How much does a week in Masuria cost? We work out the whole budget

A week in Masuria can be planned for a few thousand zloty or for well over ten thousand. It all depends on the dates, the number of people, the kind of accommodation and how many times a day you want to buy something, eat out or go somewhere. So instead of a vague "it depends" we decided to work it out properly: item by item, with real prices from the 2026 season, for an example of ten people in one lake house.

There are no made-up prices here. Cruise prices come from the Żegluga Mazurska price list, tickets for the Wolf's Lair and Boyen Fortress from their official websites, the Krutynia kayak trip from a hire company's price list, and accommodation from our own price list. Where the amount depends on habits, such as groceries, meals out and fuel, we give sensible ranges and show how we work them out.

At the end you will find ready-made budgets for summer and for the quieter part of the year. And along the way, a few ways to make a week by the lake cost less than you might think.

All amounts are in Polish zloty (PLN), as you pay them in Poland.

Any holiday can be broken down into a few fixed items. In Masuria it looks like this:

1. 01accommodation: usually the biggest part of the budget, often half or more
2. 02food: groceries for the house and meals out
3. 03attractions: cruises, kayaks, entrance tickets, equipment hire
4. 04travel and fuel: the journey to Masuria and short trips once you are there
5. 05small extras: ice cream, coffee, parking, souvenirs

The first item makes the biggest difference. The others are fairly predictable and depend largely on how you like to spend your time. So we start with accommodation.

Accommodation prices in Masuria vary a lot. A room in a guesthouse, an apartment in Mikołajki, a cabin on a campsite and a house right on a lake are completely different amounts and completely different holidays. For a family or a group of friends, though, the key question is not "how much is a night" but "how much is a night per person".

Take our example. One house at Krzywe Lake Houses has 130 m², four bedrooms and three bathrooms for up to ten people. Prices per night for the whole house start from these amounts in each season:

These are the lowest prices in each season. The exact price depends on the specific dates, the length of stay, weekends and holidays, and the booking calendar shows it as soon as you choose your dates. It is most expensive in July and August, at holidays and on long weekends. Bed linen, towels, Wi-Fi, parking, access to the lake and the fire pit are included, so they are not added to the bill.

This is where the calculation gets interesting. The same house looks completely different for four, six or ten people. Take a summer night at about PLN 1,200:

1. 014 people: PLN 300 per person per night, PLN 2,100 for a week
2. 026 people: PLN 200 per person per night, PLN 1,400 for a week
3. 038 people: PLN 150 per person per night, PLN 1,050 for a week
4. 0410 people: PLN 120 per person per night, PLN 840 for a week

That is why a large house works best for two families or a bigger group of friends. With ten people the cost of accommodation per person falls to a level at which a whole house with a kitchen, a living room, a terrace and a lake shore stops being a luxury for the few.

If the group is even bigger, you can rent both houses and fit up to 20 people. Each family or group of friends then has its own kitchen and living room, while the garden, the shore and the fire pit are shared.

The second big item is food. And here the difference between a hotel and a house is especially clear. In a house with a fully equipped kitchen you usually make breakfast and dinner yourselves, and eat out when you feel like it rather than three times a day.

Groceries for a larger group come out surprisingly reasonable. One big shop on arrival, then short top-up trips for bread, fruit and things for the barbecue. With sensible planning, groceries come to roughly PLN 40-60 per person a day, depending on whether the barbecue holds sausages or steaks and fish.

Meals out are a different scale. In restaurants in Mikołajki, Mrągowo or Giżycko a main course usually costs several dozen zloty, and for fish, a drink and a dessert you can easily pay over PLN 100 per person. In many Masurian fish bars fish is sold by weight, so ask about the price of a portion before ordering.

A combination of both works best. Breakfasts and dinners at home, two or three meals out during the week, one evening by the campfire. Then food for one person for the whole week usually comes to PLN 500-800.

The cheapest meal of the week often turns out to be the best: breakfast on the terrace, with a view of the lake.

A cruise on the Masurian lakes is one of the easiest attractions to fit into your plan. You do not need a licence, equipment or experience. Just turn up at the harbour in Mikołajki or Giżycko.

In the 2026 season Żegluga Mazurska offered, among others, the Wodne Trio cruise from Mikołajki (1 h 25 min) for PLN 55 standard and PLN 40 reduced, and the Mazurski Kwartet (1 h 45 min) for PLN 60 and PLN 50. The three-hour Król Jezior cruise on Lake Śniardwy cost PLN 110, and the full-day cruise from Mikołajki to Giżycko and back PLN 230 standard and PLN 135 reduced. Reduced tickets are for children and young people aged 5 to 18.

In summer look out for the evening sunset cruise, which from July to mid-August cost PLN 65. For a family with two children, an hour-and-a-half cruise costs around PLN 190-220, and a whole day on the boat over PLN 700.

The 2027 price list may still change, but these amounts give a good idea of the scale. One shorter cruise a week is quite enough to see Masuria from the water.

If we had to name one attraction that gives a lot for a small cost, it would be a kayak trip on the Krutynia. The most popular stretch, from Krutyń to Ukta, is about 13 km and usually takes 3-4 hours of easy paddling.

In one hire company's 2026 price list, a two-person kayak on the Krutyń - Ukta route cost PLN 120, a single PLN 100 and a three-person PLN 150, including the minibus back to the start. With two people in a kayak that is PLN 60 per person for a few hours on one of the most beautiful kayak trails in Poland. Holders of the Polish Large Family Card get a 10% discount.

