Things to do in Podlaskie Province

Top Things to Do in Podlaskie Province

Things to Do in Podlaskie Province


Top Attractions in Podlaskie Province

These rankings are informed by traveller reviews—we consider the quality, quantity, recency, consistency of reviews, and the number of page views over time.
Natural History Museums
Nature and Forest Museum is the oldest museum in the Polish national parks. Its traditions reach back to the interwar period, and its collection includes many precious scientific collections and rare specimens. BNP Nature and Forest Museum is housed in a modern building, which in an innovative and attractive manner exhibits natural collections, ranging from zoology, through botany ending with historic use of the forest. processes characteristic for the Bialowieża National Park receive special focus. Permanent exposition presents the most characteristic forest communities of the forest, including riverine forest, alder carr, decidous lime-hornbeam-oak forest, pine forest, boreal sprucebog), ecological processes (e.g. tree decomposition stages) and natural phenomena (e.g. extraordinary number of species of fungi and animal world). The culture related section of the exhibit is devoted to presentation of the types of historic use of the Forest over the span of several centuries (haymaking, bee keeping, processing wood into turpentine and charcoal, narrow gauge forest trains). All the nature-related issues are divided into thematic blocks with the use of realistic pictures presenting animals, mushrooms and plants in their natural environments. A number of means of expression were used during design of the said pictures: scenic light, sounds (including natural sounds of birds and large mammals), large format coloured photographs, mock-up models. Computers equipped with touch screens (so-called multimedia stands) were installed on two exposition levels with the total area of 1500 m2, providing rapid and simplified access to additional information, supplementing information provided by the tour guide. Museum is prepared also to meet the needs of handicapped people. People on wheelchairs can visit the exhibition without any problems. They can also move between the building levels thanks to a platform and a lift, which were installed in the building especially for this purpose. The blind are allowed to examine selected exhibits using the sense of touch, though exclusively after a prior curator's consent.
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What travellers are saying

  • Nic B
    London, UK22 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Bialowieza Forest

    895303035

    We drove to Bialowieza and stayed in Wejmutka, a very good value hotel which has the appearance of an old hunting lodge. It has a kitchen you can cook in but no meals are served. There is a shop about 400m away which is opposite a good restaurant called Fanaberia.
    We had gone to the area to visit the Bialowieza National Park and hopefully see some bison. We used the Bialowieza National Park website which has useful information and a list of licensed guides - you need one to enter the protected area. The museum/tourist office does not book the guides for you: they have the same list which is on the website and it is up to you to find one that will be available. We called a few in the morning and got lucky : one was free at 2pm called Renata Krzysciak-Kosinska. She said we would be unlikely to see any bison ( they are around at dawn and dusk) but took we decided we didn't mind. We had a 4 hour walking tour with her in the forest (600 PZL between 5 of us) and it was absolutely fascinating. Her knowledge about the flora and fauna and history of the primeval forest was extensive and the time flew by. Her English was very good too. We may drop in to the bison breeding centre on our way out tomorrow but these are bison in captivity.
    Written 15 June 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Genealogytour.com
    Southern Poland, Poland34 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Branicki Palace is always a pleasure to visit. A beautiful garden with unique architecture creates a wonderful combination.
    Written 4 December 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Steve
    36 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A very charming area.There are lots of bars to sit inside or out at reasonable prices.The square is 17th and 18th century and very easy on the eye.
    Written 24 April 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Givingtree23
    Leipzig, Germany5 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Based on past reviews on TripAdvisor, we booked an English-speaking tour thru PTTK. While I could spend all day out, my teenage daughter was not so gung ho, so I booked the 4h “most popular tour”. The back and forth via email was a little trying, but they just wanted to check, double-check (and triple-check) that I understood that if no one else requested an English tour on that day, then I would have to pay the full price (~ 400 zloty) for a tour. If anyone else joined in later, they promised that I’d be refunded some portion. Plus, I had to pay in advance by either transferring the money or by sending my credit card details via unsecured email. So, it’s expensive and a leap of faith, but because of the positive reviews here, I was confident they were a trustworthy group. Visiting this park has been in my bucket list for over 20 years, so I was willing to take on the expense. I decided to transfer the tour fee via TransferWise (*much* cheaper and faster than bank-to-bank, can highly recommend).

