The town of Zakopane is located in southern Poland in the Tatra mountains, 100 km from the city of Kraków. It’s the heart of the Polish Tatra Mountains – the highest mountains in Poland. Zakopane is a very popular tourist destination – called the winter capital of Poland, serving as a starting point for hiking trails.

Zakopane arouses various emotions among visitors – some very positive and some… Some people appreciate that it is the center of attractions, others do not like streets full of stalls, overcrowded all year round, where traditional architecture is intertwined with contemporary, often neglected buildings. An example of such contradictory emotions is the main street of the city – Krupówki.

All this is compensated by the proximity of the wonderful mountains, at your fingertips! When you are in Zakopane, you can feel the mountains. The mountains which are rich in trails suitable for families with children (including toddlers), seniors, and all those who love nature. 275 km of marked hiking trails of varying difficulty!

Jump to ideas for things to do in Zakopane
Jump to the souvenirs from Zakopane
Jump to how to get to Zakopane by train, by car, by plane
Jump to hiking in the Polish Tatra Mountains: hikes for beginners and families with children & tips for hiking with children
Jump to skiing in the Zakopane area

Ideas for things to do in Zakopane

A funicular – Gubałówka cable railway

Gubałówka is an 1126-meter hill in Zakopane, which offers a panoramic view of the Tatra Mountains and Zakopane (the town also looks nice when lit after night).
Gubałówka is reached by a funicular railway from the center of Zakopane (a cable railway was built in 1938 and modernized in 2001).
How long does it take to get to Gubałówka by cable car? Don’t be surprised – very fast, approx. 3 minutes.
Location of the ticket office and cable car base station: Kolej linowo-terenowa „Gubałówka” – stacja dolna, Na Gubałówkę 4 Street, location on Google map.
Website available in English (including online tickets, opening hours, info about restaurants, etc.).
In winter, Gubałówka is illuminated and decorated with over 1 million lights.
The railway is adapted to the transport of people in wheelchairs.

Photo source: Polskie Koleje Linowe (PKL)

A gravity slide at Gubałówka hill

Location of the slide, the ticket office – Gubałówka hill, cable car upper station: Zjeżdżalnia grawitacyjna – Gubałówka, location on Google map.
The track is 700 m long. The cable cars accelerate up to 23 km/h.
Children can use the slide under adult supervision. Children must sit in front. If your child is under 4 years old, he or she uses the slide for free. Older children (4-8 years old) must have a ticket and descend under the supervision of an adult. This means that you have to buy two tickets (for the child and for yourself), even though you will be riding together.
The slide is right next to the upper railway station. Tickets can be purchased at the ticket office at the slide.
The gravity slide works from April to the end of November.
For safety reasons, the slide may be closed on rainy days.
Website available in English.

Photo source: Polskie Koleje Linowe (PKL)

Don’t miss it in Zakopane: OSCYPEK cheese and oscypek-making demonstration

Oscypek [os-tseh-peck] is a traditional cheese made of salted sheep milk in the Tatra mountains. Along some pastures and hiking trails, you can go inside a bacówka – a wooden hut where shepherds used to live. Now you can buy from them a fresh sheep cheese / highland cheese called oscypek – white one or smoked one of the different shapes. Oscypek cheese is a protected trade name under the European Union’s Protected Designation of Origin geographical indication.

Oscypek Cheese Museum

The museum offers Oscypek shows – how the most popular Polish highlander cheese is made, the stages of its production in accordance with the traditional recipe, from where shepherds started in the Tatra Mountains.
Location: Muzeum Oscypka, Jagiellońska 28 Street, location on Google map.
The museum plans to permanently schedule the shows IN ENGLISH. Meanwhile, you can order the Oscypek Show in English in advance (by e-mail: biuro@muzeumoscypka.pl or by phone: +48 888 92 05 06).
Website in Polish, Facebook.

Photo source: Muzeum Oscypka Zakopane

Playgrounds in Zakopane

Stanisława Staszica Street, a playground in the very center of the town, location on Google map.
Henryka Sienkiewicza 26C Street, location on Google map.
Słoneczna 2A Street, playground with a panoramic view of the Tatra Mountains, location on Google map.

