The Karkonosze, the Giant Mountains, wall off the south of Lower Silesia, and Jelenia Góra sits in the broad basin at their feet like a market town at the foot of a castle wall. Until 1945 it was Hirschberg, a German linen and glass town, and the arcaded burghers' houses around the rectangular market square still show that prosperity, with Baroque gables and a town hall in the middle. About eighty-seven thousand people live here now, which is enough for a proper centre and not enough to be a headache.
The surrounding valley is a ring of ranges. The Karkonosze rise to Śnieżka at about 1,603 metres, the highest point in Czechia and Poland's border ridge, and lesser ranges close the circle, the Rudawy Janowickie, the Kaczawskie, and the Izera mountains to the west. The basin is dotted with castles and palaces, which is why riders come: Chojnik, a ruined fortress on a granite crag above the village of Sobieszów, Wojanów, Łomnica, and others set among parks. Cieplice, a spa district a few kilometres away, has been bathing people in warm mineral water for centuries, and its old spa houses and park are well worth a slow lap.
The riding around Jelenia Góra is a fine mix. West and south, the road climbs toward Szklarska Poręba, a glass and ski town on the edge of the national park, with forested bends that tighten as the ridge steepens. East, you move through the hills toward Kowary and Karpacz, passing through villages with wooden mountain-style houses. The roads are narrow, often rough, and the weather is changeable, with fog and sudden showers rolling off the ridge, so wet surfaces and gravel after storms deserve respect. Late spring and early autumn are best, when the tourist traffic thins and the beech woods turn.
Practically, this is the largest town for a long way, so fuel, supermarkets and repair shops are easy to find on the main roads. The old town has cafes with outdoor tables on the square, and Polish food is hearty, with pierogi, soups and good cake. Parking for a motorbike is easy near the centre, and a short walk around the market is the right way to reset before pushing on to the hills.