Las Wolski Forest

Las Wolski is about four hundred and twenty hectares of beech, oak and pine on the limestone hills west of Krakow, bought by the city in the 1910s and kept as public forest, and it functions as the city's lung and weekend walk. Three things sit in it. Krakow zoo, opened in 1929, is in the middle. The Pilsudski Mound, raised between 1934 and 1937 by public subscription and hand labour on Sowiniec hill, is one of four artificial mounds around the city - a Krakow tradition going back to the prehistoric Krakus and Wanda mounds - and gives a view over the whole city and, on a clear day, the Tatras. And the Camaldolese monastery at Bielany, founded in 1604, stands on a limestone bluff above the Vistula: the order is enclosed and silent, the church admits men on most days, and women are admitted on about twelve specified days a year, which is a rule that catches visitors out.

What you actually see

• A city forest - 420 hectares of beech, oak and pine bought by Krakow in the 1910s.
• The Pilsudski Mound - raised by hand in the 1930s, with the city and the Tatras from the top.
• Bielany monastery - an enclosed Camaldolese house of 1604 above the Vistula.
• A twelve-day rule - women admitted to the monastery church on about twelve days a year.

When to go

April to October. A day; check the monastery's admission dates.

Honest expectations

The monastery admits women only on about twelve specified days a year - check before going. The zoo is a separate ticket and divides opinion. Trails are busy at weekends. The mound charges a small fee.

Nearby

Zakrzowek is east; Krakow's old town is further east again.