Thermal baths and swimming pools – chill out!
There are many things that make Zakopane an attractive holiday destination both in summer and winter. The proximity of mountains, views, many ski slopes in the area, the atmosphere of the city itself, cultural attractions – attract crowds. There is one more attraction that fits perfectly into the vision of an ideal vacation and completes the rest – the thermal baths and swimming pools. In Podhale we can find a few objects differing in size and offer, but each will allow us to relax after a tiring trip in the mountains or a day spent on the slopes. They will also be a great alternative on those days when the sky is covered with rain, the mountains do not want to reveal themselves, it is cold. Movement and swimming in themselves bring a large dose of joy, and if we can bask in the sauna, sit on the artificial beach, where on sunny days there is a view of the mountain peaks – we will not forget our holiday. The thermal baths offer entertainment for children and adults, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, as well as catering facilities. It is no coincidence that you can buy passes for the whole day – in fact, the time on swimming pools passes quickly.
A lot of hotels in Zakopane work with selected objects, so let’s ask for it at the reception desk, and maybe we’ll get a discount coupon. Before visiting a selected facility, let’s have a look at the website or call to check a few details – for example whether towels are provided to guests. This is not a rule, so it’s better to make sure you do not go away empty-handed. It is also worth knowing in advance about the commute and hours of possible return to Zakopane, if we are not motorized. We don’t want to be a dozen or so kilometers from the city late in the evening and have no way to go back. It is definitely worth to pack a bathing suit in any case – it is true that there are many sports shops in Zakopane that have them all year round, but why waste time searching for the perfect one. The only drawback of the local facilities is the large crowd that prevails here at the peak moments of the winter and summer seasons. It’s best to rest on thermal pools if you plan a vacation in Zakopane not in these periods. It is a great attraction for the transitional season, when the uncertain weather conditions makes it difficult to walk in the mountains, ski lifts are standing, and in the city itself there is a slightly sleepy atmosphere – so loved by the inhabitants of Zakopane. Let’s just make sure that in the time chosen by us for vacation time will not be just conservation work – with this amount of tourists, they are held at least once a season, this also applies to other facilities, mountain shelters, cabin lift to Kasprowy Wierch and others.
Below is a list of objects in Zakopane and its immediate vicinity with a short description. Details are best checked directly on the websites of facilities or by phone.
Chocholow Thermal Baths
34-513 Chocholow, 400 Chocholow
Tel. +48 781 300 301, +48 782 300 301
E-mail: bok@chocholowskietermy.pl
www.chocholowskietermy.pl – website also available in English and Slovakian
Opening hours: daily from 9 to 22. Saunas from 10 to 22
The thermal baths in Chocholow are a huge complex that distinguishes the view of the mountains – both from the outside pools and through the glazed walls from the inside. There are 30 indoor and outdoor pools with slides and other attractions, a healing zone with raw mineral water and brine iodine coming straight from the thermal spring, outdoor pools, hydromassage stands, wild river and water geysers.
In Chocholow Baths, there is the largest sauna complex in Podhale, as well as a SPA zone with a varied offer – from specialist baths to massages and cosmetic treatments. There are also artificial beaches – grassy and sandy with a beach ball pool.
Goracy Potok (Hot Stream)
34-424 Szaflary, Os. Nowe 45
Tel. +48 727 52 52 52
E-mail: info@goracypotok.pl
www.goracypotok.pl – website also available in English, German, Slovakian and Russian
Opening hours: Every day from 9 to 22
Szaflary are located a dozen or so kilometers from Zakopane at the leading to the capital of the Tatras road. The pool complex, however, is separated from the route by a natural pine forest, stretching along the unregulated bank of the Bialy Dunajec. The resources of thermal water from a local source are used here. At guests’ disposal is a complex of pools with “raw” sulfuric water of a relatively high temperature. We also find a rushing river, a large recreation area for children, a quiet wellness area with mud baths, saunas, a steam hut, and a Jacuzzi. Complement are beaches – sandy and grassy. The facility is open all year round.