Aquapark in Zakopane

Location: Aquapark Zakopane, ul. Jagiellońska 31, 34-500 Zakopane (location on Google map).
Open all year round – outdoor and indoor pools.
Attractions include 5 slides, a rapid river, waterfalls, a water swing, thermal pools, a terrace with deckchairs – a view of the Tatras. Other attractions of the complex include an indoor playing area for children, bowling alley.
Website in English. Facebook page. Instagram.

Photo source: Aquapark Zakopane

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The souvenirs from Zakopane

Zakopane, like every tourist town, is full of souvenir stalls. We present some of the most popular souvenirs related to the local tradition:

Ciupaga – a highlander cane in the form of an ax. The ones which are now sold in Zakopane, are typically “touristic”. In the old days, highlanders used ciupaga as an aid in climbing or to strike a blow. Today it is used mainly in highlander dance, depicting a fight between men.
Kapelusz góralski – black highlander hat, often made of sheep wool, usually decorated with bird feathers and shells. Where do shells come from as part of a traditional highlander costume, so far from the sea? The shells were probably given to the highlanders as a payment or were a souvenir from their expeditions.
Kapcie – slippers are a very Polish thing, and highlanders, of course, have their own version of slippers. Slippers bought in Zakopane are often insulated with sheep’s wool, you can also buy a leather version.
Kierpce – in Zakopane, you can also buy ‘kierpce’ – hand-sewn leather shoes worn by highlanders.
Korale – red beads – an attribute of every highlander woman. The ones sold at stalls are usually wooden balls painted red or entwined with folk patterns. The authentic highlander beads were made of coral and passed down from generation to generation. Red beads were worn with ceremonial attire, for the greatest festive and family occasions.

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How to get to Zakopane by train, by car, by plane

The town of Zakopane is located in southern Poland. It is the largest town in the immediate vicinity of the Polish Tatra Mountains. Zakopane’s location on Google Maps.

How to get to Zakopane by car

Approximate (depending on traffic) travel time from: Warsaw 5 hrs 30 mins, Wrocław 4 hrs 50 mins, Poznań 6 hrs 30 mins, Kraków 2 hrs 15 mins, Gdańsk 7 hrs 45 mins, Katowice 2 hrs 50 mins, Lublin 5 hrs, Toruń 6 hr 20 mins, Łódź 4 hrs 50 mins.

Construction and renovation works are underway on the roads leading to Zakopane. Driving time should shorten in the near future.

How to get to Zakopane by train

The railway station in Zakopane on Google map and train timetable. Most DIRECT train connections from various Polish cities to Zakopane are available during the summer and winter holidays.

A popular option to travel by train to Zakopane (including from Warsaw) is a change at the train station in Kraków.

Renovation is underway on the Kraków – Zakopane railway line. The estimated travel time after completion of the investment, planned for the end of 2023, will be just over 2 hours.

How to get to Zakopane by plane

The closest Polish airport to the town of Zakopane is the international airport in the city of Kraków, located a 120 km/2-hour drive from Zakopane. Kraków’s international airport (Polish name: Port Lotniczy Kraków-Balice, location on Google map, website in English) is located just 15 km from the Old Town in Kraków. How to get from Krakow airport to the city center? By taxi (info in English about Krakow airport taxi service), Uber (you can get a price estimate for Krakow here on Uber’s website), train to Kraków Główny main railway station in the city center (info in English about train connection from Krakow airport), public bus (info in English about bus connection from Krakow airport).

Another option is to use the international airport in the city of Katowice, located a 200 km/3-hour drive from Zakopane. Katowice international airport (location on Google map, website in English) is located in Pyrzowice, 30 km north of the city of Katowice, the capital of the Silesian Voivodeship.

How to get to Zakopane from the city of Kraków/Cracow

Travelers often go to Zakopane with a change in Kraków (for example, 2 hrs 30 mins by train from Warsaw to Kraków). Then they travel to Zakopane by bus (bus timetables: Omio, Busfor). Kraków’s bus station website and location on Google map.

Another option is to take a train, rent a car or Uber to Zakopane (you can get a price estimate for Krakow here on Uber’s website).

Check our tips on visiting the city of Kraków.

