NaCzarter Team
· Updated
Where you pick up the yacht if not in Giżycko itself
Wilkasy, Bogaczewo, Piękna Góra and Rydzewo are four villages around Giżycko where operators hand over yachts instead of in the town. In Wilkasy houseboats and motorboats predominate, while in Bogaczewo, Piękna Góra and Rydzewo you mainly pick up sailing yachts (NaCzarter listings, autumn 2026). From the railway station in Giżycko it is 5 to 14 km by road. The ports stand on Lake Niegocin, Lake Boczne, Lake Tajty and Lake Kisajno.
Giżycko itself is where the most yachts are picked up. Bogaczewo and Rydzewo lie closest to the Kula Canal and the route to Mikołajki, while Piękna Góra gives you a way out onto Lake Kisajno without the swing bridge.
Wilkasy has the most yachts and shops
Wilkasy is a village in the Giżycko municipality, about 4 km from the town centre, on the western shore of Lake Niegocin. Watch the addresses, because some marinas with a "Wilkasy" address, including those in the Zalesie estate, lie on Lake Tajty, not on Niegocin. Check in your booking confirmation which lake your yacht is moored on.
There are few sailing yachts here. Houseboats and motorboats predominate, most of them for crews without a licence. You can check prices and free dates for yachts picked up in Wilkasy on the listing page.
Polregio trains stop at Wilkasy Niegocin (line 38, 3.5 km from Giżycko station). From the railway station in Giżycko to the centre of Wilkasy it is 5.9 km, about 8 minutes by car. On weekdays the GZK Bystry municipal buses run, but from the railway station itself the 2026 timetable has a single departure (line 4, 11:36), so check the current one in the kiedyprzyjedzie.pl app. You can shop at Biedronka, Lewiatan or Delikatesy Centrum (ul. Olsztyńska 52, on national road 59). At number 48 there is a pharmacy point, and at number 1 a petrol station. The publicly accessible AZS Wilkasy port has its own shop, slipway and gantry crane.
Bogaczewo on Lake Boczne
Bogaczewo stands on the western shore of Lake Boczne. Boczne is the south-western arm of Niegocin, which leads to the Kula Canal and on to Lake Jagodne. Across the water, 1.1 km in a straight line, you can see Rydzewo. In Bogaczewo you mainly pick up sailing yachts.
You get there practically only by car, along provincial road 643 through Wilkasy. It is 12.4 km from the railway station in Giżycko (about 16 minutes) and 24.1 km from Mikołajki. The municipal bus runs here only on school days (GZK timetable from 2024, check the current one). Shopping is modest, as the village has one grocery shop (Bogaczewo 30, open daily). For medicines and a bigger shop, stop on the way in Wilkasy, 6.5 km earlier.
Piękna Góra on Lake Tajty and Lake Kisajno
Piękna Góra is a small village between Lake Kisajno and Lake Tajty. They are joined by the Piękna Góra Canal, which is 250 m long and runs under the bridge of provincial road 592 from Giżycko to Kętrzyn. There are marinas on both lakes. Do not look for a ski slope or a lift here, because the "Piękna Góra" with the ski slope is on the outskirts of Gołdap.
In Piękna Góra you pick up sailing yachts. From the railway station in Giżycko it is 4.9 km, under 8 minutes by car, and on weekdays a few GZK Bystry municipal buses run here (2026 timetable). Do not count on a shop in the village, so do your shopping in Giżycko or in Wilkasy.
On the water you have two directions. Northwards, through the Piękna Góra Canal, you enter Lake Kisajno straight away and the route to Węgorzewo. Towards Niegocin you sail along the eastern end of Tajty (the rest of the lake is a quiet zone) and through the Niegociński Canal, which is 1200 m long and passes under the railway bridge and the bridge of national road 59. RZGW does not give the clearance of these bridges, so ask the operator whether you can pass with the mast up.
