Podhale & Zakopane transport – how to move around Podhale Region without a car
When we go to Zakopane and Podhale Region, it may be a good idea to leave your car at home and use public transport. But many tourists think that moving around by car is much more comfortable, faster and cheaper. They think, they’ll not be able to find a proper bus and a bus stop. We’re sure, that with this short guide, you’ll definitely handle this!
During summer holidays, weekends and in winter time, to Zakopane and Podhale Region come a lot of tourists. Most of them get here by car, and then move around by one as well.
But there are some reasons, why it’s better to leave your car at home and come to Podhale using public transport. During the high season in Podhale Region (holidays, winter time, weekends) there are really big traffic jams in Zakopane and surrounding villages. Local bus drivers usually know how to skip traffics and they often get somewhere much faster than tourists’ cars.
In some places, car parks can be really expensive. Moving around by public transport is usually cheaper. And it’s Eco 🙂 In addition to this, in high season in Zakopane, it’s often really hard to find a place to park the car, especially in the city center.
It also happens, that we’re planning a trip to Morskie Oko Lake and we could be told by the police to turn our car back. During the high season, so many people go to see Morskie Oko Lake, that there’s no place to leave the car and police just block the road and turns cars back.
In whole Podhale Region, private and public transport is really complex, so we can get wherever we want without problems. During winter time and holidays, local buses go really often, especially to very popular places.
Buses go to popular Tatras valleys, hotels, pensions, thermal pools, ski slopes and churches. Let’s see, how to get to the most popular places in Podhale Region.
From Zakopane to surrounding villages
All buses, that go outside Zakopane, departure from a square next to train station (35 Chramcówki Street).
There are boards with destination names and timetables. According to the place, where you want to travel, buses will go in three main directions: Nowy Targ, Białka Tatrzańska and Czarny Dunajec. Most of other villages are located on the way, so it’s good to know in which direction you want to go:
- Nowy Targ: on the way we can get to Poronin, Biały Dunajec, Bańska Niżna and Szaflary. To all these villages we can get also by bus, that goes to Cracow.
- Białka Tatrzańska: on the way there are Poronin, Bukowina Tatrzańska and Białka Tatrzańska
- Czarny Dunajec: on the way we can get to Kościeliska Village, Chochołowska Village, Witów, Chochołów, Koniówka and Podczerwone.
To other villages, like Ząb, Murzasichle, Czerwienne, Małe Ciche, Jurgów or Bustryk go dedicated buses – you just have to look on the plates in buses’ front windows or check in timetable.
There is also a bus stop, where all buses stop – it’s located in city center, right next to Krupówki Street. When you go from the direction of train station, the bus stop is located on the crossing with traffic lights, on your right, just the opposite of Lidl market.
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You can buy tickets when you’re already on the bus – just tell the driver where you want to go (or show him a piece of paper with your direction’s name written, if you don’t know how to pronounce it) and he’ll tell you how much you should pay.
Links to time tables for different directions are presented below. It’s worth to know, that they can be different, according to the season: in autumn and spring some of them may change:
- Zakopane-Poronin-Biały Dunajec-Bańska Niżna-Szaflary-Nowy Targ
- Zakopane-Poronin-Bukowina Tatrzańska-Białka Tatrzańska
- Zakopane-Kościelisko-Witów-Chochołów-Podczerwone-Czarny Dunajec
- Zakopane-Suche-Ząb-Bustryk
- Zakopane-Murzasichle-Małe Ciche
- Zakopane-Jurgów
All current timetables for buses, departure from Zakopane you can find HERE (they’re valid until the end of 2017).
In case of big tourist traffic, you can go from Zakopane to Poronin, Biały Dunajec, Szaflary or Nowy Targ by train. The way from Zakopane to Noway Targ lasts about 20 minutes. Because the train doesn’t get stuck in traffic, sometimes this may be much faster than travel by bus or car.
Current hours of departure you can find HERE.
