Punkt widokowy jest co prawda blisko, ale leży za stromym zboczem.

Co prawda ... ale ... is a very common Polish pattern meaning it is true that ..., but ... or admittedly ..., but ....

In this sentence:

Punkt widokowy jest co prawda blisko, ale leży za stromym zboczem.

it sets up a contrast:

• co prawda blisko = admittedly / it’s true that it’s close
• ale = but

So the speaker is saying that the viewpoint is close, but there is some obstacle or complication: it lies beyond a steep slope.

A very natural English equivalent is:

• The viewpoint is quite close, but it lies beyond a steep slope.
• The viewpoint is close, it’s true, but it’s behind a steep slope.

Both blisko and bliski relate to closeness, but they work differently.

In this sentence, blisko is an adverb, meaning near / close by:

• jest blisko = is nearby / is close

Bliski is an adjective, and it usually means close in a more adjectival sense, often:

• emotionally close: bliski przyjaciel = a close friend
• or close to something, usually with a complement:
  • bliski centrum = close to the city centre

So here jest blisko is the natural choice because we are talking about location in a general way.

Punkt widokowy means viewpoint, scenic lookout, or observation point.

Breaking it down:

• punkt = point
• widokowy = view-related / scenic / for viewing

So literally it is something like viewing point.

This is a standard Polish expression for a place where you go to admire the view.

Yes, leży literally means lies, from the verb leżeć.

But in Polish, just like in English, a verb meaning lie can be used for location:

• Miasto leży nad rzeką. = The city lies on the river.
• Dom leży przy lesie. = The house is situated by the forest.

So here:

• leży za stromym zboczem means lies/is situated beyond a steep slope

It sounds a bit more descriptive than just jest.
Using leży often suggests geographical position.

Because za can take different cases depending on the meaning.

Here, za means behind / beyond in a static location sense, so it takes the instrumental case.

That is why we get:

• stromym zboczem = instrumental singular

Breakdown:

• strome zbocze = nominative/accusative singular
• za stromym zboczem = behind/beyond a steep slope

Compare:

• Jest za domem. = He/it is behind the house.
  (location → instrumental)

But with movement toward a position behind something, Polish can use the accusative:

• Poszedł za dom. = He went behind the house.

So in your sentence, there is no movement, only location, so instrumental is required.

Because both words are in the instrumental singular neuter form.

The noun is:

• zbocze = slope, a neuter noun

After za in a location meaning, it becomes instrumental:

• zbocze → zboczem

The adjective must agree with the noun in gender, number, and case:

• strome zbocze → stromym zboczem

So:

• stromym = instrumental singular neuter (also masculine in some patterns)
• zboczem = instrumental singular neuter

This is standard adjective-noun agreement.

The dictionary forms are:

• stromy = steep
• zbocze = slope

Together in dictionary form:

• strome zbocze = a steep slope

In the sentence, both words are changed because of case:

• strome zbocze → stromym zboczem

So if you are looking the words up, search for:

• stromy
• zbocze

It can suggest either, depending on context.

Literally, za often means behind:

• za domem = behind the house

But in a sentence like this one, where a viewpoint is on the other side of a steep slope, English may naturally use:

• behind
• beyond
• on the other side of

So leży za stromym zboczem can be understood as:

• it lies behind a steep slope
• it lies beyond a steep slope
• it is on the other side of a steep slope

The exact best translation depends on the situation being described.

No. Blisko can be used on its own, as here, or with another noun.

1. On its own:

   • Jest blisko. = It is close.

2. With a noun:

   • blisko domu = close to the house
   • blisko centrum = close to the centre

When followed by a noun, that noun is typically in the genitive:

• dom → domu
• centrum stays centrum because some neuter nouns look the same in nominative and genitive

So in your sentence, blisko stands alone because the speaker simply says the viewpoint is nearby.

Because they express two different ideas:

• jest blisko = it is close
• leży za stromym zboczem = it is situated beyond/behind a steep slope

Using both lets the sentence make a contrast:

1. distance is small
2. actual access or position is less convenient

So the sentence is not repetitive. It is saying:

• It’s close, admittedly, but its location is behind/beyond a steep slope.

Yes. Polish word order is flexible, though some versions sound more natural than others.

The original:

• Punkt widokowy jest co prawda blisko, ale leży za stromym zboczem.

is natural and clear.

You could also hear:

• Punkt widokowy co prawda jest blisko, ale leży za stromym zboczem.

This is also correct. Moving co prawda slightly changes emphasis.

In general:

• co prawda often appears before the part being conceded
• ale introduces the contrasting part

So the original sentence is a very normal, idiomatic choice.

Yes, punkt widokowy is grammatically masculine singular because the head noun is punkt.

That affects words that agree with it, for example:

• widokowy matches punkt
• if you used a past tense verb or adjective referring to it, that agreement would matter too

In this sentence, though, the verbs jest and leży do not show masculine gender in the present tense, so you do not see much visible effect there.

The important agreement you do see is inside the noun phrase itself:

• punkt
  • widokowy

You could, but viewpoint, lookout, or scenic viewpoint is usually more natural in this context.

Observation point in English can sound more technical or military depending on context.
For a place where tourists stop to admire the scenery, viewpoint or lookout point is usually best.

So for most everyday purposes:

• punkt widokowy = viewpoint
• sometimes lookout
• sometimes scenic overlook in American English