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Hiking in the Polish Tatra Mountains: hikes for beginners and families with children & tips for hiking with children

Hiking in the Tatra Mountains in Poland

The highest peak in Polish Tatras (Rysy) is 2,499 m but the mountains are rich in trails suitable for families with children (including toddlers), seniors, and all those who love nature.

The Polish Tatras are covered by the Tatra National Park offering 275 km of marked hiking trails of varying difficulty: from very easy to extremely demanding and equipped with devices like chains, buckles, and ladders. You will find in the Tatra Mountains many well-marked trails of easy to moderate difficulty – perfect for beginners, usually half-day to one-day tours.

Our post Hiking in Poland: the Tatra Mountains and Zakopane trails covers:

When is the best time of the year to visit the Tatra Mountains and Zakopane for hiking?
Do I need to buy a ticket to enter the Tatra National Park?
How to dress for a trip to the Tatra Mountains?
What time is best to go on the trail in the Tatras? And why is it early morning?

The top 3 hikes for beginners and families with children (stroller-accessible trails) in the Polish Tatra Mountains

The Kościeliska Valley (Dolina Kościeliska)

One of the most picturesque valleys in the Polish Tatra Mountains. The trail leads along a comfortable wide path, very gently climbing up. It’s rather a long walk than hiking in the mountains. It’s suitable for everyone in fair hiking conditions, including children and seniors. However, you need to take into account it’s a relatively long walk – it takes about 90 minutes one way. The Kościeliska Valley is a stroller-accessible trail (preferably with bigger wheels or air-filler tires).
Our tips on hiking in the Kościeliska Valley.

The Morskie Oko Lake (Eye of the Sea in English)

The trail leads to the largest lake in the Tatra Mountains called Morskie Oko. The route to Morskie Oko runs along an asphalt road (only at the end, there is a stony but passable road with strollers). It’s a relatively easy trail in terms of little elevation gain, but a difficult trail in terms of mileage (16 km total, about 2 hours one way). Morskie Oko itself makes a very big impression, also on children – it’s a truly stunning lake.
Our tips on hiking the Morskie Oko trail.

The Strążyska Valley (Dolina Strążyska)

The best trail in the Polish Tatras for a trip with children, seniors, or for beginner hikers. It is not very long, it stretches along the swift creek, on the way you will encounter a lot of bridges, boulders, small waterfalls where you can soak your hands – a lot is going on for a little (or bigger) weary tourist. The Strążyska Valley is an easy trail, especially in terms of the length of the trail (the whole trip back and forth takes a little over an hour). Compared to the flat Kościeliska Valley, the trail has a moderate elevation gain. At the end of the trail, the route gets a little steeper but the finishing line (the Strążyska Glade/Polana Strążyska) is really close (depending on the model of your stroller, it may be necessary to carry it on a path with larger stones at the end of the trail).
Our tips on hiking in the Strążyska Valley.

Tips for hiking with children in the Polish Tatra Mountains

Prepare your family to explore the Tatra Mountains in Poland so everyone can enjoy it (including parents!!!). Our post Hiking with kids in the Polish Tatra Mountains covers 8 tips to make your adventure in the Tatras fun for the whole family:)

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Skiing in the Zakopane area

Zakopane is called “the winter capital of Poland” (in the area of Zakopane there is the highest ski mountain in Poland and the most skiers and tourists visit, especially during Christmas time and school breaks in Poland – January and February).

You will find there slopes for advanced skiers as well as for children and those who want to learn skiing with the instructor.

The most popular skiing options in the Zakopane area include:

Kasprowy Wierch: the highest ski mountain in Poland
Polana Szymoszkowa: with a hotel next to the ski slope
Nosal: all runs and lifts for beginners
Białka Tatrzańska: many kilometers of ski runs and many attractions for children, 20 km from Zakopane

Our post Skiing in Poland includes more information on the Zakopane area skiing options, as well as other popular ski resorts in Poland and small local ski slopes.

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Kids in the City

Kids in the City – Your trusted guide to family life in Poland

The town of Zakopane – the heart of the Polish Tatra Mountains

The town of Zakopane – the heart of the Polish Tatra Mountains

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