    Indeed we were the only English speakers that day (at least with PTTK, which seems to be the main outfit in the park), and so we had Patryck all to ourselves. We absolutely hit the jackpot. He is a scientist in the field, an encyclopedia of knowledge, enthusiastic, friendly, and said that when talking about Bialowieza, he was more comfortable speaking in English than in Polish. We learned a lot from him and had a very enjoyable time.

    It was an easy, flat walk through the woods, relating historical events to the current situation. The bugs weren’t too bad (but later in the day elsewhere in the park they were horrendous!), sneakers perfectly adequate, long pants/trousers recommended (some narrow paths with stinging nettles).

    We didn’t see any wildlife other than insects and birds. You have to get up earlier than my teenage daughter was prepared to do! But she, too, was very happy with the tour. Afterwards, we bought a map and checked out some other hiking trails along the Belarusian border. That was also beautiful, but even more so because of all the knowledge we had just gained from Patryck.
    Written 6 August 2020
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Walter_Oostelbos
    The Hague, The Netherlands280 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Must see when in East Poland. The entire village of Kruszyniany was designated a national Polish historic monument in 2012.
    Written 27 August 2022
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • matthewandpaula
    Winchester, UK45 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    If you go to Bialowiesa you want to see Bison. If you go here its guaranteed. Some really big beasts here including a hybrid which is a monster. Also boar, lynx, deer and wolves. Clean building with immaculate toilets. Well worth a visit.
    Written 25 August 2019
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Dorota
    Katowice, Poland3 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Ideal place for people who wish to avoid crowded touristy spots. Lots of options for hiking, riding a bike, and bird watching. Quiet and peaceful. Prices in this region are really low, especially compared to Polish cities.
    Podlaskie Voivodeship has three other National Parks and many beautiful Orthodox churches.
    Written 31 July 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Dominik Kiezik
    Warsaw, Poland4,729 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Quite Interesting Synagogue. I know that during holidays and dates that are important for Jews, many of them come to this town to celebrate their celebrations. There were few tourists when I was there. It can be seen that the building may at least partly date back to its construction around the 17th century, perhaps earlier.
    Written 7 May 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Marek N
    3 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Reach exchibition of orhodox icons mostly from Russia. You can see some oryginal icons and other paintings from old Supraśl monastery damaged by german troops in 1944
    Written 21 July 2022
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • ziemowitiwanski
    Warsaw, Poland65 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Holly othodox churche hill, with nice churche and monastyr on site. Every August 15th a lot of pilgims and big religious event.
    Written 27 July 2018
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • woz91
    W-wa137 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    The church has been described many times. Is it accessible for a wheelchair user? Yes. You have two options to choose from. A well-shaped driveway located on the side of the buildings or a car driveway located at the back of the church. You can easily get inside. When you are in Białystok in the summer, do not forget about the organ concerts that take place in this church. It's worth going for it.
    Written 4 July 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • ArjenKemper
    Scheveningen, The Netherlands25 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    The exhibition was divided into 20+ different scenes filled with animals, plants etc that make up the forest. At each scene something about the forest is explained. You are guided through by an audiotour. The scenes are only lighted up when you should be there according to the audiotour. If you however get a little stuck with your audiodevice or pause it you have to miss some of the information or walk behind and look at dark scenes. There is no option for a little pause. The info however is really good. Maybe a bit to dense if you're not a focused listener or get distracted easily. All in all worth the money (entrance fee is 15zł)
    Written 14 December 2018
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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