Ełk: Lakes, Trails and Discoveries
Accommodation in Ełk
Ełk combines lakeside experiences with long routes for active days and discoveries in the city. On Lake Ełk, you can sail, go stand-up paddleboarding or fish; along its shore, there is also an almost 7 km-long promenade and two bathing beaches. When choosing your holiday apartment, consider whether you would most like to focus on time by the water, cycling trips or culture in Ełk.
At Lake Ełk: Promenade, Beaches and Water Sports
The promenade along Lake Ełk is a walking and cycling path and can also be used for inline skating. At almost 7 km long, it offers various ways to travel along it on foot or on wheels. Two bathing beaches are located directly on the promenade. The lake is in the centre of Ełk and offers opportunities for sailing, stand-up paddleboarding and fishing. If you like to consider a variety of activities when planning your trip, you will find lakeside paths, beach visits and water sports here as distinct reasons to stay.
Ełk's high ropes course is also located on the shore of Lake Ełk. It has three courses of varying difficulty, adapted to users' ages. This gives families a concrete point of reference when planning an outing with children of different age groups.
Cycling and Hiking Routes of Different Lengths
For a longer cycling trip, the blue “Morenowe Wzgórza” route runs for 30 km from Ełk via Straduny, Piaski, Malinówka, Królowa Wola, Czerwonka, Grabnik and Chrzanowo, and back to Ełk. Another route option is the Michał Kajka Trail: it starts in Ełk and runs for 37 km to Skomack Wielki. The Tatars Trail also starts in Ełk, is 19 km long and leads via Szyba, Tatars Hill, Chochołki and Ostrykół to Prostki and Bogusze. These three details help you distinguish the routes by their stated lengths and courses.
The MTB route of Ełk County is 15 km long. It runs in the area around Tatars Hill and Tatars Lake, along the Ełk–Wiśniowo Ełckie route. When planning your tours, it is helpful to distinguish this route from the longer routes described: it is designated as an MTB route and follows its own course.
The Pope's Trail also starts in Ełk, at the place where Saint John Paul II celebrated the Eucharist on 8 June 1999. Its individual sections can be walked all year round and completed on foot or by bicycle; in winter, it can also be used on skis. This trail therefore explicitly accommodates different ways of getting around and year-round use.
City History and Getting Oriented for Excursions
In the centre of Ełk is a complex of 19th-century townhouses featuring Art Nouveau and eclectic elements. It offers a glimpse of the different architectural styles of the period during a city walk. Kopernika Park is designed as an educational park: its layout is based on a planetary system and teaches children and young people about astronomy and physics through play. It is on ul. Wojska Polskiego, near the mouth of the Ełk River.
Another way to explore the area is the Ełk Narrow-Gauge Railway. It currently offers tourist passenger trips on trains hauled by a diesel locomotive along the Ełk–Sypitki–Ełk route. The trips run according to a timetable or by arrangement. Ełk's transport connections are also relevant for planning your arrival: the city is served by national roads 16 and 65 and railway lines 38, 41, 219 and 223. The railway station and bus station are right next to each other; their addresses are 16 Dąbrowskiego Street and 1 Dąbrowskiego Street, respectively.
Other places in the region include Bajtkowo, Gorlo, Miluki, Mrozy Wielkie, Ruska Wies, Sikory Juskie, Woszczele, Stare Juchy, Golubie, Szeligi, Ełk, Nowa Wieś Ełcka, Guty Rożyńskie, Zawady Ełckie, Orzechowo, Regiel, Straduny, Kalinowo, Zdunki, Laśmiady, Rękusy, Bogusze, Bartosze, Małkinie, Chrzanowo, Sajzy and Lepaki Wielkie.
For the regional travel overview: Warmia-Masuria.
