Worth especial attention are the ancient wooden churches, including those in Debno Podhalanskie (from the 15 century, a Unesco World Heritage site), Lopuszna, Harklowa, Grywald and Nowy Targ. These picturesque larch constructions were built without using metal nails. While in Lopuszna, you can visit the wooden mansion house or the small museum of Jozef Tischner (1931-2000), a catholic priest and philosopher.

The village of Chocholow is an unusual place, incomparable with any other in Poland. It is living evidence of the excellent quality of the local building craft, its farmsteads being built of logs at the turn of the 19th century. The most interesting example is a house made of a single fir trunk. House number 28 has been made into a private regional museum by a local woodcarver, Jan Zietar (with an atelier where you can see his new sculptures coming to life).

Every Thursday and Sunday there is a market in the city. Dating back five centuries, it remains the town’s best-known attraction. It takes places on Plac Targowy Square, just a stone’s throw from the main market square.

The many hiking trails provide great conditions to spend a relaxing active break in Podhale. Hiking can be easily combined with sightseeing.

There are a lot of cycling trails of varied length and difficulty, and many unmarked roads and paths are also accessible by bike.

Nowy Targ is one of the gliding centres of the region. The airfield is situated on the southeastern outskirts of the town.

A church in Ludzmierz is known for its 15th-century statue of St Mary, which gained cult status thanks to the many miracles attributed to her. In 1963 the statue was crowned “the Queen of Poland” by Karol Wojtyla, then a bishop and later to be Pope John Paul II.