Zakopane Holidays

Zakopane is Poland's mountain capital, an alpine resort town tucked into the foothills of the Tatra Mountains right on the Slovakian border, two hours by road from Krakow.

Highlights of your Holidays to Zakopane

• The Tatra Mountains On Your Doorstep. Zakopane sits at 800 metres elevation in the foothills of Poland's only proper alpine range, with the Polish-Slovakian border running along the ridges. The Kasprowy Wierch cable car takes you to 1,987 metres in 20 minutes for jaw-dropping panoramas across both countries, and the Tatra National Park trails start basically at the edge of town.

• Krupówki Street. Zakopane's pedestrianised main drag, a buzzy half-mile stretch lined with restaurants, oscypek stalls, highlander shops selling carved wooden tat and embroidered slippers, ice-cream parlours and fireplace pubs. It's the social heart of the town and where you'll spend most evenings.

• Skiing in Winter, Hiking in Summer. Zakopane works as two completely different holidays depending on when you go. Winter brings proper alpine skiing on Polana Szymoszkowa, Nosal and Kasprowy Wierch, plus the Wielka Krokiew Ski Jumping World Cup events. Summer brings world-class hiking, including the iconic walk to Morskie Oko mountain lake.

• Zakopane Style Architecture and Highlander Culture. The town is built almost entirely in the distinctive 19th-century Zakopane Style, all wooden chalets with carved gables and steeply pitched roofs designed by architect Stanisław Witkiewicz. Add the Góral highlander culture (their own dialect, folk costumes, traditional music played in restaurants nightly) and you get a properly distinctive Central European destination, nothing like the standard alpine resort.

• Geothermal Thermal Baths. The villages around Zakopane sit on geothermal springs and the result is a cluster of huge thermal water complexes with outdoor pools, indoor lagoons, slides for kids and saunas for the spa-minded. Chochołowskie Termy and Terma Bukowina are the headliners. Properly therapeutic after a day on the slopes or the trails.

Good to Know

• Zakopane is a four-season mountain destination, not a beach one. Winter (December to March) brings reliable snow and 0 to -5°C cold. Summer (June to August) is warm at 20-25°C and the hiking season. Spring and autumn are quieter and milder.

• The currency is the Polish Złoty (PLN, zł). Zakopane is properly good value. A pint of beer is £2 to £4, a sit-down restaurant meal £8 to £15, a half-day ski lift pass around £25 to £35, and the 4-hour basic Chochołowskie Termy ticket around £10.

• Polish is the language and English is widely spoken in tourist-facing places. Hotel staff, ski instructors, restaurant menus and the cable car ticket offices all work in English.

Top Zakopane Hotels 2026/2027

Zakopane's hotel scene runs the spectrum from family-friendly four-star resorts with indoor pools and kids' clubs to traditional Zakopane-style chalets and properly luxurious spa hotels. Most of the strongest options sit within walking distance of Krupówki Street and the cable car stations.

Families

• Bachleda Hotel Kasprowy Zakopane. Big family-friendly four-star with cracking Tatra Mountain views, an indoor pool, kids' club, playground, plus saunas, hot tub and a hammam for parents. Two restaurants and a traditional inn for evening meals. A 15-minute walk to Krupówki and the same to the Gubałówka funicular.

• Hotel Aquarion Family & Friends - Destigo Hotels. Modern family-focused stay opened in 2017, with a children's playground, family-sized rooms, breakfast buffets and proper a la carte dinners. A 15-minute stroll to Krupówki and a 16-minute walk to the Gubałówka funicular.

• Radisson Blu Hotel & Residences Zakopane. Substantial five-star with serviced apartments alongside hotel rooms, a two-storey wellness centre with a 30-metre indoor pool plus a kiddie swim area, Finnish saunas, a playground and family-friendly dining. Properly equipped for the multi-generation trip.

Couples

• Aries Hotel & Spa. Couples-focused spa hotel with individually decorated rooms, an indoor freshwater pool, full spa with massages and facials, sauna, steam bath and a nightclub for the evenings. Five-minute walk to Krupówki Street and the Tatra Museum nearby for the cultural daytime.

• Crocus Hotel. Traditional charm meets modern in spacious rooms with all the wellness essentials: saunas, hot tub, indoor pool. Polish restaurant on-site. Brilliantly placed for skiing with the Wielka Krokiew ski jump, Nosal complex and the Kasprowy Wierch cable car all close, plus a 14-minute walk to Krupówki.

• Hotel Sabala. Boutique-feel stay with just 32 rooms (smaller scale than the big resort hotels), spa with indoor pool and sauna, top-notch restaurant, coffee shop and bar. Five-minute walk to Krupówki, with the Tatra Museum and Zakopane Art Gallery nearby.

Luxury

• Radisson Blu Hotel & Residences Zakopane. The five-star benchmark in Zakopane: hotel rooms plus serviced apartments for the upgrade, the two-storey wellness centre with a 30-metre indoor pool, mud treatments, beauty salon, Finnish saunas. The full Radisson Blu polish.

