Zakopane

By Joyce Ira

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Chapel in Jaszczurówka

Zakopane at Night

In southern Poland, you will find Zakopane where there are 28,000 inhabitants. Zakopane is also known as the winter capital of Poland as the town lies just at the foot of the Tatra Mountains. It is the most important Polish center of mountaineering and skiing, and is visited annually by some three million tourists.

Zakopane's hiking trails and ski slopes make it a tourism mecca for all seasons. The downtown bustles with outdoor-wear shops, ski-rental stores, and oscypek stands. Now drawing millions of tourists to its many hotels and restaurants, Zakopane also offers the usual round of museums and galleries which display to excellent effect the unique artistic style of this region. If you hanker for some authentic folk music, don't miss the annual festival, or the many churches that display the local architectural style. After a day of seeing the sights, or killing yourself on a killer hike, relax in a pub, cafe or nightclub. As always, don't forget to read up on some practical information before you come.

Dining in Zakopane is fantastic. Throw away all your preconceptions about boring eastern bloc potatoes and boiled cabbage, and prepare yourself for a culinary treat - Poles have been described as the Latins of the East, and know not only how to party, but also how to eat in style. The food in general is filling and tasty, but there are also lighter meals widely available if you want to have a break from the heartier dishes. Of course, this being the Highlands, you can expect rousing folk music to accompany your meal!


You can fly into Cracow's Balice Airport, but that's about as close as you're going to get to Zakopane by plane. Like most Alpine resorts, get ready for a bus or car journey into the mountains, in Zakopane's case along not particularly well-maintained roads. The good news is that buses leave regularly from Cracow's main station and take as little as two hours to get here, despite the odd pothole.

Bus is by far your best bet for getting up to Zakopane. Two private lines and one PKS all leave from the main bus station (dworzec autobusowy) at regular intervals. If you’re going at any civilised time of the day you will probably have to wait no longer than an hour for your next carriage. What’s more they are dirt cheap - it will only cost you around 15 zloty for the two-hour trip from Cracow. If you’re in a hurry you can even buy your ticket from the driver. That said advance tickets are advised in season, and there may be the odd jam on the roads.




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