From Krzywe to Krutyń is about 20 minutes by car. So a day like this costs little more than the kayak itself, and the memories last a long time.

Masuria is not just water. In a week's plan it is worth leaving at least one day for history, and in bad weather even two.

1. 01the Wolf's Lair in Gierłoż: in season, from April to October, a standard ticket PLN 30, reduced PLN 25, parking PLN 15, audio guide PLN 10
2. 02Boyen Fortress in Giżycko: a standard ticket PLN 25, reduced PLN 20, children under 7 free
3. 03a walk around Mikołajki, Ryn or Kętrzyn: no ticket, but ice cream and coffee along the way

For a family with two children, one day with tickets, parking and an audio guide usually comes to PLN 100-150. Not much for a few hours of experiences the children may talk about long after you get home.

From Warsaw to Krzywe is about 282 km, roughly 3.5 hours' drive. There and back that is about 565 km. Assuming fuel consumption of 7 l per 100 km and a price of about PLN 6.50 a litre, the journey costs roughly PLN 260 per car. From Olsztyn it is only 67 km, about an hour's drive.

Once there, add short trips. Mrągowo is 9 km from the houses, Piecki about 10 km and Mikołajki 27 km. Even with trips every day it is hard to drive more than 300 km in a week, which is about another PLN 140 of fuel per car.

With four people in a car, all the transport comes to about PLN 100 per person. With ten people in two cars it is similar, or even a little less.

Let us put it all together. Two families or a group of friends, ten people, one lake house, seven nights in summer.

1. 01accommodation: from PLN 8,393 for the house, or from PLN 839.30 per person
2. 02food: PLN 500-800 per person
3. 03attractions: a cruise, a kayak and a day of historic sites, about PLN 200-300 per person
4. 04travel and fuel: about PLN 100 per person
5. 05small extras: ice cream, coffee, parking, about PLN 100-200 per person

In total that comes to from about PLN 1,740 per person for the whole week. That is from about PLN 250 per person a day, including accommodation right on the lake, food, attractions and travel. In July and August, at holidays and on long weekends the accommodation costs more, and the booking calendar shows the exact amount for your dates.

Outside the summer holidays the same week costs noticeably less. The price of accommodation drops the most, and as a bonus the queues, the traffic jams in Mikołajki and the hunt for parking disappear.

1. 01accommodation in autumn: from PLN 7,343 for the house, or from PLN 734.30 per person
2. 02food: PLN 500-800 per person
3. 03attractions: PLN 100-250 per person
4. 04travel and fuel: about PLN 100 per person
5. 05small extras: PLN 50-150 per person

In total that is from about PLN 1,480 per person for a week, and from about PLN 1,520 in spring. Just remember that Żegluga Mazurska boats run from May to September, as do most kayak trips on the Krutynia. In October and November the plan looks different: more walks, cycling, mushroom picking, evenings by the campfire and days spent simply in the house by the lake. For many people that is the best version of Masuria.

To be honest: a house for ten for a single family of four is a lot of space and a sizeable cost per person. In summer the accommodation alone comes to from about PLN 2,100 per person for a week.

The sums change when you travel with grandparents, siblings or a family you are friends with. Two families of four plus two grandparents make ten people and a completely different amount per head. And everyone has their own bedroom, while in the evening they all sit at one table.

1. 01A bigger group: in a large house each extra person lowers the cost of accommodation for everyone.
2. 02June or September: the weather is often still good, and prices and crowds are lower than in July and August.
3. 03Your own kitchen: breakfasts and dinners at home, and two or three meals out a week.
4. 04Booking early: the most sought-after summer dates go first.
5. 05Staying right by the water: if the lake is on your doorstep, you do not have to drive to a beach and pay for parking every day.
6. 06One bigger attraction a day instead of three: Masuria is best enjoyed slowly, and your wallet appreciates it too.

When comparing offers, it is easy to look only at the price per night. Yet some costs come from the location itself. If you have to drive to the lake, add parking, fuel and time. If the accommodation has no kitchen, every meal costs as much as a restaurant. If there is nowhere to sit together in the evening, the evenings start costing money too.

A house right on the lake, with a kitchen, a terrace and a fire pit, means some days cost almost nothing beyond groceries. And those are often the days you remember best afterwards.

The best days in Masuria often cost the least: the lake, breakfast on the terrace and a campfire in the evening.

Finally, specifically about us. Two houses on Lake Krzywe, each 130 m², with four bedrooms, three bathrooms, a fully equipped kitchen and a terrace facing the lake. One house sleeps up to 10, both up to 20. Prices start at PLN 999 a night for the whole house, which is from PLN 99.90 per person with ten guests.

From the houses it is 9 km to Mrągowo and 27 km to Mikołajki, and about 20 minutes by car to Krutyń. So during the week you can fit in a cruise, a kayak and a castle, and spend the other days by the water without paying extra for every hour of rest. The booking calendar shows the exact price for your dates, and if you have any questions you can always call us.

In short: in summer, in a group of ten and in a house right on the lake, allow from about PLN 1,740 per person for the whole week, including accommodation, food, attractions and travel. In autumn from about PLN 1,480, and in spring from about PLN 1,520. With a smaller group the amounts go up, with a bigger one they go down.

But a week in Masuria is not just the sum of the receipts. It is seven mornings by the water, a few evenings by the campfire and time spent together without hurry. And that is why it is worth working out the budget carefully before you go, so that for the whole week you do not have to count anything.