To Morskie Oko Lake
It’s one of the most popular direction, especially in the summer. It’s good to know, that cars and buses can go only to the large car park in Palenica Białczańska, and from this place to Morskie Oko Lake you have to walk or hire a hackney, it is about 9 km.
From Zakopane
Buses to Morskie Oko Lake departure from a square next to train station. During summer, winter and weekends buses go every 10 minutes, so you don’t even need to look at the timetable.
But in low season (spring and autumn) there’s less buses to Morskie Oko Lake, so here you have timetables (valid till the end of 2017):
From Poronin and Bukowina Tatrzańska
Some buses to Morskie Oko Lake go only through Zakopane (timetable No. 1), but some of them go also through Bukowina Tatrzańska. So, if you want to get to Morskie Oko Lake from Poronin or Bukowina Tatrzańska, you just should go to the nearest bus stop and the bus to Morskie Oko Lake will take you on the way. You should use the 2nd timetable then.
Attention! If you’re staying in Poronin, next to the main road Zakopane-Cracow (No. 47), you should go to the bus stop Poronin-Misiagi. There’s also another bus stop next to this road (Poronin-train station), but it’s not on the way to Morskie Oko Lake.
From Ząb, Biały Dunajec, Bańska Niżna and Szaflary
If you travel from one of above villages, to get to Morskie Oko Lake you don’t have to go to Zakopane. It’s better to go to Poronin (bus stop Poronin-Misiagi), and then go to the other side of the road (in direction to Cracow) and wait for a bus to Morskie Oko Lake, that will come from Zakopane. You should use the the 2nd timetable then.
From Białka Tatrzańska and Jurgów
When you’re starting from Białka Tatrzańska or Jurgów, the best option is to go to Bukowina Tatrzańska, bus stop Bukowina-Klin (by bus Białka Tatrzańska-Zakopane or Jurgów-Zakopane) and go to the bus stop located just next to roundabout. The bus, that goes from Zakopane to Morskie Oko Lake will take you on the way. You should use the 2nd timetable then.
From every other village, the best way will be going to Zakopane first, and then taking a bus to Morskie Oko Lake.
To Kuźnice
Kuźnice is a district of Zakopane, where the lower station of cable car to Kasprowy Wierch is located. This it is also a place, where most of mountain trails in High Tatras begin, for example: Giewnot Peak, Kasprowy Wierch, Świnica Peak, Nosal, Black Pond or Kalatówki.
From Zakopane’s center, we can go to Kuźnice by several buses, that go every 10 minutes, so you don’t even need any timetable. You can take this bus at a square next to the train station or at the bus stop in city center, next to Krupówki Street – when you go from the direction of train station, it will be a bus stop on the opposite side of the crossing, on your left.
From some villages, like Białka or Bukowina Tatrzańska, buses go directly to Kuźnice. Here are timetables:
- Białka Tatrzańska-Bukowina Tatrzańska-Zakopane Kuźnice
- Małe Ciche-Murzasichle-Zakopane Kuźnice
- Kościelisko-Zakopane Kuźnice
To get to Kuźnice from other villages in Podhale Region, the best way is to go to Zakopane first and then take a bus to Kuźnice.
To Kościeliska Valley and Chochołowska Valley
They’re very popular valleys, because they’re easy to hike for everybody and there are beautiful views and scenery. You can get there from different parts of Podhale Region.
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- Smreczyński Pond in Kościeliska Valley
From Zakopane
Lots of buses go from square next to train station in direction to these valleys. To Kościeliska Valley you can go by buses Zakopane-Czarny Dunajec, Zakopane-Dolina Kościeliska or Zakopane-Dolina Chochołowska. To Chochołowska Valley you can get by buses Zakopane-Czarny Dunajec and Zakopane-Dolina Chochołowska.
Timetables:
- Zakopane-Czarny Dunajec
- Zakopane-Dolina Kościeliska I, Zakopane-Dolina Kościeliska II, Zakopane-Dolina Kościeliska III
- Zakopane-Dolina Chochołowska I, Zakopane-Dolina Chochołowska II, Zakopane-Dolina Chochołowska III
From Czarny Dunajec, Chochołów and Witów
From these villages to Kościeliska and Chochołowska Valley you can get by bus Czarny Dunajec-Zakopane.
