Hiking in the Polish Tatra Mountains: the Morskie Oko Lake (Eye of the Sea in English)

Morskie Oko is the largest lake in the Tatra Mountains, located at an altitude of 1,395 m above sea level. You can reach the Morskie Oko Lake by foot – the trail is about 8 km long (hiking time is 2 hours 25 minutes). Morskie Oko itself makes a very big impression, also on children – it’s a truly stunning lake. The route to Morskie Oko runs along an asphalt road which is usually walked by hundreds – if not thousands – of tourists (in July and August, Morskie Oko is visited by about half a million tourists). There is only one way to avoid the crowds and enjoy the exceptional nature of the Morskie Oko Lake – set out on the trail when the rest of the tourists is still at their hotels (enter the trail at about 7-8 am).

Attractions of the Morskie Oko Lake trail:

On the route, after about a 1-hour walk, there are the picturesque Wodogrzmoty Mickiewicza Waterfalls (three major and several smaller waterfalls)
At the end of the trail, there is a big mountain hut (schronisko) and outside wooden benches where you can relax after a hike or have a hot meal. Usually, you will need to wait in lines to order or to take a seat
The trail around the Morskie Oko Lake takes an additional 55 minutes and is not accessible to strollers. It’s really worth the effort – you can see fish and the water has a beautiful color
An interesting option when you are at the Morskie Oko Lake is to hike to Czarny Staw pod Rysami Lake (up 30 minutes, down 20 minutes, it’s quite a steep trail). It beautifully overlooks the lake of Morskie Oko. It’s located at an altitude of 1,583 m above sea level. The water has a dark blue color which, thanks to the shade for most of the day, resembles black, from which the pond took its name. The Czarny Staw Pod Rysami Lake is the second deepest lake in the Tatras (and the fourth in Poland)

The Morskie Oko Lake hike time

Hike time up: 2 hours 25 minutes
Hike time down: 1 hour 55 minutes

Morskie Oko RED trail. Source: Tatrzański Park Narodowy (www.tpn.pl)

How to get to the Morskie Oko Lake trail?

The most popular starting point of the trail is the Palenica Białczańska Glade (located about 25 km from Zakopane) with a large paid parking lot (please note that during a high season all the parking slots are taken already in the morning and you need to wait in a long line in your car).

You can get here from Zakopane by car, by bus or by taxi.

Tourists who want to travel by car to the area of Palenica Białczańska, where the route to Morskie Oko begins, must purchase an e-ticket via the website tpn.pl/zwiedzaj/e-bilety. It is not possible to pay for parking already on site, even if there are spaces available.

The cost is 25-45 PLN (depending on the day of booking). You need to buy entrance tickets to the trail as well (online tickets). During the high season, it is recommended to arrive at the parking lot before 8 am, because in the season after 8 am there are traffic jams on the access road.

Our tips on hiking the Morskie Oko Lake trail

Difficulty level: a relatively easy trail in terms of little elevation gain, a difficult trail in terms of mileage (16 km total, about 2 hours one way)
The Morskie Oko Lake is a stroller-accessible trail. Most of the route is asphalt, only at the end, there is a stony but passable road
The trail is only partly shaded
Mobile toilets are located at the entrance to the valley and along the trail; regular toiles are available in the hut at the end of the trail
Take into consideration that this trail is quite tiring. After half an hour of monotonous walking on the asphalt, even adults have enough. If you walk with children be ready to hear every 3 minutes ‘Are we there yet?’. Adults will ask themselves the same question, only in their minds…;)
There is an option to travel the majority of the route with a horse-drawn carriage (in summer) or sleighs (in winter) pulled by horses. The ride uphill takes about 45 minutes. The carriages reach the Polana Włosienica Glade, and from there to the Morskie Oko Lake it takes about 20-30 minutes to walk along a stony road (accessible to strollers). Fees are agreed individually with transport organizers – owners of horse-drawn carriages (their Facebook page). Unfortunately, there are cases of fainting of horses due to extreme fatigue – for these reasons it’s recommended to walk to Morskie Oko

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For more information on hiking with children in the Polish Tatra Mountains, check out our 8 easy tips to make your adventure in the Tatras fun for the whole family.

Click here to read our tips on hiking in the Polish Tatra Mountains (When is the best time of the year to visit the Tatra Mountains and Zakopane? Do I need to buy a ticket to enter the Tatra National Park? What time is best to go on the trail in the Tatras? How to dress for a trip to the Tatra Mountains?).

Before you head to the Polish Tatra Mountains, read our post about visiting Zakopane: The town of Zakopane – the heart of the Polish Tatra Mountains.