East of Lublin stretches an expanse of the sparsely populated agricultural lowland characteristic of Poland's eastern borders. In the midst of the region lies the recently established Polesie national park, a scenic area of marshy swamps and ancient, largely untouched peat bogs, and the most westerly part of a huge expanse of similar terrain stretching far beyond the border into Ukraine and Belarus, known collectively as Polesie before World War II, when the majority of the region was still within Polish territory.

For those interested in the religious and cultural mix of Poles, Ukrainians and Jews historically associated with southeastern Poland, Chełm, the regional capital, and the border town of Włodawa offer the prospect of an appealing diversion off the beaten track. Further north, there's a fine Baroque church in the remote pilgrimage town of Kodeń.