The Karkonosze are the Polish side of the same mountains the Czechs call Krkonoše — one ridge, two countries, and a summit you can stand on with a foot in each. Karpacz, at their foot, holds an extraordinary thing: a 12th-century Norwegian stave church, bought and moved here plank by plank in the 1840s.
1. The Wang Church
Karpacz Górny · Map ↗
A medieval Norwegian stave church of carved dark timber, standing incongruously in a Polish mountain garden. There is nothing else like it in Central Europe.
2. Śnieżka summit
On the Czech border · Map ↗
The border runs across the top; the Polish observatory and the Czech chapel share the summit. Two countries, one photograph.
3. The Silesian mountain hostels
Ridge · Map ↗
Stone refuges on the plateau with terraces, warm interiors and huge views — good shelter and good frames.
4. Kamieńczyk & Szklarki waterfalls
Near Szklarska Poręba · Map ↗
Poland's highest waterfalls in the range, in mossy gorges reachable on short forest walks.
5. Palace valley (Kotlina Jeleniogórska)
Below the mountains · Map ↗
A valley of over a dozen restored palaces and manor gardens — an unexpected concentration of grandeur.
Two sides of one ridge
You can walk up from the Czech side and down into Poland, or take the Polish chairlift at Kopa. For couples staying in Czechia, the Polish flank offers different architecture, different food and the Wang church — enough contrast to feel like a proper journey, an hour and a half from Špindlerův Mlýn by road.
Mountain conditions
Śnieżka is exposed and famously windy, and weather turns quickly. Plan the summit for a settled forecast, keep the Wang church and the waterfalls as a beautiful low-altitude fallback, and bring warm layers whatever the valley thermometer says.
Frequently asked questions
How do you get to Karpacz from Prague?
About three hours by car via Liberec and the border crossing at Jakuszyce, or via Trutnov. There are no formalities at the border — both countries are in Schengen.
Can you stand on the Czech-Polish border at the summit?
Yes. The frontier runs across the top of Śnieżka, marked by stones, with the Polish observatory and the Czech chapel of St Lawrence both on the summit.
What is the Wang Church?
A wooden stave church built in Norway around 1200, bought by the Prussian king in the 1840s, dismantled and re-erected in Karpacz. It is still an active Lutheran church.
Do you need to hike to reach the summit?
A chairlift runs to Kopa, leaving a walk of about an hour on a marked path to the summit. Alternatively the Czech cable car from Pec pod Sněžkou goes almost to the top.