3 Best Sights in Excursions from Warsaw, Poland

In the village of Granica, near Kampinos and Żelazowa Wola, you'll find the Muzeum Puszczy Kampinoskiej: a small and somewhat dusty museum in a lovely wooden villa, explaining both the local fauna and flora, and the local history. It contains mementoes from the times of the January Uprising (1863, against the Russian Empire) and World War II. Although the museum was established in the 1960s, the building itself is older: a lovely sample of the Polish "vernacular style," typical folk-inspired, wooden architecture of 1920s. The museum is a good starting point for a walk in the woods of the Kampinos National Park.

Officially established in 1959, the ancient kingdom of nature now known as Puszcza Kampinoska became a UNESCO-listed biosphere reserve in 2000. The area has a variety of landscapes and diverse habitats with dune belts separated by swampy areas and a mixture of forest types (bog-alder forest, ash-alder floodplain forest, pine-oak mixed forest, and low oak-lime-hornbeam forest). In addition to the many elk, which feature in the Park's logo, many other species live there, including lynx, rabbits, foxes, deer, European beaver, and wild boar. Some 121 different birds species have been observed here—either as residents or more temporary visitors—including black stork, herons, and cranes. The forest also has some 4,000 resident insect species and more than 1,100 plant species, including 60 protected varieties. In most years, between 500,000 and 1 million visitors hike the park's many trails.

There are many well-marked walking trails in the Kampinos National Park. The main trail of 55 km (34 miles) crosses the park from east to west (from Dziekanów Leśny to Brochów). The lower, green trail also begins in Dziekanów and travels 51 km (32 miles), ending at Żelazowa Wola, Chopin's birthplace. There are several short trails starting in Truskaw—notably the yellow trail of insurgents and partisans—and the blue folklore trail. If you are planning a true hiking trip rather than a short walk, it is worth the trouble to pick up the map of Kampinoski National Park in advance. You can easily spend an entire day in the area.

The most convenient starting points for day-hikers include Truskaw village (in the eastern corner of the park) or Kampinos (in its southwestern section). Both can be reached by PKS bus from Warsaw. If you are driving from Warsaw, you can use one of the unguarded parking lots at the outskirts of the park These can be found in Truskaw, Wólka Węglowa, Granica, or Dąbrowa Stara. You can get to Kampinos in 30 minutes on the suburban Bus 208 towards Sieraków. First, you need to take a metro to Młociny terminus, where you will find the bus stop.

A mecca for all Fryderyk Chopin lovers, the composer's birthplace is a small 19th-century manor house, still with its original furnishings and now a museum dedicated to telling the story of the composer's life. When Chopin was born here on February 22 (or March 1), 1810, his father was a live-in tutor for the children of the wealthy Skarbek family. Although the family soon moved to Warsaw, Fryderyk used to return many times for holidays, and the house—not to mention the sounds and sights of the Mazovian countryside—is said to have influenced him in his early years.

The manor is surrounded by a beautifully landscaped park that was planted in 1930s and designed by Franciszek Krzywda Polkowski. In summer, from May through September, concerts are held on the house's terrace every Sunday at noon and 3 pm. On weekdays, at noon, there are presentations of young artists and talented students playing Chopin.

If you are driving, take Route 2 (E30) west out of Warsaw, and at Sochaczew, turn north on Route 580. The house is also reachable by PKS bus and by private minibuses running from Warsaw's main bus station, but several companies also offer guided tours that include both Żelazowa Wola and Nieborów, the estate of the Radziwiłł family (and sometimes Arkadia Park as well).