Planning a trip to Jelenia Gora
The Jelenia Góra Tourist and Cultural Information Center (Bankowa 27; tel. 75/767-69-25; www.jeleniagora.pl) is exceptionally helpful and offers maps and good advice for exploring the nearby Karkonosze National Park. The English-speaking staff can help arrange transportation, find a room, or recommend a good place to eat. There are several tourist information offices within the Karkonosze National Park. Main branches are at Szklarska Poreba (Jednosci Narodowej 1a; tel. 75/754-77-40; www.szklarskaporeba.pl) and Karpacz (Konstytucji 3 Maja 25; tel. 75/761-97-16; www.karpacz.pl). In Karpacz, in addition to the tourist information office, just down the street (in the direction of the town center), you'll find an outdoor electronic kiosk open 24/7, showing which hotels and pensions have free rooms. The Szklarska Poreba branch carries a free cycling map and doles out information on bike and ski rentals.
Getting Around
Regular bus and minibus service connects Jelenia Góra with the mountain resorts of Karpacz and Szklarska Poreba; public transportation, however, between Karpacz and Szklarska Poreba is not as frequent. Most visitors come by car. Figure on about 20 minutes of driving from Jelenia Góra to each of the resorts, and about 40 minutes to drive from Karpacz to Szklarska Poreba.
Getting There
By Train -- Jelenia Góra is the main transportation center for this part of Lower Silesia and has decent rail connections with Wrocaw (3-4 hr.) and neighboring towns.
By Bus -- Buses link Jelenia Góra to cities across southern Poland, and buses are generally a quicker option than trains for reaching regional cities. Frequent buses link Jelenia Góra to the mountain resorts of Karpacz and Szklarska Poreba. Figure on around 8 z each way. Note that going from Karpacz to Szklarska Poreba and vice versa is not as easy on public transportation. Inquire at the helpful tourist information office in either town to figure out the best transportation option.
By Car -- Jelenia Góra lies on the E65 highway, linking this part of Poland with the Czech city of Liberec. It's an easy 90-minute drive from Wrocaw and about an hour from Liberec. Szklarska Poreba is on the same highway, just 10km (6 1/2 miles) from the Czech border. Karpacz is more remote. To find it, follow Poland Route 367 south out of Jelenia Góra about 10km (6 1/4 miles). Figure on about 15 minutes for the journey.
