Zakopane, the best known mountain resort in Poland. The town is situated in the extreme south of the country at the foot of the Tatra Mountains. It is a perfect centre of active recreation for hiking in summer and skiing in winter. The ‘Guardian’ rated Zakopane as the perfect beginners ski resort, that offers great bargains for beginner skiers and snowboarders. In other words, when you want to pick up the basics, Zakopane is the ideal destination.

This very picturesque place lies within 2 hours’ drive from Krakow. There are buses from Krakow to Zakopane every 20 minutes from the Main Bus Station located in Bosacka 18 street, right in the city centre – (one way ticket 15pln – less than 3 pounds).

We are not skiers and we went to Zakopane for a couple of days to get the general feeling of the place. We stayed in the Helios Hotel in the town centre, very close to the famous walking street called Krupówki.

Krupowki is the central and the most commercial street in Zakopane. This over 1 kilometer long promenade is lined with a wide selection of shops, restaurants and hotels.

Gubalowka is the mountain above Zakopane offering spectacular views of the Tatra Mountains and the Town. We travelled to the top via the Gubalowka funicular railway, situated at one end of Krupowki street. (Return ticket – 21pln)

Kasprowy Wierch 

This mountain lies about 4 kilometers from Zakopane town centre. At 1,987m high, is very popular and not only with ski tourists. “Kasprowy Wierch delineates the border between Poland and the Slovak Republic and it is possible to cross the border between, weather permitting. As both countries are part of the Schengen Zone it is not controlled or forbidden.” Its peak is accessible by cablecar (return ticket – 63pln), and we travelled to the bottom of the mountain (cable car station) by minibus from the Zakopane bus terminus. (single ticket – 3pln)

Having a nice sight-seeing walk back to town from Kasprowy Wierch mountain we came across Wielka Krokiew which is a  ski jumping venue in Zakopane. It is a regular venue in the FIS Ski Jumping World  Cup. We were lucky to see some ski jumpers in action….

Oh, and just for interest…. one final factoid about Zakopane – Colin Farrell, the famous Irish actor was here (previously)…

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