Jelenia Góra is a city in Poland that’s only about an hour and forty minutes away from Görlitz by train – perfect for a day or weekend trip! The Lower Silesian city (called Hirschberg in German, which means deer mountain) funnily enough is not on a mountain, but in a valley surrounded by mountains that run along the Polish/Czech border.
We used the Euro-Neisse ticket to travel there, which I highly recommend if you are looking to explore the Dreiländereck, or tri-country-area here where Germany, Poland and Czech Republic meet. When viewing the website in German or Polish you can see the prices of the tickets, which allow you to travel on regional trains as well as public transportation- TIP: we discovered that the tickets are actually much cheaper if you buy them on a Polish train and not online or at the station in Görlitz!
The old town of Jelenia Góra is compact and very walkable. From the train station we walked down 1 Maja past the beautiful Feast of the Holy Cross Church and the Wojanowska gate and tower, which were part of the medieval defense, and the Basilica of St. Erasmus and St. Pancras.
My favorite part of the city was, of course, the market square with the town hall. The square is lined with cute and colorful little houses and I could picture it being a lovely place to sit outside at a cafe in the summer or even to enjoy the Christmas market.
We stopped to eat at a restaurant on the market square called Kucie Smaku which had hearty regional dishes – I had to try the local beer and some Kluski, which were Klöße or dumplings filled with meat!
Some other things to check out around Jelenia Góra are the neighborhood called Cieplice and Chojnik Castle. They aren’t in walking distance, but you can catch a train using your Euro-Neisse ticket. Ciepliece used to be the land belonging to the Schaffgotsches, an old noble Silesian family, and their palace can still be seen there. The neighborhood is known for its spas and promenade and is surrounded by parks.
Chojnik Castle is a ruin on top of the mountain Chojnik in a nature reserve. Each year they hold a knight’s tournament there.
If you’re looking for a weekend getaway that won’t break the bank and a cute old town surrounded by nature, visit the charming Jelenia Góra in Lower Silesia!