Warta is the largest river in Wielkopolska (third longest in Poland) and makes a true axis of the region, with many towns and cities laying on its banks. Despite of this, it preserved its natural beauty and today remains one of the few Europe’s natural major rivers. You may of course discover it from a boat or kayak, during a cruise on the Great Waterway Loop of Wielkopolska, but why not to try a bike and hit the Warta Bicycle Trail?

The Warta Bicycle Trail starts in Międzychód in western Wielkopolska (on the border with lubuskie region and about 100 km from the border with Germany) and ends at the shores of lake Jeziorsko – 372 km away. The middle point of the trail is the Poznań Bicycle Trail Hub, located on the western shores of lake Malta, not fat away from the city center. Here converge almost all long-distance bicycyle trails of Wielkopolska.

If you’d like to discover Wielkopolska as a whole, then the Warta Bicycle Trail is a great idea. Because it crosses all over the region you can see all the landscapes of our region – lake lands to the west, dense mixed forest, some picturesque old town centers or vast marshes in the river valley.

For a weekend trip we recommend you three parts of the trail:

• From Międzychód to Oborniki. This covers some of the Land of 100 Lakes, beautiful forests, gentle hills and some pretty little towns.
• From Poznań, along the river, to the Wielkopolska National Park and the Rogalin Landscape Park (with a beautiful palace and the legendary 800-years-old oaks).
• From Pyzdry, a wonderful little town on the Warta bank, to Konin – a major industrial hub, but also beautifully situated between a couple of lakes.

Text: Jacek Cieślewicz