• Aries Hotel & Spa. The grown-up couples luxury pick, with the proper full spa setup (massages, body treatments, facials), indoor freshwater pool with kids' swim area, and a five-minute walk to Krupówki. Individually decorated rooms with a more boutique feel than the bigger resorts.

Groups

• Gromada Zakopane. Block-bookable mid-size hotel right next to Krupówki Street, with rooms offering city or mountain views, the Rooster restaurant for Polish and international food, a fitness centre, sauna and a beer garden for summer evenings. Two ski lifts and the funicular nearby for ski groups.

• Hotel Logos. Properly group-friendly with mid-size scale, an on-site restaurant heavy on Polish classics, the bar, and a snug fireplace lobby for after-ski. Seven-minute walk to Krupówki and the Zakopane Art Gallery for the cultural daytime, plus the Aqua Park 1.3 km away for groups travelling with kids.

Value

• Rzemieslnik Zakopane. Recently revamped (2023) modernist Zakopane stay with Tatra views, a restaurant, bar and bus stop right outside. An eight-minute walk to the centre and ten to Krupówki, with the cable car to Kasprowy Wierch a 15-minute walk further. Properly priced for the location.

• Skalny. Wallet-friendly mountain stay with a full-service spa, indoor pool, sauna and babysitting services. A 20-minute walk to the centre but right next to the Tatra National Park (1.5 km) and Mount Kasprowy Wierch ski resort (2.2 km). Best for the active trip rather than the social one.

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Must See, Must Do in Zakopane

• Krupówki Street. The buzzy pedestrian heart of Zakopane, a half-mile of restaurants, oscypek stalls, fireplace pubs, ice-cream parlours and shops selling carved wooden everything. Where you'll spend most evenings whatever the season.

• The Kasprowy Wierch Cable Car. From Kuźnice (just outside town) to the 1,987-metre summit of Kasprowy Wierch in 20 minutes, with panoramas across the Tatras into Slovakia at the top. Skiing in winter, walking in summer, photographing year-round. Book ahead in summer because tickets sell out.

• The Gubałówka Funicular. The other big lift, this one a quirky old funicular railway from the bottom of Krupówki up to a ridge with brilliant views back across Zakopane to the Tatras. Restaurants, market stalls and a tobogganing run at the top. The easy alternative to Kasprowy.

• Hike to Morskie Oko. The most photographed lake in Poland, an alpine glacial lake set under jagged peaks at the end of a 9 km walk from the Palenica Białczańska car park (or take the horse-drawn cart). Properly stunning. Plan a full day for it and start early.

• A Day at Chochołowskie or Terma Bukowina. The huge geothermal water complexes in the villages around Zakopane, with hot outdoor pools, indoor lagoons, slides for kids, saunas and salt grottos. Brilliantly therapeutic after a day on the slopes or the trails. Around 30 minutes by taxi from town.

• The Wielka Krokiew Ski Jump. Zakopane's most recognisable landmark, the 134-metre ski jump where the Ski Jumping World Cup events are held every January. You can ride a chairlift to the top of the inrun for the views (or, in season, watch the actual competitions). The ski jumping museum at the base is properly good.

• Oscypek Tasting on Krupówki. The Tatra highlanders' smoked sheep cheese, properly distinctive with a salty-smoky flavour and a chewy texture, traditionally grilled and served with cranberry jam. Sold at the wooden stalls all along Krupówki. Cheap, characterful and absolutely the local thing to try.

• A Walking Tour of Zakopane Style Architecture. The Witkiewicz-designed wooden chalet style that defines Zakopane is best seen on a walking tour, taking in the iconic Villa Koliba (now the Tatra Museum), Villa Pod Jedlami, and the wooden Old Church and Cemetery on Kościeliska Street. Around an hour and a half on foot.

Where to Stay on Your Zakopane Holidays

Families

The bigger family-friendly hotels (Bachleda Hotel Kasprowy, Hotel Aquarion, Radisson Blu) all sit within a 15-minute walk of Krupówki Street, putting you close enough to the centre for evening meals out and shopping but slightly removed from the buzzier core. For families heavy on the ski side of things, anywhere near the Kuźnice cable car station works brilliantly. The Aqua Park on the south side of town is a useful family backup for rainy days, with several hotels positioned within a short walk.

Couples

For couples, the spa-focused boutique hotels (Aries, Hotel Sabala) work brilliantly because they sit in the centre of Zakopane, walking distance to Krupówki and the cable car stations, with proper grown-up spa setups for the post-hike/post-ski wind-down. Crocus is the pick if you're skiing-focused thanks to the Wielka Krokiew and Kasprowy Wierch proximity.

Groups

For groups, central Zakopane near Krupówki is the obvious choice (Gromada, Hotel Logos) because everyone wants to walk back from dinner without needing taxis. Block-bookable mid-size hotels work better than the big five-star resorts for a squad, and the ski lift access from central Zakopane (cable car shuttle bus to Kuźnice, funicular at the bottom of Krupówki) is straightforward enough for ski groups.

Local Lingo for Your Zakopane Holidays

Polish is the language and English is widely spoken in tourist-facing places, but a few words go down well. The local highlander dialect adds its own quirks but standard Polish works fine everywhere.

