The shortest drive is to the lower Bug and the lower Narew. Both rivers end their course in the Zegrze Reservoir, about an hour's drive north-east of the centre. The Wkra joins the Narew near Pomiechówek, north of the city, while the Bzura runs to the west, along the edge of the Kampinos Forest. The Pilica and Radomka call for a longer drive south, but suit both a full day and a weekend.
Rivers around Warsaw
Bug
The last great unregulated lowland river. A calm, safe current; the lower Wyszków-Serock stretch flows into the Zegrze Reservoir.
Narew
A wide, lazy river. From Pułtusk it becomes the backwater of the Zegrze Reservoir – close to Warsaw and good for families.
Wkra
A sandy, meandering river north of the capital, one of the friendliest for beginners. It joins the Narew near Pomiechówek.
Bzura
A gentle river of the Łowicz region, good for learning. The trail starts in Łowicz and ends at the Vistula on the edge of the Kampinos forest.
Pilica
A wide, sandy current south of Warsaw, good for a day or for longer. The lower stretch leads to Warka.
Radomka
A strongly meandering river of the Kozienice Forest. Easy in the current, but with weirs and sluices to carry round, so not really for a first time.
Which stretch is closest to the capital?
The shortest drives lead to the lower stretches, and it is these that work best for a single day. On the Bug that is Wyszków-Serock (about 31 km), on the Narew Pułtusk-Serock (about 21 km), both ending in the Zegrze Reservoir. The Wkra has the popular Sochocin-Pomiechówek stretch (about 45 km), and the Bzura the Łowicz-Sochaczew one (about 30 km). Each of them lies within an hour, an hour and a half at most, of the centre.
Which river for a first trip or with children?
For a start, the best are the Bzura from Łowicz and the lower Wkra: a calm current, a sandy bottom and short stretches. The lower Bug is gentle and safe too, one of the easiest large lowland rivers. The lower Narew from Pułtusk can be wide and exposed to the wind, and near Serock it enters the reservoir's backwater with its motorboat traffic, so with children you have to keep to the bank. The Radomka is better left for later, because in its lower course it has weirs and sluices to carry round.
For a weekend and longer
The whole Polish Bug suits a multi-day trip, from Mielnik through the Podlasie Gorge to Serock (about 200 km). Longer routes are also offered by the Pilica below the dam at Smardzewice, from Tomaszów Mazowiecki to Warka (about 124 km), and the Wkra along its whole length, from Działdowo to Pomiechówek (about 206 km). Each of them can be split into day-long stretches and paddled in stages.
Where to rent a kayak and how to get back
Rentals operate on the spot by each of these rivers, among others around Sochocin and Pomiechówek on the Wkra, Drohiczyn and Mielnik on the Bug, Sulejów and Warka on the Pilica, Łowicz and Sochaczew on the Bzura, and Pułtusk and Serock on the Narew. They usually arrange the return from the finish too, so you don't have to leave a second car. You'll find the details of each route, with its stretches and obstacles, in the descriptions in the atlas, and the course on the Polish Kayaking Map.