Discover Ełk: lakeside, history and trails

Exploring the lakeside

The more than six-kilometre promenade along Jezioro Ełckie has a path for pedestrians and cyclists, suitable for walks, family bike rides and inline skating. When planning your days, you can choose between getting around on foot, by bike or on skates. The high ropes park is also on the lakeshore. Its three courses have different difficulty levels and are adapted to users’ ages. Check the latest operating information before visiting.

The promenade offers a clear point of reference: its path for pedestrians and cyclists links walks, family bike rides and inline skating.

The water tower and learning through play

The water tower was built in 1895 in what was then Przedmieście Garncarskie. It houses the Muzeum Kropli Wody, whose exhibits cover the history of the city and region. The museum is closed indefinitely.

Kopernika Park is an educational park intended to teach children and young people astronomy and physics through playful activities. In the wider destination of Lyck, its design is based on a planetary system. The park is on ul. Wojska Polskiego in Ełk, near the mouth of the Ełk River. Here, a scientific subject meets a playful approach to learning.

In the wider destination of Lyck: water and trails

For more ideas for trips and activities, explore the wider destination of Lyck. Lake Ełk, located in the centre of Ełk, offers opportunities for sailing, stand-up paddleboarding and fishing. Two bathing beaches lie directly beside the lakeside promenade. The wider destination therefore offers both water activities and paths along the shore.

The Ełk Narrow-Gauge Railway currently offers tourist passenger trips on trains hauled by a diesel locomotive along the Ełk–Sypitki–Ełk route, either according to a timetable or by request. If you are planning a trip, check the timetable or booking options in advance. For planning your arrival and routes, it is also useful to know that Ełk is served by national roads 16 and 65 and railway lines 38, 41, 219 and 223. The railway and bus stations are right next to each other. The railway station is at ul. Dąbrowskiego 16 and the bus station at ul. Dąbrowskiego 1.

The routes also differ in length and course. The blue “Morenowe Wzgórza” trail is 30 kilometres long and runs from Ełk via Straduny, Piaski, Malinówka, Królowa Wola, Czerwonka, Grabnik and Chrzanowo before returning to Ełk. The Michał Kajka Trail starts in Ełk and runs for 37 kilometres to Skomack Wielki. The 19-kilometre Tatar Trail also starts in Ełk and runs via Szyba, Tatar Hill, Chochołki and Ostrykół to Prostki and Bogusze. Comparing the distances gives you a clear point of reference, while the starting points, routes and destinations vary.

The Papal Trail starts in Ełk at the place where Saint John Paul II celebrated the Eucharist on 8 June 1999. Its individual stages can be covered year-round on foot or by bike, and in winter on skis. If you are more interested in urban architecture, Ełk city centre has a group of 19th-century tenement houses with Art Nouveau and eclectic features. In the wider destination of Lyck, trails of varying lengths and historical associations sit alongside urban discoveries.

Discover more destinations

Miluki, Woszczele, Lepaki Wielkie, Guty Rożyńskie, Rękusy, Kalinowo, Bogusze, Gorlo

Back to the wider travel overview: Lyck.