Plan your stay and do it smart
When we intend to come to Zakopane, as in any other place, we are certainly thinking about how to plan our stay not to waste any time, not to miss the most interesting things. How can we do it without knowing the city well, without friends who will tell us where to go, what to see? The task seems even more difficult when we have a short stay ahead of us, perhaps only a weekend. So let’s try to consider a few suggestions – in the hope that they will prove to be helpful.
Reception will advise?
The first and simplest idea seems to be to ask the receptionist of the facility, where we decided to spend the night, about the most interesting places. This one may or may not help. The service will often be limited to handing us promotional leaflets, which are just being displayed at the reception. Their selection can be quite random, sometimes dictated by the partnership agreement between the hotel owner and the attraction. It can also happen that there will be no leaflets, because this is the hotel policy. And the receptionist will not always have the opportunity to devote us time to exhaustively tell about the attractions. It can also happen, though rarely, that they are poorly informed.
So where can we look for information?
In general, we recommend that you prepare before arrival. If you read this text, you will probably find a lot of inspiration among others that are also available on our website, such as “Scenic tours around Zakopane” , “Tips for walks in Zakopane” , “The most interesting art galleries – buy yourself a work of art.” , or ” There is no other such city.” And what else can we recommend? Certainly reading urban posters on advertisement posts, information there is updated on a regular basis. At the tourist information point on Kosciuszki 17 and Koscieliska 7 we will also find out a bit – unfortunately it is not open for long enough hours, just 9-17. The newly opened Zakolove point in the very center of Krupowki is full of leaflets, but if we do not even have preliminary knowledge about the attractions proposed there, the service will not give us much advice. Everywhere we will also find tourist guidebooks issued by the city. If you need help with the directions the best thing is to ask a bus driver, a waiter in a restaurant or even other tourists who might be visiting Zakopane not the first time. A translator on our smartphone might be a useful tool. First, let’s show a translated question in Polish on the screen, then ask a person who wants to advise us to type in Polish. It is a way of communication tried and tested in hotels, when desk service need to communicate with someone who is fluent in … Chinese or Hungarian 🙂
Let’s not exaggerate with planning
It may happen that you want to book your participation in attractions in advance – buy tickets for the cable car, buy a trip or stay in a mountain shelter. Of course, this has its advantages, the attraction will not pass us by when it turns out that everything is already sold out. There is also a disadvantage and it is a serious one – an unexpected change of weather can make it spend money senselessly, and instead of memories of great views and wonderfully spent time we will bring a cold from Zakopane. So it would be wisest to choose options that you can opt out if it turns out that the mountains are covered with dense clouds, or rain is pouring – which is not uncommon in Zakopane. We write about what to do during rain in the text “When it’s raining. Winter (and not only) attractions in Zakopane.”
What do you actually like?
Zakopane offers many attractions and to see, experience and enjoy. With a short stay, we have absolutely no chance to try and experience all of them, even if you could spend here a month this wouldn’t be long enough. Let’s us answer some questions honestly. Do we prefer quiet or noisy places? Are we are terrified of going up the hill, are we looking forward to hiking and be very active? Intense smells bother us, maybe we have fear of heights, or maybe we do not like cold? Do we want to celebrate meals in restaurants every day, do we plan to visit and eat only as much as we need to survive? Are we are interested in museums, highlander culture and musicwhich is available elsewhere? Once we answer these questions, let’s ask the people with whom we will share our trip, whether their preferences coincide with ours and develop a good plan. And below are few suggestions taking into account different tastes.
For those who love silence.
It is difficult to say whether Zakopane is a quiet or noisy city. It depends on the time of day, place and even season. However, there are circumstances where we will always feel blissful peace. Where? First in museums. In all branches of the Tatra Museum, but also the Jan Kasprowicz Museum at Harenda. The art galleries in Zakopane are also worth a visit, about which we write more in the text “The most interesting art galleries – buy yourself a work of art”. Secondly – let’s look at the churches. Those in Zakopane and the surrounding area are worth visiting because of their original decor, intricate woodcarvings, often sculptures and paintings of a folk character. It is also worth visiting the Peksowy Brzyzek Cemetery, a unique patch of land full of original gravestones of distinguished Zakopane residents.
Go for a walk in the bosom of nature and go to places less crowded – in the Tatra National Park on the Kalatowki Glade, the trail on the Sciezka nad Reglami, the Polana pod Woloszynem, or the Rowien Waksmundzka. Within the city limits on Bachledzki Wierch, where our dog can also run freely if he is going on vacation with us. Or we can go to Zab, where a path with a magnificent view of the Tatra Mountains leads over Harenda – when we park in Zab, turn towards the ski-lift, contrary to the mast at Gubalowka. We will also get there from the bottom on foot, along the green trail, which starts at the ZNP sanatorium in Ciaglowka, but you have to hurdle a considerable difference in height. A place where it is unlikely to be loud is also the TPN Nature Education Center.
In addition, it will be quiet in every side street in the evening. While the Krupowki Street full of taverns and some discos is loud into the night you can stroll peacefully admiring the beauty of the residential streets.
For those who don’t mind the crowd.
You can’t hide, there will be many more possibilities here. In this category we can safely put the most famous attractions. First, a cable car ride to Kasprowy Wierch. Here it should be noted that very often it’s tip drowns in the clouds and the warning against buying tickets well in advance is most applicable here. When this happens, unfortunately we will not see the famous views of the Polish and Slovak Tatras. This is quite an expensive attraction, regular ticket is 18 euro , so you should think about it. On the other hand – without tickets bought online, we’ll queue on a sunny day at the peak of the summer season … up to 6 hours (!). Two hours wait is very common. An equally frequent place is the cable car to Gubalowka and the fair located on the mountain, as well as observation terraces. The view, in fact, is worth the sin and the queue to enter it is a bit smaller. And the fair … I think we can safely skip it, having little time. Like the one at the bottom station is full of souvenirs, but to find anything original and worth buying will take some time.
Another very popular place is Wielka Krokiew, where the famous ski jump is located. It is difficult to say what the phenomenon is, but many people want to see the place of the jumpers up close, even when there are no competitions and it is full summer. There is also a fair under the jump as well as one of the stops for highlander carriages. Carriages through the city can be a great attraction, provided that you do not hit traffic jams in the high season, so we definitely recommend it at other times of the year.
Places where it will definitely be crowded and noisy are also aqua parks and hot springs – after all, worth recommending, especially to those who are exhausted from walking around the city, or need regeneration after an exhausting trip to the mountains.
The most popular Tatra routes are a separate category. One of the most famous of course leads to Giewont, but not everyone should go there, especially having, for example, only the weekend. Apart from weather conditions, if we don’t have good physical condition and mountain equipment from the lowlands, let’s get this summit for another occasion. Where can we go almost in what we are wearing? Of course to Morskie Oko, although it would be good to have at least decent, comfortable sports shoes, not thin sandals or flip-flops – there are almost 20 km to cover of asphalt road in both directions. You can still take the ride on a horse cart, but apart from the ecological and moral aspects of this choice, we will still have a part of the path to walk on foot – from the Polana Wlosienica about 1.5 km above Morskie Oko. At the lake, there is a beautiful view of the stone wall of the mountains around, and if the clouds cover it, you will certainly comfort yourself with something delicious in the hostel, they have great cuisine and quick service.
Of the popular easily reachable routes for tourists without preparation is the one on Rusinowa Polana. The easiest way to get there is by bus to Palenica Bialczanska, i.e. with the sign “Morskie Oko” – and get off in Wierchporoniec. An hour’s drive across almost flat terrain through the forest and we are in a large clearing with an amazing view of the Slovak Tatras and some Polish, there is a shepherd’s hut with real oscypek chees and a flock of sheep. The persistent can climb several hundred wooden steps up to get to the Goose Neck, a beautiful viewpoint.
The valleys of Koscieliska, Chocholowska and Bialego are also crowded. They will not necessarily give us a view on what is most interesting in Zakopane, because they run in a rather monotonous area. But they have an advantage, in addition to undoubtedly fresh air and completely different scenery from the city – they are almost flat, so they do not require great condition. Although the Chochołowska Valley is long and going through it in its entirety can be tiring when e.g. we are with small children. When to avoid it? During the craze for crocuses, there are many places where we can also enjoy the view of these purple flowers, which we write in the text “Early spring and spring in the Tatras”.
There are also attractions that are difficult to say that they are a local unique and yet enjoy popularity. These include parrots, the Cyberiada digital entertainment center, cinemas, an amusement park in the very center of the city, or a carousel near Gubalowka.
Finally about Krupówki Street. Definitely not worth going there at the very beginning of your stay. The justification may be the need to replenish mountain equipment, there are plenty of sports stores, also shopping for missing cosmetics in one of the drugstores and of course a visit to the Tatra Museum or one of the art galleries. There is also restaurants and fast food places but the last are not all recommendable. Certainly it is the loudest and most crowded place not only in Zakopane, but throughout Poland. So who loves stalls with souvenirs, smell of grill, live music or from the loudspeaker coming from every inn and cafe, an atmosphere of light madness turned up by the calling sellers of flying windmills and children running around – let him see this closely. But certainly this place is not the essence and the heart of Zakopane. And many people may feel tired and overwhelmed by the crowds and noise.
For everyone.
