Żar (685 m a.s.l.) is a distinctive granite massif rising from the central part of the Karkonosze Foothills (Pogórze Karkonoskie) in southwestern Poland, tucked between the villages of Jagniątków, Sobieszów and Zachełmie. Covered in lower montane forest and dotted with rocky granite outcrops, it offers a quiet, unhurried hiking experience that feels worlds away from the busier Karkonosze peaks nearby.

The forested slopes have a wonderfully natural character throughout the year — fresh and green in summer, brilliantly coloured in autumn, and peacefully snow-dusted in winter. The massif sits at a pleasant crossroads of trails: to the northeast it connects with the dramatic Chojnik castle hill via the Żarska Pass, and to the southwest it links with the Kopista and Szerzawa massifs via the Kopista Pass, making it a great staging post for longer ridge walks.

• Jagniątków — green trail, running along the western and northern slopes of Żar via the Żarska Pass towards Zachełmie, Przesieka, Borowice and Karpacz; difficulty: easy to moderate.
• Jagniątków — blue trail, approaching from the south via the Kopista Pass to Zachełmie; difficulty: easy to moderate.

Because trails connect several villages, Żar is ideal for a one-way hike — for example from Jagniątków through to Zachełmie or all the way to Karpacz.