How to get to Zakopane from Warsaw and Cracow

by Zakopane.com · Published November 9, 2017 · January 22, 2019

Getting to Zakopane by car

Nowadays almost every driver have a navigation or GPS in your mobile phone. So, there’s no problem with finding a proper way from point A to point B.

But getting to Zakopane is often a problem, because of big tourist traffics, not very good roads, traffic jams and roads’ renovations. In these situations it’s good to follow these:

1. Check the route before going

Even if you already have been in Zakopane and you know the way, check on the Internet, if there’s no roads’ renovations right now and how big is the traffic. Do it just before you go – one or two hours before you leave. You can use Google maps to do this, which can show you intensity of car traffic and roads’ renovations. It’s good to check the news on our website and Facebook – we always inform about difficulties on the roads 🙂

2. Prepare for traffic jams

Unfortunately, many tourists, that come to Podhale Region don’t think about the fact, that thousands or hundreds of thousands other people had the same idea: let’s go to Zakopane for a weekend/summer holidays/winter holidays! So, if you’re planning to come to Zakopane in summer time, any weekend, Christmas, New Year or winter holidays, you should be aware that there will be bad traffics on some parts of the road to Zakopane. More and more tourists come to Zakopane also for a weekend in low touristic season – if there’s a nice weather in October, November or April, many people come to Podhale Region. But you can prepare for traffic and find a way to avoid it.

3. Don’t be afraid of detours

If you’ve read two points above and you know, that there are going to be traffics on you way, don’t be afraid of detours, even if you drive this road for the first time. Of course, you should prepare first. Check, which way you can go to skip traffic.

Now, many parts of the road from Cracow to Zakopane are being renovated (road No. 47) and it can last even until 2020, because there are plans to change the whole Cracow-Zakopane road.

Usually, the biggest traffic are in Lubień, Chabówka, Kilkuszowa, Biały Dunajec and Poronin.

if there is really big traffic, you can go from Cracow through Wadowice, Czarny Dunajec and Nowe Bystre – the way it is little bit longer, but you’ll avoid all the conjestion. From Czarny Dunajec you can go through Chochołów (green line on the map), but now in Chochołów and Kościelisko there are also road renovations, so there may be traffics too. Better option is to go through Nowe Bystre (red line on the map)

[huge_it_maps id=”9″]

to skip the most jammed part of the Cracow-Zakopane road, which is the part Nowy Targ-Zakopane, it’s a good idea to go through Białka Tatrzańska and Murzasichle (red line on the map). But it’s important, that in winter time there may be traffic in Białka Tatrzańska as well (there are really good ski slopes there), but you can skip them, when in Gronków you’ll turn right to Groń and Leśnica (green line on the map) and then you’ll go through Bukowina Tatrzańska and Murzasichle to Zakopane.

[huge_it_maps id=”10″]

to skip the traffic in the part of the Zakopane-Cracow road, you can also go through Mszana Dolna and Rabka Zdrój.

[huge_it_maps id=”11″]

It’s always good to note the screens located along the road – there’s always information about road renovations and estimated time of travel.

Getting to Zakopane from Cracow

If you’re planning to go from Cracow to Zakopane and you don’t want to or cannot go by car, there’s some fast and cheap ways to do this:

1. Polski Bus

It’s the Polish bus line, that goes not only in Poland, but also abroad. If you know the time of departure and buy ticket in advance, it can happen, that you’ll pay only 1 PLN! If you are less lucky, you’ll pay 8, 9, 10 or 14 PLN. It’s still not much, because the standard price is 20 PLN.

This option has one disadvantage – the buses to Zakopane always start their route from the other town, e.g. form Warsaw and the Cracow is on their way. Sometimes happens, that the bus come to Cracow delayed. But it’s still a really good option to get to Zakopane 🙂

These buses departure from the second level of the main bus station in Cracow (18, Bosacka Street)

You can check the timetable and prices HERE.

2. Szwagropol and Majer Bus

They’re the most popular bus lines on the route Cracow-Zakopane. They go almost every hour, so there’s no problem to plan everything well. One way ticket for an adult costs 19 PLN. These buses go from the second floor of the main bus station in Cracow (18, Bosacka Street). If you’re buying an online ticket , you have to be on the bus station at the latest 10 minutes before departure.

Going by Szwagropol or Majer Bus it’s probably the best option – even if there is traffic, the drivers know very well how to avoid them 🙂 Additional advantage – they go everyday, besides 25th December, Easter (only the first day) Corpus Christi and the 1st November.

Timetables and prices you can find here: Szwagropol, Majer Bus.

