Never enough of winter
Winter attractions, or what else besides skis.
We have already written a lot about the rich ski offer in Zakopane and its surroundings in the texts devoted to ski stations (…) However, not all of us has skills and health possibilities to go ski. Although the sport is very popular, some of us prefer to enjoy the winter in a different way and probably there is no person completely resistant to the charm of large amounts of white, fluffy snow. In many places in Poland and in the world, cold and snowy winters are just a memory, but in Zakopane and its surroundings we still have the best chance to see white roadways, sidewalks, trees barely visible from under the snow cap, completely white fields and meadows scratched only here and there by the trails of animals. Who will be lucky to see the snow-capped mountains on a cold winter night with a clear sky and a bright moon, will not forget this view for long.
Thinking about fans of snow and winter, Zakopane residents make attractions available every year, which we will not meet in other places in Poland. They are mainly sleigh rides. Horses, sleighs, torches and hot snacks in the hut by the bonfire – does not that sound like a description from a fairy tale or nineteenth-century novel? Another attraction is the snow maze and castle, which are placed every year under the ski jump at Wielka Krokiew in Zakopane and stand until … spring will not dissolve them. In addition, we find in the city less sophisticated, popular entertainment places for small and large, such as ice rinks, toboggan sleighs, or a multi-track slide. On the streets we can sometimes see single sleighs in horse-drawn cart, highlanders offer rides most often when there is a lot of snow, although for determined tourists in rainy weather they can organize sleighs … on wheels. For those who love horses, we can also recommend a stud in Bukowina – winter rides are the opportunity to experience beautiful nature. Of course, also in winter, we can go on a trip to the mountains, but the conditions of winter tourism and related safety issues are so different from the summer that we dedicate a separate text, which we recommend especially for those who are not well-familiar with the mountains.
Sleigh Rides
There are many organizers of this entertainment, but it must be honestly acknowledged that the services are not at the same level. It’s good to make an appointment in advance, of course, keeping a watchful eye on the weather forecasts, but then to make sure that things are still there. Because it happens that the
Sleigh rides in the Chochołowska and Kościelisko
Valley GÓRAL -TOUR. The office specializes in organizing one-day trips, for example to Krakow, Auschwitz, Wieliczka, or to Tatralandia in Slovakia. In the summer, rafting is also popular in the Dunajec, and in the winter – sleigh rides. At the client’s request, organized in the morning or at twilight, along Koscielisko or in the Chocholowska Valley. In addition to the ride itself, you can order a hot meal in a hut by the bonfire, also accompanied by a highlander music band. It’s worth taking a look at the office’s website, reading the dress code tips so that nothing will ruin our fun. We can count on transport by bus to the place of sleigh ride, as well as organization of the event on weekends and holidays. Office: Krupówki St. 75, 34-500 Zakopane +48 601 738 729 or +48 601 231 884 e-mail: kontakt@goraltour-zakopane.pl
Sleigh rides with torches
Sleigh ride takes place on the slopes of Wierch(Peak) Olczanski and Wierch Poronianski, from where wonderful panoramas of the Tatras extend. The rally is organized at the market square near Gubalowka and from there the participants of the sleigh ride are picked up by bus to the Olcza area. Here we also have the opportunity to order a meal and highlander band.
34-520 Zakopane, Market Square near Gubalowka
+ 48 889 795 800, +48 795 567 772
www.facebook.com/kuligizpochodniamizakopane
Kulig to Kuźnice, on the Morskie Oko, around the area around Zakopane
Kuligi.eu.
Sleigh rides for groups and individual, including valentine’s offer. The company offers to replace the sleigh with horse-drawn carriages in case of unfavorable weather conditions. Various routes to choose from, hot meals, bonfire.
Witkiewicza 8, 34-500 Zakopane (office is located in the paper shop, open Mon-Fri 10-17 / Sat 10-15 / Sun – by phone)
+48 692 616 079,
Sled, snow labyrinth, snow castle
It may happen that we do not feel like a sleigh ride, or there are serious contraindications – for example, we have an allergy to horse fur or asthma. We can then go on a sled alone. In the very center of Zakopane, on the upper Rownia Krupowa artificial hill was built, which is very popular among children. There are plenty of natural slopes in the area, we are in the mountains after all. There is also a place at Gubalowka, Snow Zabawa where you can ride a sled behind a snowmobile, or follow it on a pontoon. There are also many other attractions, such as snow-tubing.
Snow Fun
ul. Droga Zubka 40
34-500 Zakopane
+48 501 570 570
We can also ride a sledge near Wielka Krokiew in Snowlandia. There is a 200-meter long sled toboggan run with artificial lighting, open from 10 to 20. Snowlandia is also, and perhaps above all, the snow labyrinth, the largest in Europe, and the snow castle.
The snow maze has an area of up to 3,000 m2, it takes around 30-40 minutes to look for the way out, and the walls are so high that even people with high growth cannot see the way out. The labyrinth is open from 10-22 hours, the last tickets are sold at 21.
The Snow Castle is entirely made of snow. His bastions rise to a height of 16 meters. It is a place full of chambers, secret passages, tunnels that can be reached on a tower or terrace from which a beautiful view extends, for example on Wielka Krokiew, Giewont and the entire Śnieżna Land, or other objects of Snowland.
The Ice Palace of the Snow Queen is a place of snow and ice, full of amazing chambers with numerous sculptures made by artists from Podhale and Slovakia. You can sit here on ice throne, lie on an ice bed or warm up by the ice fireplace.
It is worth contacting the facility before we go there, opening hours are often changed, and the condition and availability of attractions depend heavily on the current weather conditions.
Snowlandia
Pilsudskiego St. 38, 34-500 Zakopane (near the Wielka Krokiew named after Stanislaw Marusarz)
+48 797 378 887
http://www.snowlandia.pl
Skates
For skating enthusiasts, there is an ice rink next to the ski lift on Harenda, where a skate rental is available.
And also a small Tafla ice rink at Nowotarska St. 27 in the very center of the city.
Tafla skating rink – +48 662 294 179, www.facebook.com/LodowiskoTAFLA
Ice rink Harenda – Office tel. +48 18 20 256 80 fax. +48 18 20 256 87 biuro@harendazakopane.pl
The largest ice rink in Podhale is located in the Central Sports Center (Centralny Osrodek Sportu, COS). Opening hours 9-20. There is also a professional ice track – available when athletes do not train on it.
Central Sports Center – Center of Olympic Preparations in Zakopane
Bronislawa Czecha St.1
34-500 Zakopane
Office: Mon – Fri: 7:00 – 15:00
tel. 18 263 26 60
fax 18 201 49 06
Horse Riding
For those who want to relax actively, are not afraid of frost and snow, and are able to ride a horse, or want to learn it, we can recommend another form of wonderful spending time in Podhale. The Mountain House-riding Center is also open in winter, runs trainings from scratch, as well as recreational rides in the field. It is beautifully located in Bukowina Tatrzanska, in the vicinity of the forest, which favors the admiration of beautiful views of the entire Tatra Mountains. Both individual lessons and horse-riding camps are run here, there are 11 horses in the stud, no pony for children, but the owners of the place ensure that also these larger ones are exceptionally gentle and trained to work with the youngest.
34-530 Bukowina Tatrzanska, Sloneczna St. 17
+48 18 20 77 290, +48 888 850 858
www.kwaterybukowina.pl/jazda-konna
Of course, all the attractions mentioned here will be the most joyful for us in good weather, lots of snow. If we do not meet such conditions, we will certainly find something interesting among the proposals that we write about in the text “When it rains. Winter (and not only) attractions in Zakopane.”
Anna Markiewicz
