Where to go in Masuria to avoid the crowds and relax by the water?

Put simply: skip the biggest harbours of the Great Lakes trail at the height of the season and choose a smaller lake, ideally a quiet zone without motorboats, in the forest or in an area without a big resort. The Pisz Forest and the Masurian Landscape Park, the area around Piecki and Mrągowo, and dates outside July and August all work well. You can visit the popular places without the crowds too: just arrive in the morning or on a weekday.

Crowds in Masuria are very unevenly spread. On an August afternoon the promenade in Mikołajki and the harbour in Giżycko are packed, while a dozen or so kilometres away, by a forest lake, you can go an hour without seeing anyone. This guide helps you find the second kind of place.

The busiest places are on the main Great Masurian Lakes trail: Mikołajki, Giżycko and their harbours, plus the town beaches on warm weekends. The most people come in July and August, over the May long weekend and on other long weekends, usually from midday to evening. On the lakes of the main trail, many yachts and motorboats are out in season.

The surest direction for quiet is the Pisz Forest and the Masurian Landscape Park, based in Krutyń. The park has more than 150 kilometres of nature trails and cycling routes, and many of its lakes lie deep in the forest. Lake Nidzkie has been a nature reserve since 1972, surrounded by old pine woods.

Good goals for a quiet day are the area around Lake Mokre and the Królewska Sosna (Royal Pine) reserve, the trail from Krutyń towards Pranie and the paths around Stare Kiełbonki. There is more about this area in our guides to Piecki and Ruciane-Nida.

Many smaller Masurian lakes are quiet zones where combustion engines are banned. That makes a huge difference: the water is calm, you hear birds in the morning, and swimming and kayaking are more pleasant. When choosing where to stay, ask the host whether such a ban applies on the lake.

The Mrągowo Lake District, between Mrągowo and Piecki, has many lakes like this. It is also close to town, so peace does not mean being cut off from shops and restaurants.

Kayaking the Krutynia is one of the most popular things to do in Masuria, so on summer afternoons the river can be busy. In the morning it is completely different: the water is smooth, birds call from the banks and there are few kayaks. If you can, hire a kayak as one of the first of the day or choose a weekday.

1. 01June and the first half of September: long days, warmth and far fewer people than in the summer holidays
2. 02spring and autumn: the quietest, ideal for cycling, walking and birdwatching
3. 03weekdays instead of weekends, especially in Mikołajki and Giżycko
4. 04mornings: promenades, harbours and beaches are empty until around 10-11 am
5. 05outside the long weekends, when traffic on the roads and in the towns is heaviest

There is more about trips outside the summer holidays in Masuria in spring.

A simple rule works well: a sight in the morning, the water by your house in the afternoon. Head for Mikołajki or the Krutynia straight after breakfast and come back before it gets busy. Spend the afternoon and evening by your own lake, on the jetty or by the campfire. A place with its own access to the water gives you the most peace, because you do not have to look for a spot on a beach.

Lake Krzywe, where our houses stand, is a quiet zone without combustion engines. The shore is about 10 metres from the terrace, the beach with a jetty about 20 metres from the houses, and in the evening you mainly hear birds in the reeds. At the same time Mrągowo is 9 km away, Krutyń about 20 minutes and Mikołajki about 30 minutes, so you can see a harbour in the morning and be back in the quiet by the afternoon.

Each of the houses has 130 m², four bedrooms and three bathrooms for up to 10 guests. Prices and free dates are on the Prices page.

In Masuria quiet is never far away. Often you only need to turn off the main road and choose a smaller lake.