Bieszczady Forest Railway

The Bieszczady Forest Railway (Bieszczadzka Kolejka Leśna) is a 750 mm narrow-gauge line, the highest-lying narrow-gauge railway in Poland and one of the Bieszczady's favourite outings for families with children. Small carriages roll slowly along the Solinka valley through forests where the only sign of civilisation is the track itself. The main station is in Majdan near Cisna.

Construction began in 1890, under Austria-Hungary, to carry Bieszczady timber to the standard-gauge line at Nowy Łupków. The line was designed by engineer Albin Zazula; some 300 workers built it largely by hand, and bridges and retaining walls were laid by Italian stonemasons brought from Trentino. The 25 km Nowy Łupków–Cisna section opened on 21 January 1898; an engine shed and station buildings were built in Majdan. Between the world wars an almost 2 km stretch between Balnica and Solinka ran across Slovak territory, and trains passed through it in transit escorted by border guards. After the Second World War the railway served the state forests until 1994, and since 1997, thanks to the Bieszczady Forest Railway Foundation, it has returned as a tourist attraction.

What to see and do

• Majdan – Balnica – Majdan (9 km each way): the return trip takes 2 hours, including a 30-minute stop at Balnica right by the Slovak border.
• Steam-hauled trips Majdan – Solinka – Majdan: 1 hour 15 minutes, including a 15-minute stop at Solinka.
• Majdan station — a historic wooden building, a museum display and a small open-air collection of old locomotives and wagons.

The second route, Majdan – Przysłup (11 km), is currently not operating.

Practical information

Address: Majdan 17, 38-607 Cisna, tel. +48 13 468 63 35. Majdan lies on the road from Cisna towards Komańcza. Trains run from May to October, and in winter during the school holidays. Under the 2026 timetable: in May — Tue–Wed to Balnica at 9:30, Thu–Fri steam trips to Solinka at 9:30, Sat–Sun to Balnica at 9:30 and 12:00; in June and September — two departures (9:30 and 12:00); in July and August — up to five departures a day (9:30, 9:45, 12:00, 12:15, 14:30) plus steam trips at 10:00 and 12:30 Tuesday to Friday. In October 2026 trains ran until 25 October; outside summer Monday is a maintenance day. A ticket for either route costs 47 zł, reduced (children aged 3–15) 37 zł, children under 3 2 zł; a platform ticket for those only visiting the station is 2 zł; a pushchair or a dog costs 10 zł each. Tickets are sold online until midnight the day before or at the Majdan ticket office on the day (from 8:30 in summer); seats are not numbered and limited, so buy in advance in high season. Information as of October 2026.

Nearby

From Balnica it is not far to the Szepit waterfall. About 19 km to the east is Połonina Wetlińska, and 20 km to the north Lake Solina. On the way to Sanok, stop at the wooden church in Turzańsk.

Official website: kolejka.bieszczady.pl

Photos: Jano0, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Hanc Tomasz, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons; Stanisław Ludwiński, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons; Adrian Tync, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Pibwl, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Paweł 'pbm' Szubert (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons; Jwitos, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons.