Beach Day Bike Adventure in Warsaw
When I first came to Warsaw in 2017, I remember Kasia driving me around and I was always confused about where we had driven to. My hometown, Toronto, is a very grid-like city. But Warsaw, like most European cities, is not grid-like and I felt lost on many occasions. But with time, I came to understand my new home - how to get around, where to go, and the places that made my heart sing. Seven years later, I know the place well and I like sharing my favourite spots. Today, I share one of my prized bike adventures along the Vistula River south of Warsaw.
First, a backstory about how I found this place. During the pandemic, I decided to invest in an e-bike. I had biked a lot in the city on my road bike but the idea of an e-bike sounded great for travelling longer distances without getting tired and sweaty. When I finally got my e-bike, I decided to head south from where we live in Wilanów and follow the Vistula River. Little did I know, hiding under my nose this whole time, was an incredible nature reserve, Rezerwat przyrody Wyspy Zawadowskie w Warszawie, so close to home.
Surrounding the nature reserve are many small villages and farm fields. It can be hard to believe given the proximity to Warsaw, but here you enter a more rural part of Poland. The nature reserve has many spacious pristine beaches on the river with nice white sand. Unfortunately, swimming here isn’t possible as the water is shallow but if it’s a hot day, you can cool off in the river.
To get to the beach, you have to walk through a forest for a few minutes. This is what makes it such an oasis; it also means there is no infrastructure around so you need to bring everything you’ll want for the day.
My favourite part of visiting this beach, aside from the beach itself, is the bike trip from Wilanów. There are three great stops along the journey. If possible, I recommend doing this as a bike trip starting from this point in Wilanów. It’s a beautiful ride and it’s comfortable as there are bike lanes for the city portion of the trip and then quiet roads with little car traffic for the remainder. This trip requires riding for a total of 26km so keep that in mind to make sure you are comfortable biking that distance.
The first stop is Tandem Bar, an 11km ride from the starting point in Wilanów. You should aim to arrive at Tandem for lunchtime to enjoy Polish barbeque classics. Tandem Bar is not fancy but it’s cozy and it epitomizes Polish summer to me. This family establishment has a small trailer to prepare the food along with an outdoor grill. The food is simple but it is a good example of what Polish people typically eat during the summertime. There is outdoor seating and a bathroom on-site. To try the most traditional food, order kiełbasa (sausage), karkówka (pork neck), frytki (french fries), and if possible, a few ogórki (pickles). You can grab a couple of beers or non-alcoholic beverages too.
From Tandem Bar, you are 800m from the beach. After lunch, I recommend biking to this location and looking for a path through the forest to the beach. After a few minutes of walking, the beach awaits you with a great view of the mighty Vistula River that runs across Poland. Here you can put down some blankets and chill in the peace and quiet of nature.
After spending the afternoon relaxing, it’s time to head to the next stop - dinner at Pizza La Patata. Kasia and I fortuitously stumbled upon this place on one of our bike rides. When we first visited, I got the impression that the place was a warehouse for Italian foodstuffs. I didn’t know what to expect when we ordered but after opening the box, my eyes were pleased. They make light and fresh Neapolitan-style pizzas that rival any pizza I’ve had in Italy. Since we first went, they’ve turned the space into more of a restaurant with outdoor seating.
After dinner, it’s naturally time for dessert. The final stop of the tour is for ice cream! On a quiet side street in an unassuming house, there’s an incredible ice cream shop - Lody Całkiem Niezłe. I’m talking about the best ice cream I’ve ever tasted. They make all sorts of creative handmade flavours - mojito, beer, oat milk, pineapple - along with the classics. They are masters of balancing sweet, savoury, and refreshing. The family running the place is wonderful and they are very patient if you would like to sample a few flavours before making what will be your hardest decision of the day :)
For this bike trip, I recommend starting around 10:30 or 11:00 in the morning and aiming to be back in Wilanów around 19:00 or 20:00. You can adjust the trip length by spending more or less time at the beach.
TRIP ITINERARY
Starting point: Wilanów Królewski
11km ride | directions
Stop 1: Tandem Bar (light lunch)
300m ride | directions
Stop 2: Beach in Ciszyca (relaxing on the beach)
6.6km ride | directions
Stop 3: Pizza La Patata (supper)
2.7km ride | directions
Stop 4: Lody Całkiem Niezłe (dessert)
5.4km ride | directions
Ending point: Wilanów Królewski
This is the perfect day trip between April and September. Let me know your thoughts in the comments if you give this trip a try.
