Kielce is located just halfway between Warszawa a Krakov. Due to that fact ? and the number of its landmarks ? it makes it a perfect spot for holidays. And I mean not just a short city break, but also for a regular, full-sized one! Although it`s the capital of a fast-developing Polish region, the Swietokrzyskie Voivodeship, it`s a rather mid-sized city with a slow pace of life. For some reason, it is not that popular among foreign tourists.
Don`t get fooled by that though, there are plenty of things to do there! Check out these 5 obvious and lesser-known things to do in Kielce!
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Historical landmarks…
Strolling down the Sienkiewicza Street, Kielce`s main street, you will reach eventually The Palace of the Krakow Bishops. Build in the 17th century as a summer home for bishops from the nearby Krakow, is a perfect example of the triumph of Catholicism over the Arian movement. Everywhere go look you`ll see a symbol of the Holy Trinity, number 3.
Above the main entrance, which consist of 3 arcades, there are 3 windows and, of course, 3 loggias. The Palace is a museum of art nowadays and pleases the eyes with a beautiful Italian-style garden located just behind the main building.
Facing the Palace, just next to it, there is the Kielce`s Cathedral. It`s a gem with magnificent baroque features, definitely worth to check out! Alongside the same street small, but interesting, Laszczyk Family Manor House is located. It`s the very last wooden such structure in the city. Now it serves as an open-air-museum.
Just a few minutes walking from the whole Cathedral Hill you can find a unique museum, just one of 3 of this kind in the whole Poland ? The Museum of Toys and Plays. One can admire the collection of both historical and contemporary toys ? great fun, not just for kids!
Don`t miss out also the Karczowka Hill and its former Bernardine monastery. Surrounded by the dense forest it holds a lot of art. The most famous one is a statue of St. Barbara, which was carved in just one piece of lead!
Karczowka is also popular because of its peace, solitude, and magnificent views over Kielce, which you can find there. It`s an excellent observation point. Under good weather condition, you can even spot Lysogory from there! This range is the highest of the whole Swietokrzyskie Mountains.
…and UFOs
If you are not that much into history, and you prefer modern architecture though, Kielce has you covered! A famous Bus Station, due to its unique shape, is known as a ?flying saucer? or ?UFO?. Being recently renovated ? in its original shape ? it has become a true local symbol, which Kielce`s dwellers just adore.
To sum up ? in Kielce possibilities for all sightseeing lovers are innumerable!
Geological open-air museum
While there are plenty of historical monuments in Kielce, what the city is best known for are its geological features. There are 5 geological reserves in the town area! Some of them are even world-know, such as Slichowice Reserve, the very first Polish geological reserve. There, you can literally see with your own eye, something unique in the world scale ? a perfectly visible knocked-down limestone fold. This specific one has even been presented in many textbooks and encyclopedias.
Even if you are not that much into geology, you will definitely enjoy visit to Kadzielnia Hill with its old quarry. There once grew herbs and juniper used for making incense for nearby Cathedral church and hence the hill got its name.
Nowadays is not only plenty of fossils and important educational spots, but moreover a perfect place for all outdoor activities. At Kadzielnia you can explore several shelters and caves ? in total there are 25 of them, but just 3, interconnected ones, in the summer season, are open to the public. In this old quarry, one can also enjoy a zip-line ride and a rope park, and attend a concert or live-show in its modern 500-seats amphitheatre located amidst rocks. In the winter time you can even climb there over the unique artificial icefall!
Geoeducation centre
Don`t miss out The Centre of Geoeducation! It`s located in Wietrznia, another former quarry, where numerous modern exhibitions take place. It even offers a 5D cinema experience! It`s called “Journey to the centre of the Earth”.
During the show, you can literally witness breaking through rocks to get to the core of our planet. It?s open all year round and tickets are free, but, especially in the high season, you should book your visit in advance online or directly on the spot.
Because of its unique geological features and exquisite educational meaning, Swietokrzyskie Geopark has been even included in the UNESCO World Geopark Network. And there is still a lot to come ? a recently opened Botanical Garden covering some rock outcrops is still in progress.
