Ojcow National Park with kids - the Krakow Gate during the pandemic

Ojcow National Park is the smallest national park in Poland: it covers about 21 km² and has limestone rocks, the Krakow Gate, caves and two castles. Entry to the park is free, and you pay for the caves, castles and car parks. We were here in August 2020, when after the spring closure because of the pandemic some trails and caves were still closed.

Before that we had two days of rest by the water in Osiek, after our visit to Legendia. The plan of our whole 2020 holiday is in the post Poland road trip with kids 2020.

From Osiek to Ojcow

On Wednesday 12 August, in the afternoon, we left Molo Resort. After 28 km we stopped for lunch at Mundo restaurant in Chrzanow, and after another 40 km we reached the Nasza Dolina campsite. It is on the southern edge of the park, by the Pradnik stream, not far from the castle in Pieskowa Skala and Hercules' Club (a tall rock).

The campsite is in a green valley, with a small bridge over the stream and hills all around. In the evening the sun lit our tents with golden light, and the kids lay on their sleeping mats.

Ojcow National Park with kids

On Thursday 13 August we drove 7 km deeper into the park. At the signpost with the name of the park we took a family selfie and set off on the trail along the Pradnik valley, between white limestone rocks.

The trail took us through rock gates. The most famous of them is the Krakow Gate, which you walk through like a huge rock door. We also looked into a small cave next to the trail.

The park during the pandemic

We expected more. In the summer of 2020 some trails were closed. On one of them we were stopped by tape and a yellow sign: "Warning! Work at height, no passage." Lokietek Cave, one of the two caves open to tourists, was closed until October, and for Dark Cave you needed a booking for a set time.

So we saw less than we had planned. Ojcow stays on our list of places to come back to, because the castle in Pieskowa Skala and the caves are worth another visit. On the way back we stopped at a Decathlon store in Krakow, and for the night we returned to the Nasza Dolina campsite.

Fun fact

In Ojcow National Park live 17 of the 25 bat species found in Poland. The bat is the symbol of the park, and Dark Cave is their winter home, which is why it is closed in winter.

Next day

The next day we drove to the Bledow Desert and then to the castle in Checiny: Bledow Desert and Checiny Castle with kids.

Practical info

We checked in November 2026.

• Entry to the park: free.
• Caves and castle: today a ticket to Lokietek Cave costs PLN 30 (adult) and PLN 21 (reduced), to Dark Cave PLN 20 and PLN 14, and to the castle in Ojcow PLN 22 and PLN 15. Lokietek Cave is open from April to November.
• Car parks: at the castle in Ojcow PLN 10, at Zlota Gora and in Pieskowa Skala PLN 8.
• Trails: check the park's notices before you go, because parts of trails are sometimes closed, for example during work on the rocks.
• Campsite: Nasza Dolina in Sulosowa, about 900 m from Pieskowa Skala and Hercules' Club.