Trzy Korony — meaning 'Three Crowns' — is the crown jewel of the Pieniny Mountains in southern Poland, a cluster of five rugged limestone pinnacles soaring more than 530 metres above the Dunajec River gorge. The highest of them, Okrąglica (982 m a.s.l.), rewards every hiker with a fenced viewing platform and one of the most breathtaking panoramas in the entire Polish Carpathians.

Standing on the platform, you look straight down a 500-metre cliff to the Dunajec river bend below, with the entire Pieniny National Park spreading out around you. The Tatra Mountains dominate the southern horizon, spanning a remarkable 50 degrees of the full panorama — Lomnický štít is just 28 km away. On a clear day you can spot Babia Góra, 63 km distant, as well as the Gorce, Beskid Sądecki, Beskid Żywiecki and Magura Spišská ranges. In winter, with crisp mountain air, the views become almost impossibly sharp.

• From Szczawnica — red trail via Sokolica, Czertezik and Zamkowa Góra, approx. 2.5 h, moderate
• From Krościenko — red trail via Szopka Pass, then blue trail via Siodło, approx. 2 h, easy to moderate
• From Sromowce Niżne — green trail through Szopczański Gorge to Szopka Pass, then blue trail, approx. 2 h, moderate
• From Sromowce Wyżne (Kąty raft landing) — yellow trail to Trzy Kopce Pass, approx. 45 min, easy

• A summit entry fee is charged during the tourist season — the ticket also covers entry to neighbouring Sokolica peak.
• On sunny days in season, long queues form at the viewing platform — an early morning start is strongly recommended.
• The platform holds around 30 people at a time.
• PTTK mountain hut 'Trzy Korony' is located at the southern foot of the massif in Sromowce Niżne.
• The entire massif lies within Pieniny National Park — park regulations apply throughout.

The slopes of Trzy Korony are home to the Apollo butterfly — one of Poland's rarest and most beautiful species, successfully reintroduced here through a conservation programme running from 1991 to 2010. Legend has it that a monk named Brother Cyprian from the Red Monastery once launched himself from these very cliffs on homemade wings, attempting to fly across the Dunajec.