The charming riverside town of Kazimierz Dolny (pronounced kah-zeh-meerzh dohl'-nee) is Poland's version of an artsy weekend getaway, complete with a clutch of art and antique shops (some of possibly questionable artistic merit), the Polish version of aging hippies, and a lively festival calendar that features a lively folk festival in June and an increasingly popular klezmer music festival in August. Most of the week, it's relatively quiet, but come Friday afternoon, cars bearing license plates from as far away as Warsaw and Lublin stream into town for a relaxing weekend of hiking, gallery-hopping, and even boating on the Vistula. It's a lovely spot and certainly worth a detour if you're traveling in this part of Poland and looking for a place to chill out before tackling another city. There are a couple of good hotels, including one of the most beautiful pensions in this part of the country, plus a smattering of good restaurants. There are enough traditional sights to keep you occupied for at least a day, and some great hikes if -- just this one time -- you're not up for seeing another castle.
