Getting here: the drive, winter, supplies and mobile coverage
The Bieszczady are the far south-eastern corner of Poland, and there is no railway and no airport nearby. The nearest airports are Rzeszów (about two and a half hours by car) and Kraków (about four). You will want a car — not only to arrive, but to reach the trailheads.
Winter is fine, with two conditions
The access road to Bukowiec is a public municipal road and it is ploughed. The cabins, however, stand on a rise and the last stretch is steep: from November to March winter tyres are compulsory, and after heavy snowfall chains or four-wheel drive can decide whether you get up to the house or leave the car below.
That situation happens once every year or two, not every winter. If it does, leave the car at the church car park in Bukowiec, at the bottom of the hill — it is about ten minutes on foot up to the cabins. We clear the road ourselves, but only once the snow stops falling; clearing it mid-blizzard is wasted work, and a blizzard here can last a few days.
During storms and heavy snow the power can go out for a few hours. In our experience it is almost always restored the same day, often within tens of minutes.
What stays open off season
One rule to remember: the deeper into the mountains, the less is open. Around the Solina reservoir and in the larger villages life goes on all year; in the valleys beyond Cisna almost everything shuts.
The water sports rentals on Solina are closed in winter and usually do not even answer the phone. The ski lifts run, and the inns in the larger villages work normally. Shopping is not a problem: the two shops in Bukowiec are open all year, and for a bigger shop there is a supermarket in Myczkowce or Polańczyk.
What winter does not close is the mountains. In good conditions the walking is as good as in summer, and the open ridges under snow look nothing like the July photographs.
Mobile coverage and internet
The Bieszczady have a reputation for having no signal, and it is a decade out of date. In 2022 a mast went up on the hill facing our cabins, so mobile internet here reaches up to 120 Mb/s depending on the operator, and the guest Wi-Fi — extended with a mesh system to cover both cabins — holds around 80 Mb/s. Video calls do not stutter.
On the ridges there is coverage; a mast on Połonina Wetlińska covers the range. In the valleys there is none, and there never will be — a valley behind a ridge has nothing to connect to. Send the message saying you are on your way down from the top, not from the bottom.
One warning that costs real money: near Tarnica and along the border ridge your phone may switch to a Ukrainian network. Ukraine is outside the EU, so roaming there is not charged at domestic rates. It has happened to us that a background app update added several hundred złoty to the bill. Turn data roaming off before you set out.
Questions we get asked
How do I get to the Bieszczady mountains?
By car. There is no railway or airport in the range itself; the nearest airports are Rzeszów, about two and a half hours away, and Kraków, about four. You will also want the car once you are there, to reach the trailheads.
Can I drive to the Bieszczady in winter with a normal car?
Usually yes, with winter tyres, which are compulsory from November to March. The roads are ploughed. The cabins stand on a rise, so after heavy snowfall chains or four-wheel drive help; that happens about once every year or two, and then the car can be left at the church car park in the village, ten minutes' walk below.
Is there mobile signal in the Bieszczady?
On the ridges and open tops, yes — a mast on Połonina Wetlińska covers the range. In the valleys there is none. At the cabins the signal is very good: a mast went up on the facing hill in 2022 and mobile internet reaches up to 120 Mb/s depending on the operator.
Will my phone roam onto a Ukrainian network?
It can, near Tarnica and along the border ridge, because a Ukrainian mast is sometimes closer than a Polish one. Ukraine is outside the EU, so roaming is not at domestic rates — a background app update once added several hundred złoty to our bill. Turn data roaming off before going into that area.
Booking
How to book with us
The booking form, the confirmation emails and the text messages are in Polish only — we would rather say so than hand you a half-translated checkout. Write to us in English instead and we will handle the reservation by email: photos, dates, price and the bank details for the deposit.