Driving route
A day on the Bug: Bielsk, Grabarka, Mielnik, Drohiczyn
A driving route south: a royal town, the Holy Mountain and the two loveliest views of the Bug.
Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors. Route lines are based on OSM data; on the ground, follow the trail markings.
This is a day full of hills, which on flat Podlasie sounds like a joke. You begin in Bielsk Podlaski, on the market square by the town hall. Then Grabarka and a forest of crosses that falls silent as you climb the hill. In Mielnik, chalk slopes and the ruins of a church on Castle Hill, and finally Drohiczyn, where the sun sets over the Bug so that people come here specially to see it.
The route step by step
Bielsk Podlaski
The town hall with its museum, Orthodox churches and Catholic churches in the centre.
Grabarka Holy Mountain
An hour is enough, but it is hard to leave quickly.
Mielnik
Castle Hill, the church ruins and a view of the chalk quarry.
Drohiczyn
Supper and sunset on Castle Hill. The return to Klejniki takes approx. 1.5 hrs.
Practicalities
Surface
asphalt
Best time
April–October
Start / Finish
Bielsk Podlaski · loop
Frequently asked questions
Can you add Ciechanowiec?
Yes, but it is a big detour. Better to give the Museum of Agriculture a separate half day.
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Your base: Klejniki
Every route in this guide starts within an hour of our house. After a day out, a tiled stove, a kitchen with a wood-fired range and silence are waiting for you.