Wisła

Wisła is a mountain resort in the Silesian Voivodeship of southern Poland, 90 km south of Katowice. In 2019 its population was 11,000. Poland's largest river, the Wisła or Vistula, arises nearby in these Beskids mountains.

Istebna to the south is a separate township (gmina) stretching to the Slovak border; its attractions are also described here.

Understand
Wisła was a tiny farming village until hill-walking, winter sports and other leisure activities developed in the 19th century. For centuries this area was part of Bohemia then Austria-Hungary, with a majority Lutheran population, joining Poland at independence in 1920. It's now an all-year resort.

Tourist information is available at the "Hapsburg Palace" just north of Uzdrowisko railway station, open Tu & Th 14:00-16:00, W F Sa 09:00-14:00. It's an old hunting lodge transplanted from elsewhere. Just be careful which door you enter as part of it is an escape room.

By plane
Katowice, Kraków and Ostrava  all have a good range of European flights and are about 90 minutes drive.

By train
Regional trains run from Katowice every two hours, taking two hours to Wisła via Tychy, Pszczyna, Zabrzeg, Skoczow and Ustron. Trains make five stops in Wisła:


 * is the main station.
 * is the end of the line.
 * is the end of the line.
 * is the end of the line.
 * is the end of the line.

By bus
Long-distance buses don't come here, Wispol is the local bus line: The main bus halt is outside Wisła Uzdrowisko railway station.
 * W2 from Bielsko-Biała: six a day, taking an hour via Ustroń.
 * W3 from Cieszyn: six a day, taking an hour via Goleszów and Ustroń, and continuing from Wisła to Przełęcz Salmopolska and Szczyrk.
 * 52 from Cieszyn hourly on the same route, and continuing to Wisła Głębce, Istebna and Koniaków.

Get around
This is a long straggly valley where you need wheels to carry all your winter sports clobber.

The trains from Katowice and buses from Cieszyn serve the main valley.

Some half-a-dozen taxi firms ply the valley and wait at the railway station.

See

 * Special Forces Museum (Muzeum Spadochroniarstwa i Wojsk Specjalnych) is a personal collection of parachuting and special-ops equipment. It's at Przylesie 1A, north end of the village.
 * Lutheran church is just south of the central marketplace. Wisła, unusually for Poland, is predominantly Lutheran, and this church was built in neo-classical style in 1838. It's seldom open.
 * Source of River Wisła is the barrage lake east of the President's Palace, gathering two tributaries into the great river at the heart of Poland.
 * in Istebna can be visited by appointment only. He worked internationally but lived (1884-1979) mostly in the Beskids.
 * Lace Museum is next to Centrum Pasterskie, open daily 10:00-16:00. Craftswomen make and sell their lace here.
 * is the tri-border point of Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, reached by short easy trails from each country.
 * in Istebna can be visited by appointment only. He worked internationally but lived (1884-1979) mostly in the Beskids.
 * Lace Museum is next to Centrum Pasterskie, open daily 10:00-16:00. Craftswomen make and sell their lace here.
 * is the tri-border point of Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, reached by short easy trails from each country.
 * Lace Museum is next to Centrum Pasterskie, open daily 10:00-16:00. Craftswomen make and sell their lace here.
 * is the tri-border point of Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, reached by short easy trails from each country.
 * is the tri-border point of Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, reached by short easy trails from each country.
 * is the tri-border point of Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, reached by short easy trails from each country.

Do

 * Winter sports: some dozen lifts take you onto the nearby mountains, and several also run in summer for hikers and mountain bikers. For example Nowa Osada has a main run of 1 km descending 200 m from top to base. Cieńków – Malinka is a somewhat larger area.
 * Ski jumping: Adam Małysz Ski Jumping Hill is on Highway 942 southeast of the village. It hosts Grand Prix competitions and the record (set in 2024) is a 144.5 m jump. Adam Małysz (b 1977) has retired from jumping and rally-driving, and since 2022 is CEO of the Polish Ski Federation.
 * Hiking: Kazmierz Sosnowski Main Beskid Trail (Główny Szlak Beskidzki imienia Kazmierza Sosnowskiego, "GSB") is a 496 km trail through the mountains. The record for running it is a shade under 94 hours.

Buy

 * Aldi is the main supermarket, at 1 Maja just north of Uzdrowisko station, open M-Sa 06:00-22:00.
 * Several convenience stores along the valley, Żabka and Biedronka are the commonest chains.

Eat

 * Rynek the market square has Stara Karczma (within Beskid Museum), Pizza Tutto, Ondraszkowa Izba, PHU Tomaso, Fajno Chatka, Hospoda s Knedlíkem, U Zosi, Pizzeria Palermo and Robert Fiedor.
 * Rynek the market square has Stara Karczma (within Beskid Museum), Pizza Tutto, Ondraszkowa Izba, PHU Tomaso, Fajno Chatka, Hospoda s Knedlíkem, U Zosi, Pizzeria Palermo and Robert Fiedor.

Drink

 * Cafes serve alcohol, there isn't a stand-alone pub.

Sleep

 * The valley is packed with hotels, guesthouses and rooms for rent.


 * Crystal Mountain is a vast slab on the mountainside above Pensjonat Karina.
 * Crystal Mountain is a vast slab on the mountainside above Pensjonat Karina.
 * Crystal Mountain is a vast slab on the mountainside above Pensjonat Karina.

Connect
As of July 2024, Wisła and its main approach road have 4G from Orange and Play, and 5G from Plus and T-Mobile.

Go next

 * Szczyrk is another mountain resort in the next valley east.
 * Cieszyn straddling the Czech border has many medieval buildings.
 * Hairpin roads climb over the Beskids into Slovakia.