Aqua Park Zakopane
34-500 Zakopane, Jagiellonska 31
Tel. +48 18 20 25 815, +48 18 20 01 122, Fax: +48 18 20 15 770
E-mail: aquapark@polskietatry.pl
www.aquapark.zakopane.pl – the website is unfortunately available only in Polish
Opening hours: daily from 9 to 22
These are the thermal baths located in the center of Zakopane, a few minutes of walk from the station, on the slope of the Antalowka hill. The property has a unique outdoor pool on the terrace, from which there is a view of the mountains. There are also indoor swimming pools – sports with swimming tracks and recreational with water jets and cascades, geysers, counter-currents, wall-bottom massages and underwater beds. There is also a shallow and warm pool for the little ones. The main attraction of the complex is 5 slides, wild river with rushing current and 6 hot tubs. The Sauna World consists of a Finnish and brine sauna, a winter cabin, a bio sauna, a steam bath and a relaxation room. In addition to typical water entertainment, the hotel also features: a bowling alley with five lanes, a fitness club and a restaurant. It is worth mentioning that in the immediate vicinity there is also a recently completed hotel with a high standard – if we live in it, attractions will be at our fingertips.
Terma Bania (Bania Baths)
34-405 Bialka Tatrzanska, Srodkowa 181
Tel. +48 18 26 125 40
E-mail: bok@termabania.pl
www.termabania.pl – website also available in English and Slovakian
Opening hours – every day from 9 to 22
It is one of the most modern and largest facilities of this type in Poland, very attractively located directly at the largest in Poland Kotelnica Bialczanska ski complex. The whole has been divided into several zones, adapted to the specific preferences of the guests. There are swimming pools, a play area with slides, a relaxation zone with pools with thermal water of various properties, also very hot. There is also a sauna, saunas are held daily at selected hours of the fragrance sessions, and at least once a month, the Saunas Night. You can go out to the terrace with an outdoor garden overlooking the panorama of the High Tatras. The property has a wide range of drink-bars and a restaurant.
Termy Szaflary (Szaflary Baths)
34-424 Szaflary, New housing estate 20
Tel. +48 721 100 800
E-mail: biuro@termyszaflary.com
www.termyszaflary.com – website also available in English, German and Russian
Opening hours: daily from 8 to 22
The resort of Szaflary is composed of a set of all-year thermal pools, internal and external. This is an intimate facility with four pools with high-mineralized thermal water. There is also a slide, a paddling pool for children, hydro-massage equipment and a rushing river. In the complex of Termy Szaflary, you can use the fitness room and activities organized by professional trainers, as well as a relaxing massage.
Bukovina Thermal Baths
34-530 Bukowina Tatrzańska, Sportowa 22
Tel. +48 18 20 20 070
E-mail: termy@bukovina.pl
www.termabukowina.pl – website also available in English, German and Russian
Opening hours: daily from 9 to 22
Located 15 km from Zakopane, the thermal baths are an entertainment center for the whole family, as well as a spa and rehabilitation resort. It is located in a quiet area surrounded by forests with a beautiful view of the mountains. Thermal facilities include 20 swimming pools, with many attractions for children and young people, such as a slide and special swimming pools for children. The water obtained from the local springs has remarkably healing properties. The thermal baths are an interesting architectural object, a place where cultural and entertainment events take place, and the Swimming Pool Night is regularly organized. There is also a restaurant here.
Kapielisko Szymoszkowa (Szymoszkowa swimming pool)
34-500 Zakopane, Polana Szymoszkowa 2
Tel. +48 18 20 17 230
E-mail: office@szymoszkowa.pl
www.szymoszkowa.pl/kapielisko – website also available in English and Russian
Opening hours: only in summer, from 9 to 18
The bathing pool on Polana Szymoszkowa is the largest and the only outdoor swimming resort directly in Zakopane. Water comes from a geothermal sources. There are slides, a beach volleyball court, a sun lounger and an inn. The advantage is the view on the panorama of the Tatra Mountains and Zakopane.
