Planning a trip to Mazurian Lake District
Gizycko's tourist information center (Wyzwolenia 2; tel. 87/428-52-65; www.gizycko.turystyka.pl) is centrally located. July and August it's open weekdays 9am to 6pm and weekends 10am to 4pm. For the rest of the year it's open on weekdays 8am to 4pm and Saturdays 10am to 2pm. The helpful staff speaks English. Aside from maps, you can pick up listings of campsites and hotels, yacht and bicycle rentals, plus suggested cycling and kayaking routes. Filling a similar function, but only from May to August, is Mikoajki's tourist information center (Pl. Wolnosci 3, Mikoajki; tel. 87/421-68-50; www.mikolajki.pl). In June, it opens daily from 10am to 8pm. At other times, it's the same open hours, but from Monday to Saturday only.
Getting There
Gizycko and Mikoajki are about 320km (199 miles) from Warsaw and 280km (174 miles) from Gdansk. The duo is served by trains (www.pkp.pl) and buses. From Warsaw, trains to Gizycko and Mikoajki take about 6 hours. Buses are better options and faster, taking about 5 hours. By car, you leave Warsaw on E77, switching to Road no. 61 in the direction of Ostroeka, followed by Road no. 63 at Lomza. The journey takes about 4 hours. From Gdansk, it's also 4 hours on the road. You leave the city on Road E77, switching to Road no. 16. At Mragowo, Road no. 59 goes to Gizycko, while Road no. 16 takes you to Mikoajki.
Getting Around
Ruciane-Nida, the most southerly sizeable base, is the finishing point of the Krutynia River kayaking route. It is also a central point for cycling trips into the Mazurian Landscape Park and Piska Forest (Puszcza Piska). The most northerly lakeside town is Wegorzewo. Most of the villages with historical interests, such as Olsztyn, Lidzbark Warminski, and Swieta Lipka, are in the west. Krutyn, a main village along the Krutynia River kayaking route, is 23km (14 miles) to the south of Mikoajki.
Getting Around
By Bus & Car -- Once you're in Gizycko or Mikoajki, you can get around in buses (www.pks.mragowo.pl). The bus terminal in Gizycko is to the south of the center. In Mikoajki, the bus station is next to the Protestant church on the west side of the town center. A fairly extensive network of roads crisscrosses the area. Some of the roads can be a squeeze when a milk tanker or harvester gets in the way.
By Taxi -- For short trips, taxis can be a solution. The average taxi rate is about 1.50 z to 3 z per kilometer. If you take a taxi out of town, you pay the fare for the empty taxi returning to its base. Radio Taxi 19621 (tel. 196-21; www.radiotaxi-gizycko.com) operates from Gizycko.
By Ferry -- From mid-April to October, ferries run by Zegluga Mazurska (Wojska Polskiego 8, Gizycko; tel. 87/428-53-32; www.zeglugamazurska.com.pl) glide to Ruciane-Nida in the south and Wegorzewo in the north. These boats are a means of transportation, as well as enjoyable cruises to nowhere-and-back. Get timetables at the tourist information offices or from the boards at the departure jetties. A round trip from Gizycko to Mikoajki on Lake Sniardwy takes 3 hours. In Gizycko, the departure point is on Kolejowa 8 (tel. 87/428-25-78), which is right by the canal's embankment. In Mikoajki, it's on Pl. Wolnosci 15 (tel. 87/421-61-02), the embankment on the east side of the town.
