Holidays in Zakopane - on the Tatra Mountains in Poland

Holidays in Zakopane! We have travelled to Zakopane, located in the Tatra Mountains in Poland, south of Krakow and on the border with Slovakia. This city offers breathtaking scenery, beautiful houses and a pedestrianised street filled with bric-a-brac.

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From the Czech Republic to the Tatra Mountains in Poland

We have now driven from Brno in the Czech Republic to Zakopane in Poland. The entire route took about 6 hours, but in order not to have to drive so far at a time, we divided the drive into two days, with a stop at the nice campsite Pod Debowcem in Bielsko-Biala.

Karta från Brno till Zakopane — Holidays in Zakopane on the Tatra Mountains in Poland

Holidays in Zakopane

Zakopane is the highest city in Poland, and is a place that offers nature experiences in both winter and summer. Many Poles choose to spend their holidays in Zakopane, whether they like hiking or skiing.

What we noticed when we arrived here, apart from the intensely green nature, were all the beautiful and original wooden houses. The houses are large, and it seems to be standard practice to adorn them with arches, towers and all sorts of creative extensions.

Camping just outside Zakopane

When we arrived in Zakopane, we took a room at the Harenda campsite, which is four kilometres outside of town. This campsite is large, but quite simple. We received a friendly welcome including a map and information about buses into town.

Camping Harenda — The reception and service centre have the same style as all the houses in the area.

Semester i Zakopane vid Tatrabergen i Polen — Who took the photo? Peter's drone of course!

The pedestrianised street in Zakopane

We took a bus into town and made our way to the pedestrianised Krupówski street where tourists stroll up and down in a never-ending stream. Here are small carts selling various local specialities, especially smoked cheese. There are also plenty of restaurants and outdoor cafes.

Zakopane stad — Full of tourists on the streets

Rökt ost — Every corner sells smoked cheese, jam and honey.

Large market

For shopping, there are the usual clothes shops and plenty of stalls selling knick-knacks and trinkets - from soft toys to souvenirs in the form of traditional costumes or small carved axes.

At one end of the street, you can continue into a huge market where there are even more stalls selling smoked cheese up and down the length of the street, moccasins with 'Zakopane' written on them, handbags, furs, flower baskets and leather skins.

Shopping Zakopane — Of course, you can also buy traditional costumes ...

Zakopane shopping — ... and cuddly toys with Zakopane written on them.

READ MORE: 12 things to see and do in Krakow
READ MORE: Baranow Sandomierski - castle in eastern Poland

What can you make in Zakopane?

In winter, Zakopane in Poland is a ski resort, and we can imagine that it's nice to be able to skiing here, and then hang out at After Ski among all the pubs and bars. Here you will find the Bialka Tatrzańska, Kasprowy Wierch, Nosal and Harenda ski slopes.

In summer you can go out and hiking in nature. This includes a beautiful lake, which can be reached by hiking nine kilometres in each direction. Half-day and full-day hikes take you to different valleys, such as Dolina Strazyska, Dolina Bialego, Dolina Chocholowska and Dolina Koscieliska.

You can also take a cable car to the top of the mountains to see the view. We considered this, but after the woman at the information office warned us about the long queues and said that we had to be there super early in the morning to have a chance, we lost interest. Still, if you have more time and enjoy hiking, we think this could be a place worth exploring more.

Zakopane i Polen — Typical houses and a ski lift in the background

Zakopane in Poland then and now

Zakopane was long a remote mountain outpost, where the mountain people had their own culture and dress. At the end of the 19th century, the city began to attract attention as a holiday resort, and today both Polish and foreign tourists flock here, bringing with them traffic jams, jumble sales and carnivals.

And maybe that's why we were a bit disappointed. The city is far too small to accommodate the large amount of tourists and everything seems to be about consuming stuff you don't need. For those who are focused on skiing or hiking, it might be a different experience!

Polen — View of the mountains from the campsite

04 July 2017 6:00

Poland

campsite, outdoor life, Motorhome trip Poland, nature, unique nature, experiences in Europe

Helena

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35 Comments

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Mr Nils-Åke Hansson says:

The drone thing is a fun toy for us big boys, see if I get one myself. I like the pictures I see taken from a height. What a wonderful journey you are making.

04 July 2017 - 8:14

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  Helena says:
  
  Peter is very happy with his toy! 🙂 It is also the one he used to photograph castles from above. In Sweden, it is still forbidden to use drones without a licence, but they will relax the rules a bit in August. In many other countries it's fine (but there are often prohibited zones around big cities/airports).
  
  04 July 2017 - 10:39
  
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Matts Torebring says:

We who love nature, of course, also love your beautiful pictures. However, congestion and queues are not our world. A long queue can make me give up. Thank you for everything you share with the rest of us.