To everyone who comes to Zakopane by car we can recommend visiting the towns around. We write about it more in the text “Scenic tours around Zakopane”. Even with only two days at your disposal, it’s worth going for example to Gliczarow Gorny or Bukowina Tatrzanska on the Glodowka Glade. The views will be even more spectacular than from Gubalowka, it will be quieter, and we can find beautiful weather and food in taverns better than on Krupowki.
There is quite a wide concert offer in Zakopane. It may not be something that really does distinguish Zakopane, but if we are music lovers, in the summer we can go to one of the concerts of the organ festival, Szymanowski Music Days or in September to the Music on the Summits festival. It is also worth visiting the Atma, a museum at the home of Karol Szymanowski, where concerts also take place. In other months, something very often happens at the Kmicic Cafe – mini theater performances, blues concerts and more. You can spend one of the evenings there. Or choose a completely different atmosphere and take part in one of the concerts or shows of the Mountain Folklore Festival, which is very interesting and worth visiting if we find ourselves in Zakopane in August. Who loves theater, let them be interested in the Witkacy Theater propositions – the acting and directing team is really good, the repertoire is original, and many plays are thematically related to Zakopane, although not all.
And whoever especially likes highlander culture, follow the information about concerts and festivals of highlander bands. Ultimately, if there is no such event at the People’s House in Kościelisko or Bukowina, we can also listen to the band in one of the numerous taverns – every day in the high season, usually from 6:00pm and off-season on weekends. Here, we must also note that, although the inn is a peculiar phenomenon of the Podhale region and the most common choice when it comes to the restaurant’s offer, not everyone has to like both heavy cuisine and the atmosphere of bustle and crowds. To these people we can recommend other restaurants, which we described in the text “Zakopane – bon appétit!”.
For those seeking exercise.
Zakopane is a city not only of unique culture but also of sport. Every month there are sports events of different rank, in most of them you can be actively involved. Various runs, competitions for the mayor’s cup in various disciplines, or even cleaning the Tatra Mountains together is an offer for those who need some exercise and are not happy about visiting museums. In winter there is an offer of horse-drawn sleigh rides and of course ski slopes. Even when you are here for a short time, many people come to Zakopane or nearby towns especially to experience the real Tatra winter.
What else to consider?
Certainly, when planning a short or long stay, there are a few things to consider. First, let’s match the attractions to the place of residence. At the peak of the season, Zakopane and the surrounding area stand in giant traffic jams, so if our stay is to be short, do not waste time traveling to places far away from our accommodation, let’s focus on what we can see in the area. Or let’s plan what interests us the most, even before we choose a place to stay and when choosing, be guided by the location close to the dream attractions. For example, tourists focused on skiing madness on Kasprowy Wierch usually choose one of the hotels near Rondo Św. John Paul and Kuźnice. Let’s not be tempted to spend the night around Krupówki in the summer, if we are not going to party until late at night, but we dream of watching stars and mountains from the windows at dawn – then it’s better to choose Antałówka.
The next thing is, of course, the weather – let’s not insist on long walks in the bitter cold, a man from the lowlands will not necessarily is used to them. And even the usual spring or summer chill with frosts at night can be felt, so carefully plan all barbecues, bonfires and other evening attractions. And let’s take clothes at least one layer warmer than in the lowlands.
Perhaps the most important thing will be the period of the year in which we are going to Zakopane. In the peak of the summer season are crowds, traffic jams, but also the most interesting festival offer and the longest days for trips to the mountains. The winter peak – in turn, is the famous New Year’s Eve with the Two, the opportunity to spend Christmas in a climate tavern, or a highlander’s house and madness on the ski slopes. Spring is silence, emptiness, but also often inaccessible due to mountain avalanches. Autumn is often long and warm, conducive to walks around the city, but also in the mountains, although the day is shorter. It is also less crowded than in summer or winter.
And the finances? Zakopane is not cheap, just like any such popular tourist destination in the world. But there are also many alternative options. You can reach the top of Kasprowy Wierch by cable car, but you can also go to Nosal or Kopieniec for the price of an admission ticket to TPN (PLN 5) and enjoy the views.
You can go to an expensive tavern or choose a cheaper restaurant. Spend all the money on attractions from Krupówki, which our children will demand or avoid this nest of temptations and buy as an souvenir some interesting book related to the mountains or Zakopane, or a work of art from a local artist that doesn’t have to be expensive.
We realize that for people who do not have a map of Zakopane in front of their eyes, planning anything can be difficult. Which attractions are close together, how much time is needed to cover the distance, how long are the opening hours of the facilities? That is why we invite you now to read another text – a guide on how to plan a day, two or a week to see as much as possible. There will be ready suggestions for walking routes and examples of attractions grouped by location. We write about all this in the text “Suggestions of walks in Zakopane”.
Anna Markiewicz