Rydzewo, farthest from the town, on the route to Mikołajki
Rydzewo already belongs to the Miłki municipality and lies between Lake Boczne and Niegocin, on the route from Giżycko to Mikołajki. Do not count on a bus to Rydzewo, you get there by car. It is 14.0 km from the railway station in Giżycko (about 19 minutes) and 27.9 km from Mikołajki. From the May long weekend to the end of September a Masurian passenger ferry (Żegluga Mazurska) sails here from Giżycko (in 2026 departures at 9:00 and 15:30). According to the operator, the trip runs with at least 10 passengers, so for a crew with luggage it is more of an attraction than a travel plan.
In Rydzewo you pick up sailing yachts. The village has two general stores and restaurants (according to the village council website), as well as the church of St Andrew Bobola from the late 16th century. The lakes meet at Rydzewo, so from Boczne you enter Niegocin across open water, with no canal or bridge. In the other direction, 2.4 km in a straight line, lies the Kula Canal on the main route to Mikołajki. It is 110 m long and 25 m wide, and the road from Bogaczewo to Rydzewo crosses over it. We described the bays and harbours of Boczne in a separate guide to Lake Boczne and Rydzewo.
The first hours on Niegocin and the way onto the route
Niegocin covers 26 km², is 10.8 km long and 4.8 km wide, with an average depth of 10 m. The bottom has extensive shallows and the shores are low and reedy, so keep to the marked fairway. According to RZGW Białystok navigation notice no. 17/2026, the transit depth on Niegocin and Boczne is 220 cm, while on the surrounding canals (Niegociński, Piękna Góra, Łuczański, Kula) and on Tajty and Jagodne it drops to 150 cm. We collected the pilotage notes in the guide to Lake Niegocin.
Northwards, to Lake Kisajno, you normally have two routes. The first is the Łuczański Canal through Giżycko with its swing bridge. The second is the Old Canal, that is the Niegociński Canal, the eastern edge of Tajty and the Piękna Góra Canal. In the 2026 season only one was left, because the Łuczański Canal was closed to yachts due to the construction of the Giżycko bypass bridge (national road 59). According to the schedule of the District Roads Authority in Giżycko, only authorised passenger vessels passed through, except on the weekends of 1 to 3 May and 4 to 7 June. Wody Polskie, the national water authority, directed yachts to the detour via the Old Canal. Whether the canal returns to normal traffic in 2027 is still unknown in autumn 2026. Fixed opening hours of the swing bridge apply only in July and August and on the May and June long weekends. Outside these, passage is arranged by phone, and from 1 November to 31 March the bridge is closed to water traffic.
Pick-up works the same as in Giżycko. You customarily get the yacht between 4 and 6 pm on the first day and return it between 8 and 10 am on the last day. The refundable deposit is settled on site, and before you sign, go through the handover protocol point by point. Parking for the duration of the cruise is, in most operators' price lists, a paid option, typically 25 PLN per day. If it is not in the price list, ask the operator.
Frequently asked questions
Is Piękna Góra on Lake Niegocin? No. The village lies on Lake Tajty and Lake Kisajno, which are joined by the Piękna Góra Canal. You reach Niegocin from Tajty through the Niegociński Canal, 1200 m long.
How do I get to Wilkasy without a car? By Polregio train to the Wilkasy Niegocin stop (line 38), or to Giżycko and then by GZK Bystry municipal bus on weekdays. There are few departures from the station, so check the timetable.
Will I get through the swing bridge in Giżycko in the 2027 season? That is not known yet. In 2026 the Łuczański Canal was closed to yachts because of the bypass bridge construction. Before your cruise, check the ZDP Giżycko schedule and the RZGW Białystok notices.
Where to shop before setting off? Best in Wilkasy, which has Biedronka, Lewiatan and Delikatesy Centrum. Bogaczewo has one grocery shop, Rydzewo has two, and from Piękna Góra you drive to Giżycko for your shopping.
Cover photo: NaCzarter.pl
