are checked on the trails.

* Data source: swpn.gov.pl official ticket price list and sales information, checked 23 October 2026.

Święty Krzyż: the monastery on the bald mountain

The summit of Łysa Góra carries the Święty Krzyż sanctuary, a monastery run by the Missionary Oblates and one of Poland's oldest pilgrimage destinations. The sanctuary is open daily from 9:00 to 17:00, and until 20:00 in the summer season, and guided tours of the monastery can be reserved by phone at +48 784 718 580. It remains an active place of worship, and the sanctuary asks visitors to behave with due respect during services.

Two current closures matter for autumn visitors. Under the park's tourist notice of 15 October 2026, the Museum on Święty Krzyż is closed, and the horse trail named after Major Henryk Dobrzański "Hubal" is closed until further notice. The park's educational paths remain open.

* Data source: swietykrzyz.pl official sanctuary site and swpn.gov.pl tourist notice of 15 October 2026, checked 23 October 2026.

The gołoborze: stone rivers and a viewing gallery

The gołoborze are the park's signature landscape: broad slopes covered in loose quartzite boulders, bare of soil and vegetation, that look from a distance like rivers of stone running down through the forest. Walking across them is a strange experience, the rocks shifting underfoot, and they are the feature most visitors remember longest.

On Łysa Góra, a viewing gallery lets you look out over the gołoborze safely. Entry to the gallery costs 14 zł normal, 7.50 zł and 5.00 zł in the reduced categories, or is included in the 18.50 zł (10.50 zł reduced) package with park entry. The gallery entrance also serves as one of the park's seasonal ticket sales points.

Quartzite boulders of the gołoborze blockfield below spruce forest on Łysa Góra

* Data source: swpn.gov.pl official price list, checked 23 October 2026.

Trails, dogs and the rules to know

The park is open from dawn to dusk. Marked hiking trails link the main summits, including the red trail that runs from Huta Szklana up the asphalt road to Łysa Góra, and routes over Łysica from the Święta Katarzyna side. Dogs are welcome on only two routes: the red trail along the Huta Szklana-Łysa Góra asphalt road, and the path from Święta Katarzyna to Podgórze. On all other trails dogs are not allowed.

Two more rules are worth knowing. The horse trail is closed until further notice under the 15 October 2026 notice, and drones are banned in the airspace directly above the park without the consent of the park director, under the park's visiting regulations. In late October, remember that dusk comes early: plan to be off the summit trails well before dark.

* Data source: swpn.gov.pl visiting rules and tourist notice, and swietykrzyz.pl citing the park regulations, checked 23 October 2026.

Getting there from Warsaw

By train, the route runs through Kielce, the regional capital. PKP Intercity operates Warsaw-Kielce services, and the regional tourism portal recommends POLREGIO trains and the buses that fan out from the Kielce bus station to reach attractions across the region. From Kielce, regional buses run toward Nowa Słupia, the village at the foot of Święty Krzyż.

The last leg has two classic options, both described by the sanctuary. From Nowa Słupia you can leave the car at a paid car park and climb the blue tourist trail known as the Royal Way (Droga Królewska) to the top; tourists need a valid park ticket for this route, while pilgrims walk free. From the other side, the Huta Szklana car park sits about 2 km from the summit, and the walk up the asphalt road is free of charge. In the afternoons, electric carts (meleksy) shuttle visitors up that road as public transport. General traffic beyond Huta Szklana is banned under a B1 no-entry sign, with exceptions that include monastery residents and guests, municipal, county and park services, people with a disabled parking card, and certain pilgrimage coaches, which may drive up to drop off passengers before returning to the car park.

* Data source: intercity.pl official carrier page, swietokrzyskie.travel regional transport guide and swietykrzyz.pl official access page, checked 23 October 2026.

Planning the day

A realistic day trip looks like this: take an early train from Warsaw to Kielce, continue by bus to Nowa Słupia, buy your park ticket online before you leave home (remember it is valid for that calendar day only), then climb the Royal Way to the summit. Visit the sanctuary between 9:00 and 17:00, walk out to the gołoborze viewing gallery, and descend toward Huta Szklana, on foot down the asphalt road or by meleks in the afternoon. If you have energy left, the Łysica side from Święta Katarzyna adds the range's highest summit, though most day-trippers save it for a second visit.

Pack for a real mountain in late October: the summit ridge is several degrees colder than Warsaw, the gołoborze boulders are slippery when wet, and the forest paths hold mud after rain. Carry a charged phone with your online ticket, check the park's current tourist notice for closures before you go, and leave the drone at home.

* Photos: CC BY-SA 4.0 Agnieszka Kwiecień (Nova) via Wikimedia Commons (gołoborze blockfield with panoramic view, cover; quartzite boulders on the gołoborze slope, body).

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to enter Świętokrzyski National Park?

A normal ticket costs 11 zł and a reduced ticket 5.50 zł. Reduced tickets cover pupils and students, pensioners, people with disabilities and active soldiers. Children under 7, Large Family Card holders and pilgrims heading to places of worship enter free. A package combining park entry with the gołoborze viewing gallery costs 18.50 zł (10.50 zł reduced).

Is the Święty Krzyż monastery open to tourists?

Yes. The sanctuary is open daily from 9:00 to 17:00 (until 20:00 in summer) and guided tours can be reserved by phone. It is an active place of worship, so visitors are asked to behave with respect. Note that the museum on Święty Krzyż is currently closed until further notice under the park's 15 October 2026 notice.

Can I bring a dog to Świętokrzyski National Park?

Only on two routes: the red trail that follows the asphalt road from Huta Szklana to Łysa Góra, and the path from Święta Katarzyna to Podgórze. Dogs are not allowed on the park's other trails.

How do I get to Świętokrzyski National Park from Warsaw without a car?

Take a train from Warsaw to Kielce (PKP Intercity runs the route), then a regional bus from the Kielce bus station toward Nowa Słupia. From Nowa Słupia the blue Royal Way trail climbs to the summit, and from the Huta Szklana car park an asphalt road leads about 2 km to the sanctuary, with electric carts running in the afternoons.