04 July 2017 - 8:48

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  Helena says:
  
  Nature in Zakopane is nice but we are like you when it comes to queues and congestion ...
  
  04 July 2017 - 10:40
  
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Henny says:

You experience a lot of interesting things and you are good at reporting, both plus and minus as usual. I "travel" with you and enjoy all the goodies you find. The caves for example. Looking forward to reading the blog every morning to see what you have experienced since last time. Have a continued exciting journey home.

04 July 2017 - 8:57

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  Helena says:
  
  Glad to hear that you like to follow our journey Henny! 🙂 And as always, we report both positive and negative!
  
  04 July 2017 - 10:43
  
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åsa in åsele says:

Sadly, it has been turned into a 'tourist attraction',
but the population and perhaps mainly the state (?) make money from tourists.

You can also buy smoked cheese in Åsele 🙂 .
A local small company makes its own smoked cheese from milk from Norrland 🙂 .

Cute houses and beautiful surroundings.

04 July 2017 - 9:04

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  Helena says:
  
  Yes, it gets a little amusement park feeling when there are TOO many tourists. Nice that you can buy smoked cheese in Åsele 🙂 .
  
  04 July 2017 - 13:55
  
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åsa in åsele says:

When I googled Zakopane in Poland, this came up... Zakopane is Poland's largest alpine ski area, Poland's winter capital One of the most famous holiday resorts, Poland's so-called winter capital,

Perhaps it is in winter that you should have visited Zakopane 🙂.

04 July 2017 - 9:07

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  Helena says:
  
  Yes many people go to Zakopane in winter to ski, so it is possible! 🙂
  
  04 July 2017 - 13:56
  
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Mr Steve says:

I remember Zakopane from the early 60s when the Swedish ski stars of the time celebrated great success in the World Cup there.
It seems to be an area of great variety... What great colours in the photo of the city and the mountains.
Nice for Peter to have a new photo buddy.

04 July 2017 - 9:14

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  Helena says:
  
  Of course it is nice in Zakopane, and certainly even nicer if you have sun as well (instead of rain ;)). And yes, the new mate is used extensively. Among other things to take pictures of castles from above 😉.
  
  04 July 2017 - 14:42
  
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Roland lindskog says:

Thank you for all the nice pictures, especially the map picture with the red marked road.

04 July 2017 - 9:53

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  Helena says:
  
  Thank you for your comment Roland! Great to know that the map images are appreciated! 🙂
  
  04 July 2017 - 14:43
  
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Ditte says:

I've been to Zakopane in the winter and skied and it was nice, but it didn't really give me a taste for it. I think the skiing is so much better in France and Italy with steeper slopes and many more lifts. But in the winter, there was not as much Christmas stuff for sale, but this may have come with the years. Sad, because this takes away some of the charm and it feels very commercial.
It's nice to see your pictures from here but I don't really recognise myself.

04 July 2017 - 9:54

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  Helena says:
  
  You understand that tourism and sales are needed, but here it was a bit too much, at least for our taste. I understand that you like the Alps better, but maybe the Carpathians can be suitable for families and others who do not need as steep slopes?
  
  04 July 2017 - 14:45
  
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Ama de casa says:

Taking the cable car up to look at the view - isn't that cheating? (She said jealously... 😉 ).
It's a shame when it's over-exploited. Of course, it can still be nice, but people crowding around knick-knacks is not my favourite.

When I hear the name, I think of the giant galloper that my uncle had in our stable with our ponies in Byske in the summers when he was free from Täby. His name was Zakopane 🙂

04 July 2017 - 10:20

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  Helena says:
  
  Cheating? Haha, I could have imagined that cheating ... 😉 (If my fear of heights didn't stop me of course ;)) Zakopane sounds like a nice name for a horse! 🙂
  
  04 July 2017 - 14:47
  
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Seija Viitamäki-Carlsson says:

Thank you again. We were there in 2012, cycled up to the cable car, left the bikes there, walked up through nice mountain meadows and paths. Up on the mountains, the hiking trails are flat and nice. The restaurant up there offered soup, beer and good bread. The descent took time, had to wait for the cable car. But it was good. Tinkering on the pedestrian street makes you tired. But many of us are "tourists"

04 July 2017 - 10:50

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  Helena says:
  
  It sounds like you had a great experience in Zakopane! Of course, there are many of us who are tourists, so it is perhaps natural that a lot of sales develop. At the same time, it becomes a bit boring when it takes over. Believe that you have to go out into nature to experience the finest in Zakopane!
  
