Walking route
The Tsar’s Path to lunch
A walk from the Palace Park to the former tsarist station, where a restaurant now stands.
Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors. Route lines are based on OSM data; on the ground, follow the trail markings.
In the early 20th century, visitors came to Białowieża, the tsars' hunting residence, by rail. Trains stopped at Białowieża Towarowa station, built around 1903. You can walk to that station along a forest path from the Palace Park. Three or four kilometres among the trees, and at the end a table laid with a cloth, blini and game in a building where time seems to have stopped a century ago.
The route step by step
Palace Park
Start by the ponds in the park.
Forest path
A peaceful walk through the forest to the south-east.
Restauracja Carska
The finish at Białowieża Towarowa station.
Practicalities
Surface
forest path and dirt roads
Best time
all year
Start / Finish
Palace Park → Restauracja Carska
Frequently asked questions
Do you need to book a table at Carska?
At weekends and in season, definitely worth it.
See also
By bike from Hajnówka to the European bison
A Forest classic: 20 km along a forest trail from the station in Hajnówka to the European Bison Show Reserve.
20 km1.5–2 hrs one wayeasyRoyal Oaks Trail
A short wooden boardwalk, under a kilometre, among oaks that remember the Jagiellons.
0.6 km30–45 mineasyŻebra Żubra
A boardwalk through a swamp forest from Białowieża towards the bison reserve. Wet, green and very wild.
2.7 km1–1.5 hrs one wayeasy
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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.