← DOZ Maraton Łódź·1 night

Uniejów: Thermal Pools and a Bishops' Castle

A small spa town with thermal brine pools, a 14th-century archbishops' castle and a four-star hotel next to both, one night's bus ride from the arena.

Duration1 night
TransitBus from Łódź (Uniejów has no rail connection)
DepartsŁódź

After the Łódź Marathon: Uniejów

The Route: Łódź → Uniejów → Łódź → Łódź Airport (LCJ) Logistics: Bus from Łódź to Uniejów, which has no rail connection. One night in the town beside the thermal complex. Marathon Month: April Duration: 1 night

Łódź ──(bus, check the timetable)──> Uniejów (thermal complex, castle, hotel)
  ▲                                              │
  └──(bus back)──────────────────────────────────┘
  │
  └──(bus 65A / 65B)──> Łódź Airport (LCJ)

The DOZ Maraton Łódź finishes on a Sunday in April, and on Monday the legs ask for warm water more than for sightseeing. Uniejów, a small town in the Łódź Voivodeship, is known for its thermal brine baths and a 14th-century castle of the Archbishops of Gniezno, and the two sit side by side.

April in Uniejów: the month is cool, so bring a coat for any walk between the hotel and the outdoor pools.

Uniejów has no railway. The last leg from Łódź is by bus or other local transport, so check the current timetable and the last return departure before choosing the day.

Night One: Uniejów

Arrive by early afternoon. The weekday price band ends at 16:00, so a three-hour pool ticket started at 13:00 stays inside it, and the Monday night then costs a single hotel bill and no second pool entry. Plan the soak before the walk to the castle, since the legs stiffen after sitting on the bus.

The thermal complex is the recovery asset. It has indoor brine pools with hydromassage, outdoor brine pools and a jacuzzi, a sauna zone and a spa, several slides, the tallest about 58 m, and paid extras including a Turkish bath, an aroma bath, a banya, an ice pool and an infrared cabin. A restaurant of about 100 seats and a water buffet sit inside. Floors around pools are wet, so move slowly on stiff legs, and ask staff at the entrance about step-free access.

Prices published in October 2023 gave adult pool-zone tickets of PLN 29 for one hour on weekdays before 16:00, PLN 65 for three hours and PLN 99 for five hours. Weekend and holiday prices were higher at PLN 42, PLN 94 and PLN 115. The sauna zone adds PLN 20 to 30 depending on the ticket length, and a towel costs PLN 7. Treat these as a guide only, because they will have moved. A Monday afternoon visit before 16:00 falls on the cheaper weekday band.

The castle stands beside the thermal complex. It belonged to the Archbishops of Gniezno and is a short walk from the pools. Opening hours and any museum entry fee need checking on the day.

Hotel Termalny, a four-star at ul. Zamkowa 1, neighbours both the castle and the thermal complex. Its facilities include a spa, massage, a bar and restaurant, a lift, parking and air conditioning, and it accepts pets. The proximity means a short walk with wet hair and no bus. Other rooms exist in town, and availability for the Monday night needs checking when booking.

For dinner, the thermal complex restaurant is the only sourced option. Other restaurants in town should be checked on the town's tourism pages.

Getting home

The trip ends back in Łódź. From Łódź, Łódź Airport (LCJ) is reached by bus 65A or 65B from the terminal connection to the city. Many runners will fly from Warsaw Chopin Airport (WAW) instead, using a direct Intercity train from Łódź Fabryczna to Warszawa Centralna. Allow generous time for the bus out of Uniejów, and check the timetable at least a day before.