Both Szklarska Poreba and Karpacz are well-developed ski resorts, competing between each other to draw more skiers and skateboarders. Karpacz has about 20 ski lifts, and in Szklarska Poreba there is a two-stage chairlift to Mt. Szrenica plus many smaller ski lifts too. Cross-country skiing and sledding are also popular activities.

Most of the visitors that arrive in the spring to autumn seasons plan to spend their holiday hiking. Popular trails lead to the top of Mt. Sniezka and Mt. Szrenica, the latter accessible being also by chair lift. While walking in the mountains, take warm clothing and some food with you, and stick to the marked paths as the weather is changeable and it’s often misty.

Probably the most interesting historical sight of the region is the wooden Wang Chapel in Karpacz, brought from Norwich to Karpacz by the Prussian king, Friedrich Wilhelm IV. Jelenia Gora is a picturesque old town with a nice market square and several ancient churches. You shouldn’t miss Chojnik castle in Sobieszewo, now a quarter of Jelenia Gora, scenically located on a steep rock.

While staying in Szklarska Poreba, take a trip to the lovely Szklarka Waterfall, possibly the nicest in Karkonosze Mountains, or to the highest one – Kamienczyk Waterfall. Unusual rock formations, such as Pielgrzymy (“pilgrims”), Słonecznik (“sunflower”), and Trzy Swinki (“three piglets”) are other natural attractions of the area.

Kowary is a district of Jelenia Gora offering the possibility to visit a former mineral and uranium mine. An over a kilometre long underground trail helps the visitors learn more about the mining traditions of the area, originally brought here by Walloon settlers in the Middle Ages.

The most interesting events of the region include the Festival of Street Theatre, organised each July in Jelenia Gora, or motorbike rallies in Karpacz (July) and Szklarska Poreba (August).

If you want to explore traces of the German heritage of the region, take a trip to the former villa of famous writer Gerhart Hauptmann, situated in Szklarska Poreba. Its interiors comprise a small museum dedicated to this Nobel prize winner. If you want to see more memorabilia of famous Szklarska Poreba inhabitants, head for the house of painter Vlastimil Hoffman.

Boasting of its standing as the oldest health resort in Poland, Cieplice has retained much of its distinctive atmosphere. The Spa Park and the beautiful architecture of the ancient buildings is a magnet for visitors, as well as the thermal spring with a temperature of up to 73 °C. Among its patients was Queen Marysienka Sobieska, who visited the resort in 1687. There are also other health resorts, such as those in Swieradow-Zdroj, Szklarska Poreba and Kowary.