  04 July 2017 - 14:50
  
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Denandraresan.com says:

If you are still in zakopane you can easily get to the round lake "morskie oko" (eye of the sea) it is cool. Really beautiful and wild! My dad took me there on a hike as a teenager. Unfortunately, we did not have the opportunity this time but just went past the sign on the road to Kraków :(. We will try zakopane next time we go skiing. There seemed to be all kinds of slopes. Have travelled a lot in Austria and Czech Republic but do not like the food there. Polish food is so good! So it is an advantage if you want skiing and good food but at Eastern European prices. I had bigos (a cabbage stew) served in bread, yummy!

04 July 2017 - 11:32

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  Helena says:
  
  We are not still in Zakopane, so it did not happen unfortunately. It also rained a lot when we were there, so maybe not the best opportunity anyway. Thanks anyway for the tips! 🙂 Incidentally, I agree that Polish food is good. Have not tried bigos, but love zurek and pierogi!
  
  04 July 2017 - 14:54
  
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Ruth in Virginia says:

Great header!!! Beautiful mountains and houses, but apparently over-touristed.
Just read that the small town has over 2,500,000 per year!
Then it can get crowded. 🙂
Colourful skirts and beautiful embroidered blouses, anyway.

04 July 2017 - 12:46

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  Helena says:
  
  Wow, glad you read up on the number of tourists! Considering that it is a rather small city (I think there are about 30,000 people living there), there are a lot of tourists in a small area ...
  
  04 July 2017 - 14:57
  
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Lennart says:

Remember there were winter games in Zakopane!

04 July 2017 - 15:55

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BP says:

Like Steve, I remember Zakopane as an ancient place for skiing competitions. I like the house style, it's really cool and very "different" I think. But I don't like the market and all the rubbish they try to sell to tourists. I wonder if people still buy that stuff...

04 July 2017 - 17:37

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  Helena says:
  
  The house style is cool and really different. Peter also pointed out that those houses must take a long time to build...! And as for the markets, it seemed like maybe the Poles were doing some shopping. Hard to say but probably, otherwise there wouldn't be so many stalls ...?
  
  04 July 2017 - 18:51
  
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Husis blog says:

You take us readers on a pleasant journey with lovely pictures. Something that strikes us in some pictures is that many have jackets / sweaters on, is it a little colder with you now or has it been like that all the time?

04 July 2017 - 18:29

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  Helena says:
  
  In Zakopane, which is high up in the mountains, it was colder. We also had rain when we were there. Otherwise, we have mostly had nice summer heat!
  
  04 July 2017 - 18:53
  
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Lena - good for the soul says:

Yep, the Tatra Mountains are popular in hiking circles. Have never been there before, but see several who tell about it in FB hiking groups.

Hug Lena

04 July 2017 - 18:44

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  Helena says:
  
  I imagine it would be great for hiking!
  
  04 July 2017 - 18:55
  
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Renate's travels says:

Too bad Zakopane was a bit of a disappointment. It's never much fun when places are flooded with tourists. Popularity has its price :/ Hope you have a nice trip! 🙂

04 July 2017 - 21:37

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  Helena says:
  
  Yes, on the one hand you understand that they need tourists, and on the other hand it becomes difficult when it becomes too much ... But we roll on towards new adventures! 🙂
  
  04 July 2017 - 23:14
  
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Across the board says:

All that crime stuff takes the edge off all the beauty. Too bad it's like that.

04 July 2017 - 22:04

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  Helena says:
  
  Yes, we thought it was a shame... Of course you understand that they want to make money from tourism, but it was simply a bit too much. At least for our taste. Maybe better if you hike in nature or come in the winter.
  
  04 July 2017 - 23:15
  
  Reply

Holidays in Zakopane - on the Tatra Mountains in Poland

From the Czech Republic to the Tatra Mountains in Poland

Holidays in Zakopane

Camping just outside Zakopane

The pedestrianised street in Zakopane

Large market

What can you make in Zakopane?

Zakopane in Poland then and now

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35 Comments

Mr Nils-Åke Hansson says:

Helena says:

Matts Torebring says:

Helena says:

Henny says:

Helena says:

åsa in åsele says:

Helena says:

åsa in åsele says:

Helena says:

Mr Steve says:

Helena says:

Roland lindskog says:

Helena says:

Ditte says:

Helena says:

Ama de casa says:

Helena says:

Seija Viitamäki-Carlsson says:

Helena says:

Denandraresan.com says:

Helena says:

Ruth in Virginia says:

Helena says:

Lennart says:

BP says:

Helena says:

Husis blog says:

Helena says:

Lena - good for the soul says:

Helena says:

Renate's travels says:

Helena says:

Across the board says:

Helena says:

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