If you happen to visit the Ojców National Pak, be it for a trip around the famous Ojców caves (some you can actually enter- do so!), a one-day hike on one of the many trails or just for a lazy walk along the Prądnik river- beware! Not only is Ojców the most obvious escape destination for those tired of the city (15km away from Kraków), it also offers some well-treasured delicacies which surely make the stay there even more enjoyable.
Although we normally treat Ojców as our fitness ‘testing field’, racing through it on bikes or building our stamina before we set off for the Tatra, this time we took it easy. On a first truly sunny and springy day, we opted for a pleasant walk along the Prądnik river, focused on enjoying the energizing greenness around us. Having beaten no world record in terms of intensity this time, we nevertheless could not help but award ourselves with the very first trout of the year- straight from the fish ponds of Ojców, consumed right at their banks
Although these days the trout from Ojców is also to be found in a number of local markets in Cracow, it surely tastes best right in the National Park.
Undoubtedly, we would have considered another serving, if it hadn’t been for the cakes and cookies waiting for us along the Prądnik river. An amazing cooperative established by two neighbours results in an excellent choice of home-baked cookies, muffins, tarts and pies. Made fresh from season fruits, they disappear within a blink of an eye. Our advice- do hurry up!
They simply taste delicious consumed on the grass nearby the Prądnik river.
If you feel like revisiting by the end of summer, mind the wild apple trees, yielding a bit sour and irregular but deliciously crispy fruit. There are also plenty of walnuts and bramble fruits, perfectly within one’s reach, all very much bio /eco/ gluten-free/ what have you!
With the idea of burning some calories in mind, we walked back to Skała through the forest and some fields, passing by a former Jewish cemetery. The sky above us indicated we could expect some spring thunderstorms, so we made sure to keep a good pace…
Getting there: Set your GPS to Ojców (car park available, though it gets filled quite quickly, so make sure you come in early) or take a private bus from Kraków to Skała (the bus stop is in front of Galeria Krakowska). The ride is about 30-40 min, from there it still takes some 5 km walking on an asphalt road (direction Ojców) or through the forest straight to the National Park- if you take the route passing by the former Jewish cemetery. The latter is highly recommendable.
10This is just a brief summary of the PL language version, focusing on key information. We are happy to elaborate upon it, share insiders’ tips, advise- just shoot a comment or an email and we’ll be happy to assist you in exploring Poland!