3. Train

Train usually takes longer than bus (about 3 hours), but it has an essential advantage – it doesn’t get stuck in traffic jams. Getting to Zakopane by train can be a really good idea during winter holidays (especially on the weekends), Christmas, New Year and summer too. You’ll go 3 hours, that’s true, but by bus or car sometimes it can be the same or even longer. It happens, that there’s already no seats available on the bus and you’ll have to stand all way – and there’s always enough space on train 🙂

A train ticket for an adult costs from 14 to 25 PLN. Timetables and prices you can find HERE.

Getting to Zakopane from Warsaw

There are not so many ways to get to Zakopane from Warsaw, but they still are 🙂

1. Polski Bus

If you didn’t read previous paragraph, we inform, that Polski Bus is a bus line, going in Poland but also abroad. The bus goes directly to Zakopane and stops on the way only in Radom, Kielce and Cracow. Prices are different: sometimes you can buy a ticket for 1 PLN only, but usually it’s 20, 30 or 40 PLN.

Prices and timetables are HERE.

2. Train

There is only one direct train connection between Warsaw and Zakopane. But good way is to go from Warsaw to Cracow by train, and then go from Cracow to Zakopane by bus. Trains from Warsaw to Cracow go really often and buses from Cracow to Zakopane go almost every hour, sometimes even every half an hour. We’re sure you’ll find a good connection.

Timetable for train you can check HERE.

More details about getting from Cracow to Zakopane, you’ll find in the paragraph above Getting to Zakopane from Cracow.

Bla Bla Car

It’s a really good option for one person or two people – it’s a bad idea to use Bla Bla Car when you travel with a whole family. Bla Bla Car is a website, that connects drivers and passenger. Describing it really shortly: when someone goes by car, e.g.. from Warsaw to Zakopane, he register this drive on Bla Bla Car website and determine the price for passengers. Someone else is looking for a transport on the same route, he finds a driver on Bla Bla Car website and they go together. The driver pays less for the petrol and the passenger has fast and cheap connection.

Now, by Bla Bla Car website you can find a transport even to the other part of the Europe. Registration is free, so you can always try this option.

Bla Bla Car

Getting outside the Zakopane and surrounding villages

If you hotel or pension is located outside the Zakopane center or even outside the town of Zakopane, you don’t always have to go to the center first.

If your hotel or pension is located in one of below villages, going to the city center won’t be necessary:

1. Szaflary, Biały Dunajec, Bańska Niżna, Poronin

If you go from Cracow by Szwagropol or Majer Bus buses, you can tell the driver, that you want to get out of the bus on a bus stop in one of above villages. They’re all located along the road Cracow-Zakopane, so it won’t be a problem. But if you go by Polski Bus, it’s not possible, because it doesn’t stop on the bus stops on the way, so you have to go to the bus station in the Zakopane center.

If you travel by train, there are also train stations in Szaflary, Biały Dunajec and Poronin, so you can get out of the train there.

2. Białka Tatrzańska i Bukowina Tatrzańska

To these villages you can go directly from Cracow – there’s special bus line of Szwagropol company, that goes from Cracow to Bukowina Tatrzańska, through Białka Tatrzańska. It goes several times a day and thanks to that you can save much time (especially in high season!) instead of going to Zakopane and then to Białka or Bukowina Tatrzańska.

Timetable you can fing HERE.

3. Zakopane: Ustup and Harenda

They’re Zakopane’s disctricts, located on the way of bus from Cracow to Zakopane. If you travel by Szwagropol or Majer Bus buses, you should ask the driver to stop on a Ustup bus stop. Harenda is located nearby, on your right.

If your hotel or pension is located in other parts of Zakopane or in other villages, the best idea is going to the bus station in the Zakopane center, and taking a proper bus from there. More information about that you can read in the article below:

https://zakopane.com/en/how-move-around-podhale-region-without-a-car-buses-zakopane-podhale/

We hope, that you’ll use those tips and arrive in Zakopane fast, safe and comfortable! Let us know if they did help!

How to get to Zakopane from Warsaw and Cracow

Getting to Zakopane by car

2. Prepare for traffic jams

3. Don’t be afraid of detours

Getting to Zakopane from Cracow

1. Polski Bus

2. Szwagropol and Majer Bus

3. Train

Getting to Zakopane from Warsaw

1. Polski Bus

2. Train

Bla Bla Car

Getting outside the Zakopane and surrounding villages

1. Szaflary, Biały Dunajec, Bańska Niżna, Poronin

2. Białka Tatrzańska i Bukowina Tatrzańska

3. Zakopane: Ustup and Harenda

Related Posts:

INFO