Snowy mountains…
Who doesn`t like hiking? It`s one of the best way to get to know the surroundings and in Kielce there is plenty to see, especially in terms of views and panoramas. The truth is that Swietokrzyskie Mountains are the lowest mountain range in Poland, with its elevation at the highest point ? Lysica ? reaching just 612 m above sea level.
That`s why Kielce`s hiking treks are both picturesque and easy to hike, even for amateur hikers. Many of them are also accessible for the bikers, including Green Velo trail. It`s leading, in the surroundings, from nearby Checiny all the way up to Kielce and further.
The best viewpoint is the summit of Telegraf Mountain, 407 m above the sea level. It`s a great viewpoint overlooking the whole Kielce and above! Moreover, on the top of Telegraf, in the winter season, a popular ski slope is operating. Fully equipped with ski-lift, snow making facilities and full ski service including a rental center, skiing instructors, a restaurant, an ice rink and a car park down below operates in high season.
…and tropical fun
And if you get tired skiing you may want to immerse yourself in a hot tropical atmosphere just 7 min driving from Telegraf, in Binkowski Resort. Swimming pools with banks covered with palm trees, lazy rivers, water playgrounds, saunas ? just to name a few, are among the biggest attractions of this 4-star hotel. Don`t fancy a tropical vibe? You may choose Cedzyna Hotel, just on the outskirts of Kielce, where jacuzzis are located among tall pine trees, in complete serenity.
Modern shopping, trades, sports plays ? you name it!
Hungry for fine dining, shopping, and some excitement? There`s no better place for that than Galeria Echo and Galeria Korona shopping malls. You can find there plenty of restaurants and bars, a cinema, a bowling center, a laser tag arena, playgrounds for kids, a Virtual Reality Center, and even Happy Jumper ? a trampoline park. Moreover, while dining in Kielce, you should definitely try out the famous Kielecki Mayonnaise.
Suzuki Arena, which is better known under the common name, Korona Kielce Stadium, is certainly next one of the epic places to visit while in the city. It holds up to 15,000 seats and has hosted a lot of matches of the Polish National football team. If you are a football fan ? can’t miss it.
If you are keen more to more fancy entertainment though, you should definitely visit Kielce during one of its many newest festivaly, such as… Wind Festival. It takes place in September.
Its name derives from the Polish proverb: “It`s windy as on Kielce`s bus station”. (OK, to be honest, there`s a grain of truth in that argument ? above-mentioned Kielce bus station is round-shaped and due to the fact that there are no barriers to stop the wind, well… it`s windy as hell).
There`s also an International Theatre Festival, a Rock Festival and most of all ? there is Kielce Trade Center. There`s always something going on there! From Fishing and Survival Festival, through Car Tunning Festival, to even European Rover Challenge where you can enjoy meeting with the latest Mars rovers… and even, occasionally, with scientists from NASA!
Legends and festivals!
If, on the opposite, you want to immerse yourself in the Middle Ages and step back in time, just head up to Nowa Slupia. It`s a small village just half an hour driving from Kielce, where since 1967 Dymarki Swietokrzyskie Festival is held.
It`s a really popular archaeological and educational event, with the presentation of the ancient metallurgical workshops which were present in this area ever since. But Dymarki is also a pure folk enjoyable entertainment, where you can eat traditional Polish dishes, try on some old-fashioned garments and have fun at one of many concerts. If you are lucky, on this special night, in the nearby Puszcza Jodlowa, covering the whole Lysogory range, you may even find the legendary fern flower!
How to get there (as for April 2024)
Kielce is easy to reach both from Warszawa, as from Krakov due to its halfway location ? 2h driving from Warszawa and 1,5h driving from Krakow
There are a lot of trains and buses (I recommend especially Flixbus) reaching city
There is public transportation service in Kielce and most of the places mentioned above are walking distance from bus stops (there are no trams in Kielce however!)
to get to Swietokrzyski National Park and Nowa Slupia you should take a local mini bus (local bus station is located just next to the train station) or, in the summer season, use special bus provided by Swietokrzyskie Department of Tourism, which costs just 1 zl ? check out city council website to find out more about it`s schedule
