Road bike rental in Warsaw and where to ride for a day

Warsaw sits in flat, green country cut by rivers, and the riding gets better the moment the suburbs end. Forests, reservoirs, castles and spa towns lie within a morning's pedal, and several rides finish at a railway station, which turns a long day into a one-way trip. The tourism office's advice is to allow at least a few hours for such a trip, or a whole day if you want to linger.⁷

The city has an unusual neighbour: it is the only European capital next to a national park.⁸ The Kampinos forest begins just beyond the north-western districts, close enough to reach from a metro station. To the north lies Zegrze Lake, to the south the Vistula valley with its orchards and a ruined castle, and to the east the sandy trails of the Mazovian Landscape Park.

This page sorts those rides by direction, with what each asks of you and how to get home. On the map, the day-rides panel pins the start points and destinations. For road and gravel bike rental in Warsaw, see the section further down: the right bike matters more out here than it does on the boulevards, where any city bike will do.

Zegrze Lake, the reservoir locals call the Warsaw Sea, is the biggest in the Warsaw area.³² It lies about 35 km from the Palace of Culture and Science, reached by following the Żerań Canal.¹ The Warsaw by Bike shop publishes the ride as a 56 km round trip from the Radosław Roundabout that takes 5 hours or more.⁹ The surface is flat asphalt with some gravel, kept apart from car traffic, and suits any bike, trailers included.²⁶

The canal path is a nature ride as much as a commute. Herons, wild ducks and beavers live along the water.¹⁰ At Nieporęt a beach with a bathing area, a children's paddling pool and water equipment rental waits at the end.¹¹ Windsurfers ride 2 km further to Białobrzegi, with its windsurfing base and a port full of sailing boats.¹² And if your legs give up, a train from Nieporęt station returns to central Warsaw in under 40 minutes.⁶

Modlin is the north-western counterpart, more than 40 km from the Palace of Culture and Science.²² The reward is a fortress whose hexagonal citadel building runs for more than 2 kilometres.³³ Ride around it or climb the lookout tower, and look out for the story of a tame polar bear brought there by Polish soldiers. It is a full day, and the riverside towns on the way make good lunch stops.

East of the river, a route of about 50 km there and back leads from the Siekierkowski Bridge through Anin to the Mazovian Landscape Park.²³ Allow around 3 hours.⁵⁶ Here the Vistula's tributaries still run wild, and the winding Świder river gives the area its charm. The park's Wawer trails are 8 routes of different difficulty, and the blue one is nicknamed the Butcher for its sandy stretches.⁵⁷

Families have choices too. The yellow Wawer trail suits small children, while older children cope with the green and red ones.²⁹ The trail ends lie close to transport, and a tired family can return to Warsaw by suburban train.²⁴ On sand, wide tyres help more than gears, and a trekking or mountain bike beats a city bike with narrow wheels.

Strong riders will find the area's toughest ground here. A black mountain bike trail in the same park runs 27 km through dunes, wetlands and hills.³⁰ Its height differences reach 22 metres.⁵⁸ North of the city, the Wieliszew Cross Route is about 12.5 km long with over 200 metres of climbing, and the route record, set by the road cyclist Cezary Zamana, is 31 minutes 54 seconds.^31,59

The riding season follows the weather. The figures here pair rainfall from the Warsaw-Okecie station, 7.7 km from the center, with temperatures from the Siedlce station, 84.3 km east.⁶⁹ In May, highs average 19.4 °C, and the mid-month sun stays up for 15.7 hrs.⁶⁹ By July they reach 24.9 °C, with 75 mm of rain in the month.⁶⁹ A waterproof layer earns its place in the pannier through the summer months.

September is a fine month for long rides: highs average 18.7 °C and the rain eases to 46 mm.⁶⁹ The forests turn gold in October, when highs average 12.5 °C.⁶⁹ Early spring is cool and the forest tracks can stay wet, while from November the days are short and cold. The Veturilo city bikes, a handy add-on for the city legs of a ride, run from 1 March to 30 November.⁷⁰

Whatever the month, start early. Light is the limit on long rides, and a morning departure leaves time for a swim at Zegrze or a slow lunch in Konstancin. Pack lights anyway: a front and rear set is required when visibility is poor.⁴⁹ If the weather turns, the trains are your friend, and that is the main reason to plan rides with a station at the far end.