Not very long ago if one were to suggest exploring Katowice by Bike, one might have questioned your sanity. Those days are long gone however and after years of recent infrastructure improvements and new investments in world class architecture, greater Katowice is an exciting and exceedingly eclectic destination to discover on two wheels. Follow IYP as we show you around some of the best spots and give you some survival tips for getting the most out of a bike day trip in Katowice and the surrounding area.
Our grand adventure began outside the centrally located angelo Hotel where Silesiatrip.pl have one of their rental bike pickup points. You can rent a bike right at the Hotel reception and return whenever you’re done. Silesiatrip.pl also have bike pickup points at other Hotels in the city or you can arrange for a rental bike pickup from their ul. Mariacka headquarters. Alternatively you can pick up a rental bike from one of the dozen or so City By Bike rental stations scattered around the city/region.
Starting from the angelo Hotel we set a course for Silesia Park. Using our very own maps (found in local hotels and tourist information offices) we planned our course from ul. Sokolska to the park. We rolled North and crossed the upper part of the four lane highway that makes up Al. Chorzowska on foot. We made our way to the bike path that parallels the tram lines that head Northwest towards Chorzów. The bike path is shared with a pedestrian path but well-marked. It was smooth sailing all the way to Silesia City Center and we continued our journey onward and finally crossed back over to the Southernmost tip of Silesia Park where Al. Chorzowska intersects ul. Złota. There isn’t actually a direct entrance to the park here as it is the entrance to the Silesian Amusement Park. So we followed a pedestrian path North along ul. Złota and finally entered the giant park on a marked path just after the Elka Cableway entrance.
We sped through the park and enjoyed the two wheeled freedom to explore Silesia Park's vast natural beauty and many attractions at our own pace.The first thing that caught our eye was the gorgeous Rosarium which was in the process of being pruned by a team of gardeners. We weaved in and out of rows of bushes and beds filled with all shapes and sizes of colourful roses. We were highly fortunate to have embarked on our Silesian cycling trip on a gorgeous early Summer day.
We continued on lazily winding our way through the many pedestrian pathways of the park before reaching the central pond and took a turn North to hunt down the Silesian Sculpture Garden. The route took us uphill and we had to avoid some fallen limbs on the pedestrian trails as a storm had passed through earlier in the day. Once we finally found the Sculpture Garden we took a short break to admire the beautiful and sometimes oddball sculptures sunken deep into the forest and fields of the Northern stretches of the park. For more ambitious riders there is an official cycle route which is clearly marked and circumnavigates most of the park on well-marked and well-paved roads. We came close to bisecting this path but being the amateur enthusiasts that we are, we avoided taking this route entirely and decided instead to double back and head for some refreshments.
We sped happily downhill through more felled brush and some other back trails and ended up near the entrance to the Zoo. It was here we saw the familiar green sign of the Rebel Garden and chose its lovely summer garden to plan the next phase of our adventure. Rebel Garden is a bar, pub and somewhat of a cult favourite that regularly holds open air concerts on their back deck and in front of the gilded gates of the Zoo. We grabbed a local Silesian beverage, took a load off and opened up our trusty IYP map to plan our next move. We were torn between heading due South to the Valley of Three Ponds (where the OFF Festival is held and a bit of a mecca for leisure seekers!) or due East to cruise around Nikoszowiec. Both destinations have their pros and cons but the lateness of the hour dictated that Nikoszowiec was the safest option as it looked to be pretty much a bee line from Silesia Park and we had to be back in the city centre before nightfall.