• Cześć (cheshch), Hi / Bye. The casual greeting, works for anyone you're on first-name terms with.

• Dziękuję (jen-KOO-yeh), Thank you. Essential and universally appreciated.

• Góry (GOO-ree), Mountains. The word for the Tatras, and a useful one to recognise on signs and trail markers.

• Na zdrowie (nah ZDROH-vyeh), Cheers / To your health. The toast for vodka, beer or grzane piwo (mulled beer). Use it.

• Oscypek (osh-TSI-pek), The smoked sheep cheese. Order it grilled with cranberry jam.

Holidays to Zakopane – Travel Guide 2026 / 2027

Families

• Take the Gubałówka Funicular. The easy lift up to the ridge above Zakopane, with views back across the town to the Tatras, restaurants, market stalls and a summer tobogganing run that kids love. Less queuing than Kasprowy and properly family-friendly.

• Spend a Day at Chochołowskie Termy. The biggest of the geothermal water parks near Zakopane, with hot outdoor pools, slides for kids, indoor lagoons, salt grottos and a separate kids' area. A full-day trip and properly memorable, especially when it's snowing outside.

• Tatra National Park's Easier Trails. Several walks suit families with kids: the easy 90-minute Dolina Strążyska (Strążyska Valley) walk, the Dolina Białego loop, or the gentle pony-trap ride to Morskie Oko if you don't fancy the full hike. Bring layered kit even in summer because mountain weather changes fast.

• Watch Ski Jumping at Wielka Krokiew (January). If you're visiting in January, the Ski Jumping World Cup events at Wielka Krokiew are an absolute spectacle for kids and adults alike. Tickets are reasonable and the atmosphere is properly raucous.

Couples

• Hike to Morskie Oko. Poland's most photographed lake, set under the high peaks. The 9 km walk in (and 9 km back out) takes around 5-6 hours total at a relaxed pace, or you can take the horse-drawn carts to cut the walking time. A bottle of grzane piwo at the lakeside lodge at the top is the proper reward.

• Spa Day at Terma Bukowina. Smaller, slightly more grown-up than Chochołowskie, with multiple indoor and outdoor thermal pools, saunas, salt rooms, massage treatments and properly stunning mountain views from the outdoor pools. Around 25 minutes by taxi from Zakopane.

• Dinner at a Karczma. The traditional Polish mountain inns with open fires, sheepskin-covered benches and live highlander music. Try Bąkowo Zohylina or Karczma Po Zbóju on Krupówki for the full atmosphere, plus regional dishes like kwaśnica (sour soup with smoked meats) and pierogi.

• Sunset Cable Car to Kasprowy Wierch. Take the late-afternoon cable car up to the 1,987-metre summit for the panoramic views and the genuinely awe-inspiring sunset across the Tatras into Slovakia. Bring a jacket because it's properly cold up top even in summer.

Groups

• Ski Day at Kasprowy Wierch or Polana Szymoszkowa. The two main ski areas serving Zakopane: Kasprowy is the higher-altitude proper alpine experience for confident skiers, Polana Szymoszkowa is the more beginner-and-intermediate friendly setup right next to town. Day passes around £25 to £35, rentals affordable, ski schools available.

• Snow-Tubing or Sledging on Gubałówka. Even non-skiers can join in. The Gubałówka summer tobogganing run flips into snow tubing in winter, with proper tubes and runs that work for groups. Cheap, daft and properly fun.

• Pub Crawl on Krupówki. The Krupówki pedestrian zone is lined with fireplace pubs, late-night bars and a couple of properly buzzy clubs. Try Cocktail Bar Max & Dom Whisky for serious cocktails, the U Wnuka traditional inn for grzane piwo (mulled beer) by the open fire, and Café Piano for the late session.

• A Day Trip to Slovakia for the Other Side of the Tatras. The Slovakian side of the Tatras has slightly less crowded slopes and beautiful lakes around Štrbské Pleso, all about 90 minutes' drive from Zakopane. Brilliant group day trip with car hire. No border formalities.

More Destinations for 2026/2027

• Krakow, Poland's most beautiful city with the medieval Old Town, the dragon legend at Wawel Castle, the Kazimierz Jewish quarter and a brilliant pierogi-and-vodka food scene.

• Warsaw, the capital reborn as one of Europe's most dynamic city break destinations with its painstakingly reconstructed Old Town, post-war modernist architecture and the riverside Vistula boulevards.

• Wroclaw, the colourful western Polish city built across 12 islands, with its market square (one of Europe's biggest), the famous bronze gnome statues hidden across the city and a properly characterful student-fuelled bar scene.

• Gdansk, Poland's Baltic coast city with a stunning rebuilt Hanseatic Old Town, the amber heritage, the World War II history at Westerplatte and the seaside resort of Sopot a tram ride away.

• Lesser Poland, the wider region around Krakow that includes everything from the Tatra Mountains to the Wieliczka Salt Mine, the Auschwitz-Birkenau memorial and the historic spa towns of the south.