Zakopane: Poland's Mountain Escape

Zakopane is where Poland goes to the mountains. It sits at the foot of the Tatras in the far south of the country, a couple of hours from Krakow, and it works as both a ski town in winter and a hiking base in summer. The best things to do in Zakopane split between the town itself, its wooden architecture and the trails that climb straight into the highest mountains in the country.

Krupowki, the main street

Everything in Zakopane funnels onto Krupowki, the long pedestrian street that runs through the centre. It is lined with restaurants, shops, market stalls and buskers, and in season it is shoulder to shoulder. It is touristy and it knows it, but it is also where you will eat, buy a wool jumper you did not plan to buy and try oscypek for the first time. Walk it once end to end, then dip into the quieter side streets where the prices drop.

Zakopane hiking: Morskie Oko and the Tatras

Zakopane hiking is the real reason most people come. The showpiece is Morskie Oko, a large glacial lake sitting in a bowl of peaks about an hour’s drive from town. You cannot drive to the lake itself. From the car park at Palenica Bialka it is a paved road of around nine kilometres uphill to the water, which most people walk in about two hours, or you can take a horse-drawn cart for part of it. The lake at the end, ringed by the high Tatras, is worth every step, and it gets very busy, so start early.

That is the famous one, but it is not the only option. Shorter valley walks like Dolina Koscieliska and Dolina Chocholowska are gentler and great for a half day. If you want height and you are fit, the Kasprowy Wierch cable car lifts you most of the way up a peak for a proper mountain ridge without the full climb.

Gubalowka and the easy view

If you want the classic Tatra panorama without a hike, take the Gubalowka funicular. It climbs the hill on the opposite side of town from the mountains, and from the top you look straight across at the whole range. The ridge up there has a paved promenade lined with stalls selling cheese, sheepskin and snacks. It is the lazy way to a big view, and I mean that as a compliment.

The wooden Zakopane style

Zakopane has its own building style, a timber architecture with steep roofs and carved detail that was developed here in the late nineteenth century and is tied to the painter and architect Stanislaw Witkiewicz. You see it in old villas around town, in the small wooden chapel at Jaszczurowka and in the old wooden church and its historic cemetery, Peksowy Brzyzek, where many Poles connected to the mountains are buried. It is worth an hour of wandering to see the real thing rather than the souvenir-shop version.

Oscypek and eating in Zakopane

The local specialty is oscypek, a smoked sheep’s cheese made in the mountains and protected as a regional product. You will see it everywhere, often grilled on little stands and served warm with a spoon of cranberry jam. Beyond that, Zakopane does hearty highland food: grilled meats, thick soups, pierogi and plenty of places with a fire going in winter. It is not delicate cooking, but after a day on the trails it is exactly right.

Winter or summer in Zakopane

The town has two completely different seasons. In winter it is a ski resort, with slopes on Kasprowy and Nosal, beginner areas, and the big ski jump, Wielka Krokiew, that hosts World Cup events. In summer it is all about hiking, and the trails from easy valleys to serious peaks are the main draw. Spring and autumn are quieter and good for walking, though the highest trails can still hold snow into early summer. Pick your season by what you want to do.

How to get to Zakopane from Krakow, and budget

Most people reach Zakopane from Krakow, about a hundred kilometres north. Frequent buses and minibuses run the route and take roughly two hours depending on traffic, which can be heavy on winter weekends and in peak summer. You do not need a car in town, though one helps for reaching trailheads like Morskie Oko early.

Poland uses the zloty, and Zakopane is pricier than much of the country because it is a resort, but it is still good value by Western European standards. A long weekend covers the town and a couple of hikes.

My Poland guides cover where to go next, from Krakow to the Baltic coast. If you are heading further south or west, my guide to Czechia pairs well with a trip through southern Poland.