In June 2026, a group from the AoU's Young Urbanist network headed to Poland for the 9th annual YU Cycle Trip. Connie Dales shares a travel diary from the trip.

Friday 12 June

Friday started in Krakow with a sunny walk across and along the Vistula river, into the old town to collect our bikes. On the walk we noticed that the city was out in full force, congregated on the banks and the bridge, waiting to glimpse a flypast of two new fighter jets that Poland had bought from the US…

Bikes collected, we cycled over the offices of the transport planning authority to meet with Marcin Wójcik. He introduced us to Krakow’s governance and history with active travel, taking us through triumphs and challenges to today - accomplishments include 12,000 bike racks today compared to 300 in 2013, and considerable uptake of bike rental programmes in the city.

We then cycled round the city with Marcin, exploring Krakow’s cycle infrastructure hands-on, with bike lanes and a variety of traffic calming measures, both embedded and in trial. The route included:

  • Ulica Krupnicza, a woonerf completed in 2023
  • Park kolejowy, a new city park running beneath the railway
  • Rondo Mogilskie, a two-tier intersection incorporating bus, tram, pedestrian, and bicycle infrastructure
  • Most Podgórzanek, a pedestrian and cycle bridge running between Kazimierz and Zabłocie neighbourhoods
  • Błonia Park, historic meadow park in the east of the city

Once we’d said a fond farewell to Marcin, a few of the group pedalled on to Park Zakrzówek, while the rest dropped their bikes and gave their legs a short break. We all convened for dinner in the Kazimierz neighbourhood.

Saturday 13 June

The big one. Saturday saw us cycle a total of 115m from Krakow to Katowice, with breaks, leaving one hotel at 9am and arriving at the next at 9pm. We took a longer route than strictly necessary in the interest of following calmer, more scenic paths, utilising much of the Vistula Cycling Route, skirting Energylandia theme park, and enjoying a long meander through Las Murckowski nature reserve.

All of us exhausted by the evening, we managed to drag ourselves out for a quick dinner featuring an unverified Jason Derulo sighting.

Sunday 14 June

We gave our legs a bit of a rest on Sunday, and hopped on the train from Katowice to neighbouring Gliwice where we met Ewa Lutogniewska and Magdalena Jochemczyk from the regional transport authority, Transport GZM. We walked round while Ewa talked us through the uphill battle of delivering active travel in Poland, and showed us a few of Gliwice’s wins, including the station square and the covered square over Trasa Średnicowa.

We later met urban childhood researcher Helena Szewiola, who came equipped with some tools to help us see the city through a child’s eyes, by restricting our height and peripheral vision. Intermittently crouching (pictured), we made our way to Park Chopina, where the Silesian Cyclist Festival (Śląskie Święto Rowerzysty) was finishing. We were mesmerised for a short while by young children doing tricks i.e. bouncing from table to table on a single wheel, and then hopped on the train back to Katowice.

In the afternoon, the group headed – by foot, bike, or bus depending on how your legs were feeling from the day before - to Nikiszowiec, a housing estate originally designed for coal miners in the early 20th century. Here we had a wander, enjoying the architecture, and then had dinner at a restaurant where we failed to come close to the record for most dumplings eaten in one sitting (the number to beat was apparently 104).

Monday 15 June

On our final day in Poland, we were joined once again by Ewa, with architect Wojciech Lesiak, who took us on a walking tour of Katowice’s 20th century architecture, including the very striking Cathedral of Christ the King. Then we looked at more of Katowice’s architecture and public realm, including the Super-unit and the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music.

Thoroughly walked out, we thanked and parted ways with Ewa and headed off on our respective journeys, with some flying back that night, some continuing their travels, and one commencing a four-train, 30-hour journey back to the Peak District!

The AoU would like to extend a huge thank you to the individuals who took the time to host us in both cities, and Young Urbanist Ben Meador, the trip’s coordinator.

Young Urbanist membership welcomes students and early career professionals under the age of 35. Through targeted YU programmes - like the Mentoring and Small Grants schemes - and integrated opportunities within the Academy - such as study trips, conferences, and the e-journal - the AoU supports the incoming generation of place practitioners, giving them a home as they develop their careers.

To find out more about the network or join as a member, visit theaou.org/young-urbanists

Video diary embedded below created by Robert Blake