Summer is outside … think now about winter in Zakopane!
On warm days, when sometimes it is hard to bear the high temperatures we can turn our thoughts to winter for refreshment. And, for example, plan where we will spend Christmas or New Year’s Eve this year, or even think ahead, to school holidays during the winter. So, maybe this year in Zakopane? Why not, here is more likely a real snowy winter than in the lowland areas of Poland and Europe. It favors the operation of numerous ski lifts in the city and the surrounding area, organization of the World Cup competitions in ski jumping, but also adds a special atmosphere to holidays celebrated in winter and encourages to winter walks around the city and the mountains – as long as we have the equipment and skills for it.
Where can I find accommodation?
Looking through the most popular hotel reservation portal, booking.com, we will still find free rooms even for the busiest dates like Christmas, New Year’s Eve, ski jumping cup and winter holidays. They are not many anymore, but they are. It may happen, however, that the search engine will show the lack of free places in the object chosen by us, or the inability to book within the indicated time. There can be several reasons for this. First, the actual lack of places. Secondly, hotel reservation policy. Some facilities refrain from releasing the sale of rooms for a long time – in order to welcome later with wide open arms panicked tourists, who missed the moment to book a room at the most popular hotels and are happy that they will find it somewhere else. Thirdly, some hotels have regular guests, waiting for them quietly and only when they do not report for a long time, release all rooms for external sale. Fourthly and last, and important – let’s try to enter in the search engine slightly different terms in the selected object. It may turn out that, for example, hotel policy obliges to book no less than 3 days during New Year’s Eve, or 4 during Christmas. There is no sale for one or two nights. And that’s why a free room is not displayed on our chosen date.
Don’t give up, but know the rules.
If we feel determined to spend the night in a facility that, according to booking.com, there are no more places available – please contact the hotel in person. Preferably by phone, or by email. You may find that one of the circumstances listed above occurs. Let’s prepare for the fact that we will have to pay a non-refundable advance, even in the amount of 100% of the price of accommodation. While in spring, autumn or even summer (except for the long August weekend) we can reserve a room on the basis of a returnable advance, or at a lower rate, f.ex. 30%, on crowded winter dates no facility wants to stay with empty rooms. Prices can also vary significantly and in extreme cases reach up to eight times the price of the same room in the low season, f.ex. in November. Such is the price for prestige of being in a fashionable and well-known town, which New Year’s Eve is broadcast on Polish TV Program 2 🙂
Tickets and passes
While finding free places in hotels for the World Cup dates in ski jumping in Zakopane is not very easy, we will not buy tickets for the event. Most likely, the sale will start in October, on the other hand, it will be possible only after renewing the account registration in the event organizers’ system. In practice, this means that only loyal supporters of the event will be able to stand in the crowd under the Wielka Krokiew and watch the competition closely. However, this year, as in previous years, there will certainly be a lot of second-hand tickets in circulation. Probably more expensive than those originally purchased from the organizer, the sellers are aware that a real fan will pay the premium. However, if we do not want to invest so much in viewing the event at the Ski Jump site we can spend this time in Zakopane equally exciting. These competitions are broadcasted in many bars, restaurants and cafes. We can watch the flights of the jumpers up close, with repetitions, even slow motion, in addition it is warm, we can drink mulled wine and sit comfortably instead of standing in the cold and sometimes in a snow blizzard. It is accepted to parade in costumes demonstrating support for the jumpers of our country. Nobody will arrest us for trumpeting the vuvuzelas or loud singing.
And what for those who want to ski themselves? Currently, the Tatra SuperSki carnet price lists for the 2019/20 season are already available. As a reminder, this is one pass for many ski stations, those that participate in the joint initiative. However, on the official site where you can buy them, summer is still in full swing and there is information about the end of the winter season, as well as summer attractions taking place on the lifts – like a downhill competition. So let’s check back from time to time https://tatrysuperski.skiperformance.com/shop/pl/store#/shop/pl/buy and look for the moment of starting the sale.
Christmas Eve at home … or maybe at the inn?
Christmas Eve organized in taverns and restaurants is part of the traditional Christmas celebrations in Zakopane and surrounding areas. We can ask about this possibility by booking accommodation, but reception staff does not always have time and opportunity to find the best offer for us – unless the hotel itself organizes a solemn evening for its guests. This is not a rule, so you must ask not to be later surprised by a lonely dinner in a hotel room. On Christmas Eve it will be rather difficult for us to enter any restaurant, most will be closed in the evening, or reserved for guests who made an reservation earlier. Is it worth to do it? Of course. We can enter in google the phrase “Christmas Eve 2019 inn restaurant Zakopane” today – and we’ll see quite a large offer. In most places, we can count on traditional dishes, the presence of a highlander music band, we can hear from the host traditional wishes for all guests. If we add the charm of a wooden hut, fire in the fireplace, sheepskins on benches and windows covered with snow – we have a recipe for the most beautiful holidays. And even if there is no snow, which happens – it will be very nice anyway.
Where to go for Midnight Mass?