Timetable: Czarny Dunajec-Zakopane
To get to the Kościeliska and Chochołowska Valley from others villages in Podhale Region, the best way is to go to Zakopane first and then take the direct bus there.
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- Kościeliska Valley in winter
To thermal pools in Podhale Region
There’s nothing as pleasant as bathing in warm water, after a whole day on mountain trails or ski slopes. More and more people know about it, and they go on a relaxing trip to one of the thermal pools. You can choose between 4 pools. Let’s see how to get there from different villages in Podhale.
Terma Bania in Białka Tatrzańska
From Zakopane we can get there by buses Zakopane-Białka Tatrzańska. They stop right next to the entrance to thermal pools. They departure from Zakopane at the square next to the train station.
Timetable: Zakopane-Białka Tatrzańska
From Poronin and Bukowina Tatrzańska you can get to thermal pools by those buses as well, just get into the bus on any bus stop on the way.
From Ząb, Szaflary and Biały Dunajec you should first go to Poronin (bus stop Poronin-Misiagi), and then take a bus, going from Zakopane to Białka Tatrzańska. From Jurgów, there are buses that go directly to Białka Tatrzańska.
To get to Terma Bania pools from other villages, you should go to Zakopane first, and then to Białka Tatrzańska.
Termy Bukovina in Bukowina Tatrzańska
Equally, like in case of thermal pools in Białka Tatrzańska, from Zakopane to Bukowina we can get by bus Zakopane-Białka Tatrzańska. As well as from Poronin.
From Biały Dunajec, Szaflary and Ząb, you should go to Poronin first (bus stop Poronin-Misiagi) by bus going to Zakopane, and from there take a bus Zakopane-Białka Tatrzańska.
From Białka Tatrzańska there’s direct bus to Bukowina Tatrzańska: Białka Tatrzańska-Zakopane.
To get to thermal pools Bukovina from other villages in Podhale Region, the best way is to go to Zakopane first.
Thermal Pools Szaflary and Gorący Potok in Szaflary
They’re two separated thermalpools, but located right next to each other. It’s good to know, that Gorący Potok has only outside pools, open also in the winter.
From Zakopane you can get to Szaflary by bus Zakopane-Nowy Targ or Zakopane-Kraków. The bus will stop on the main road, so you will have to go about 200 metres to the thermal pools.
Timetables:
From Biały Dunajec and Poronin you can take these buses on any bus stop, located on the main road (road No. 47).
To get to thermal pools in Szaflary from other villages in Podhale Region, the best way is to go to Zakopane first.
Chochołowskie Termy in Chochołów
The biggest and the newest (for now) thermal pools in Podhale Region. From Zakopane and Kościelisko, you can get there by bus Zakopane-Czarny Dunajec.
From Witów you can go to Chochołów by the same bus line, but going in opposite direction: Czarny Dunajec-Zakopane
Timetable: Zakopane-Czarny Dunajec and Czarny Dunajec-Zakopane
To get to thermal pools in Chochołów from other villages in Podhale Region, the best way is to go to Zakopane first and then take a bus Zakopane-Czarny Dunajec.
To ski slopes
We won’t write here, how to get to every ski slope in Podhale Region, because it’s so many of them. But surely, soon we’ll publish an article about how to get to the most popular ski slopes in Podhale Region.
The most popular ski slopes are located in Białka Tatrzańska, Bukowina Tatrzańska, Poronin, Suche, Ząb, Jurgów and Witów. In winter time there are so many buses, taking skiers to the ski slopes, so you’ll definitely manage it. If you’ll follow our advises about how to get to different villages in the region, that are presented in this article, you’ll find the best connection.
We hope, that this information will convince you, that moving around Podhale Region by public and private transport is nothing difficult and have many advantages. Let us know, if we skipped any popular destination. If you don’t know, how to get somewhere, just ask in comments!
