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Sited on the edge of the sparkling River Dunajec below the peaks of the Pieniny, SZCZAWNICA is a highly picturesque example of the small spa resorts strung out in the steep valleys east of the Tatras. Once patronized by Nobel Prize-winning novelist Henryk Sienkiewicz, it's still the most visited town in the region, crowded through the summer with all types of mountain holiday-makers: canoeists setting off down the gorge, hikers heading off to the hills, industrial workers recuperating in the sanatoria. Buses run here from both Nowy Targ (40km) and, on a slightly roundabout route, from Zakopane (50km), dropping you in the centre of town, by the river. From here it's a short walk up to the bustling square, and the staid health establishments of the upper town . In the communist era, Szczawnica's alkaline springwater was consumed by miners and steelworkers, now replaced by the regular brand of health-seeking tourists, Polish and foreign; casual visitors are free to wander in and sample the waters. There's little else to see in town, unless you happen to be around during gorale folk events. The attraction for most foreign visitors lies in getting out to explore the Pieniny and the Dunajec Gorge. You can get up onto an eastern spur of the Pieniny by taking the chairlift (July-Aug & Dec-April) just below the main street to the 722-metre-high Gora Palenica, which provides excellent views of the valley. There's a short downhill run and a modest snowboard park here in winter, although it's nothing for the serious winter sportsperson to get excited about. The chairlift terminal is also the starting point for the Dunajec Gorge foot- and cycle-path , which runs westwards along the south bank of the river, crossing over into Slovakia after 3km (the border is open to walkers and cyclists until 8pm in summer, 5pm in winter), and continuing for another 9km along the banks of the gorge as far as Cerveny Klasator, the main Slovakian starting point for rafting trips. You can rent bikes at the chairlift terminal. You should at least follow the path for the 2km it takes you to reach the west end of Szczawnica village; here you get excellent views of the sheer cliffs marking the eastern end of the Dunajec Gorge, from which the bobbing forms of rafts emerge at regular intervals.
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