Thing To Do In Zakopane during the winter

Situated the foot of the Tatra Mountains is the lovely town Zakopane. Zakopane lies 800–1,000 metres above sea level and centres on the intersection of its Krupówki and Kościuszko Streets. The town is a popular spot for winter sports and in the summertime mountain climbing. We spent two full days  exploring Zakopane. While planning our trip I’ve created a list of top things to do, so here’s my Zakopane 2 day itinerary!

How to get there?

Zakopane lies near Poland’s border with Slovakia. It can be reached by public transport or car from the capital, Kraków. The journey takes about two hours.

We rented a car with RentforFree and drove from Kraków to Zakopane. Renting a smal or midsize car in Kraków will cost around 670 PLN or 150 EUR.

What to do?

Zakopane is an outdoor wonderland that provides visitors access to snow-capped peaks, waterfalls, alpine forests, mountain lakes, wildlife, quaint towns, and meadow-filled valleys.

Skiing

The town is also known as the winter capital of Poland because of its close proximity to the city and the excellent ski slopes. Zakopane has several small skiing areas. you can look forward to 30 kilometres of slopes: the ski resorts are served by 29 ski lifts.

Hiking

Hiking is definitely one of the best things to do in Zakopane. The town is right next to the Tatra National Park, and trails are abundant. Most trails are day-long hikes, allowing for a full day hike up to a peak, only to later return to town and relax in your well-equipped guesthouse.

Lake Morskie Oko

One of the most stunning lakes in the area is Lake Morskie Oko or “Eye of the Sea”. Getting to the lake is about a two-hour walk from the drop-off point, each way. Don’t want to walk? There is also the option to take a horse carriage and walk the last part to the lake which takes around 20 minutes.

Wellness

Hiking or doing various winter activities takes it toll on the body so relax in salt baths, get a massage or visit a sauna in one of the wellness centres of Zakopane. Here are some recommended to use by a local:

• Aqua Park Zakopane is perfect if you have kids. There are saunas, pools but also a water park with adventure tubes.
• Beernarium Piwne Spa (Beernarium Beer Spa ) as it suggest is for the beer lovers.
• Terma Bania water park is a part of the huge recreational complex consists of the luxury Hotel Bania. Bialka Tatrzanska is a small but busy village located 22 km from Zakopane.
• Bukovina Thermal Baths offers 13 thermal indoor and outdoor pools with the water attractions, 8 saunas, 3 slides and mini-pools for kids as well as restaurant and a cafe.
• Chocolowskie Thermal Baths is currently the largest thermal pool complex in Poland and has thermal water with medicinal and therapeutic properties.
• Szaflary Thermal Baths offers 4 thermal pools (2 indoor and 2 outdoor) filled with geothermal water, saunas, slides and mini-pools for kids. 

Cable Car

Kolej Kasprowy Wierch Kuźnice is a cable car from Kuźnice to the top of Kasprowy Wierch in the Tatra Mountains. The cable car brings you to 1987 meters so you can enjoy amazing views.

The first ride up is at 8:00 AM. I would recommend buying the tickets online. Check the weather and the website of the cable car company for updates because the cable car only goes up in good weather conditions. It’s not possible to park at the cable car so the best option is to park at this parking ground and take the taxi up (2 minutes) and walk for 10 minutes to the start of the cable car or walk the whole way for +/- 40 minutes.

A few days in Zakopane is realy nice in combination with a few days in Krakow. Ready here some recommended things to do in Krakow.