Perhaps it is enough for us to visit one of the easily accessible churches in Podhale. In some we will meet a highlander music band, in others we will admire beautiful Christmas cradles. However, if you dream of an unforgettable Midnight Mass, maybe it is worth going to the Chocholowska Glade or to the sanctuary in Wiktorowki? Crowds of people with headlamps, formerly torches, a highlander band, often bitter cold and tea to warm up, and around the forest, mountains and stars – this scenery does not happen anywhere else. The only thing we need to consider and plan ahead is proper equipment and transport. It is impossible to return at night by any bus or public transport from these places, it can be very cold, and it is difficult to reach the sanctuary in Wiktorowki through the icy stairs and snowy forest paths without crampons – even in winter boots it doesn’t make any sense to go there. It is good to have poles, a thermos with tea and a flashlight. If we plan everything in advance, we can take from Zakopane the memory of an unforgettable atmosphere.
A sleigh ride – why not?
Many people are interested in this type of attraction. We can choose sleigh rides, snowmobile rides, we can also start at amateur skiing or snowboarding competitions. Of course, today it is very difficult to predict what the weather will be e.g. during Christmas. Maybe there will be no snow at all and then instead of sleighs in the snowy forest, we will ride a cart on wheels on a muddy meadow. Which can also be fun, but the atmosphere is not entirely the same. So when looking for offers of this type of attractions, let’s find out what alternative the organizer provides, or whether you can opt out without costs. Today, you can already look for “first minute” offers for private skiing lessons or longer stays for groups in ski schools on popular slopes – here, in principle, classes should take place in all conditions, but if the winter is extremely warm and rainy, even snow cannons present on most slopes may not work. Therefore, we should ask about the rules for booking and paying for classes and the conditions for possible resignation.
How to get here?
We wrote a lot about the charms of traveling by car around Zakopane and the surrounding area in the article “By car around Podhale”. It is worth recalling that winter is an extremely difficult time for drivers, traffic jams are caused by too many vehicles, roads are not sprinkled with salt because of the possibility of its penetration into groundwater, which could destroy the unique nature. So it’s worth reading our text “Plan your stay and do it smart” – and consider whether it might be better to come by public transport, decide on one place, a hotel close to the slopes, or the city, if we are not going to ski. Check where near, for example, thermal baths are, if you want to warm up after winter walks. In order to not get stuck in traffic jams – better is to spend this time on leisure or sports activities. Choosing a guest house e.g. in Murzasichle, we may not necessarily have to participate live in New Year’s Eve party on Rowien Krupowa in the center of Zakopane – maybe the local one will be more interesting, or maybe just go to the nearby hill with champagne and admire the fireworks and stars overhead flashing around.
More about New Year’s Eve
Speaking of fireworks – the “I don’t shoot on New Year’s Eve” campaign is popularized every year in Podhale – it’s not only about the peace of domestic animals, but also those who sleep in the winter in the Tatra National Park. Waking up means even death for them when they wake up and find no food. For this reason, the city replaces traditional fireworks with a laser show. However, you can still easily buy flares and firecrackers even at street stalls, people also bring these with them. The whole action has no 100% chance of success. To be honest, there is probably no one at the moment, although maybe one day social awareness will increase and we can also contribute to it. The only thing that residents dream about today is that tourists take with them the remains of fireworks from nearby hills, lawns and groves. It is a sad sight on the first day of January, when the city is literally strewn with plastic flares and colored papers, and the city services cannot keep up with cleaning. No one is happy to welcome the New Year in a mess.
What to postpone, what to ask for now?
We have already written a bit about it in the text “Plan your stay and do it smart”, but we will mention it here. Today it is too early to buy tickets for the Kasprowy Wierch cable car, for example. Apart from the fact that sales are not carried out so much in advance, it is best to do it in the winter upon arrival. At this time of year, sometimes a mountain wind blows so powerful that it prevents the car from traveling safely. Then the lift just stands, and returning the tickets is confusion and trouble. Similarly, today we will not find tickets for the Witkacy Theater performances, let’s think about it a month before arrival. But we can now ask in the Zakopane Cultural Center for tickets for the traditional New Year’s Eve concert with the participation of the mayor and the Tatra Climate Orchestra. By phone +48 18 206 69 50, or by email: office@promocja.zakopane.pl. If you are planning a group’s stay during the holidays and would like to book e.g. group entrance to the museum, guide service in the mountains or other attraction – let’s find out now in free time. It is better to do it sooner than later.
At the end, we wish everyone who chooses Zakopane as a winter vacation destination just a pleasant stay. Let’s take warm clothes, leave high heels at home, let’s not forget sunscreen, because the mountain sun shines strongly in winter. Let’s also prepare wallets, winter attractions in Zakopane, like snow mazes, scooter or sleigh rides, as in any other popular place are not cheap. In a harsh climate, certainly any warming drinks will tempt us more often than in summer, as well as saunas, thermal baths and taverns, where you can shelter from the cold. It is not worth saving on it, because it is better to have a good mood than a bad one and be healthy than have a cold. Let’s also remember about the large memory card for photos – snowy Zakopane is a picture like a fairy tale. See you soon!
Anna Markiewicz
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