Zakopane is Poland’s most famous mountain resort town. The city has been attracting visitors for centuries thanks to its unparalleled natural environment, unique wooden architecture, and rich folk traditions.
In the settlement also called the „Capital of the Tatras”, traditional Góral culture meets modern tourist infrastructure. Zakopane transforms into a skiing paradise in winter, while in summer it becomes a favorite destination for hikers and nature lovers, where fresh mountain air and stunning views guarantee an unforgettable experience.
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Zakopane attractions
Krupówki Street
The pedestrian street running through the heart of the city is Zakopane’s liveliest and most famous public space, winding approximately one kilometer through the city center. The main thoroughfare, paved in 1888, has become the alpha and omega of sightseeing, where every visitor eventually finds themselves.
Traditional-style wooden buildings line both sides of the pedestrian street, housing restaurants, cafés, gift shops, and stores selling Polish handicraft products. In shops showcasing Góral culture, tourists can purchase traditional costumes, wood carvings, and oscypek cheese, while street musicians often create atmosphere with their melodies.
It’s especially spectacular in winter when the street is decorated for Christmas against the panorama of snow-covered mountains. In summer, the open terraces are full of life, and vendors dressed in Góral folk costumes add color to the scene. Impressive mountain views await strollers at both ends of the street, providing a unique experience for an urban pedestrian area.
Gubałówka
The 1,126-meter-high Gubałówka hill is one of Zakopane’s most visited viewpoints, accessible by funicular from the city center. The funicular, opened in 1938, takes passengers to the summit in just a few minutes, where a 360-degree panorama unfolds before them.
From the hilltop, there’s a breathtaking view of the main ridge of the Tatra Mountains, including Giewont and the highest peak of the Polish Tatras, the 2,499-meter Rysy. On clear days, visibility extends up to 100 kilometers, and from the viewing terraces, tourists can enjoy not only the mountains but also the panorama of Zakopane below.
Modern tourist infrastructure awaits guests at the summit: restaurants, cafés, and playgrounds can all be found here. In winter, the area transforms into a ski terrain, while in summer it’s a popular excursion destination for families and hikers alike. It’s an excellent starting point for exploring the surrounding mountains, with several hiking trails leading from here toward the Tatras.
Giewont
The 1,894-meter-high mountain is Zakopane’s emblematic peak, whose distinctive outline is recognizable from every direction in the city. The peak’s uniqueness comes from the 15-meter-high steel cross standing on it, erected in 1901 to celebrate the beginning of the new millennium.
The hiking trail to the mountain is one of Zakopane’s most popular excursions, achievable in approximately 4-5 hours round trip. The route starts from the Kuźnice district and leads to the summit via the Kalatówki shelter, where chains assist the climb on the steep rocks in the final section.
From the summit, there’s an unparalleled view of Zakopane and the surrounding valleys, but the area around the cross also holds spiritual significance for Polish believers. The mountain’s name means „sleeping knight” in Polish, as its profile from the side resembles a reclining warrior. It’s important to know that staying at the summit during storms is life-threatening, as the metal cross acts as a lightning rod.
Morskie Oko
The Sea Eye Lake is the largest and one of the most beautiful lakes in the Tatra Mountains, located at 1,395 meters altitude in a glacially carved valley basin. The lake’s name comes from the fact that its deepened waves evoke the sea, creating a mystical atmosphere among the surrounding rocks.
The path to the lake is one of Zakopane’s most popular excursions, starting from the Palenica Białczańska parking lot and representing approximately 9 kilometers of walking one way. The route is comfortable and well-developed, making it walkable with families, though horse-drawn carriages or electric taxis can also be used to cover the distance.
A walking path leads around the turquoise-blue lake, offering beautiful views of Rysy peak and waterfalls cascading down the surrounding rock faces. Morskie Oko is also the starting point for trails leading higher, such as to the Czarny Staw (Black Lake) located above it. A mountain shelter operates beside the lake, where hikers can rest and taste local dishes.
Tatra National Park
The Tatrzański Park Narodowy, founded in 1954, is Poland’s oldest national park, protecting 22,000 hectares of the Polish side of the Tatra Mountains. The park preserves the region’s unique alpine ecosystem and rare plant and animal species, including the chamois, which is the symbol of the Tatras.
The park features more than 270 kilometers of marked hiking trails at various difficulty levels, from family-friendly walking paths to ridge routes reserved for experienced mountaineers. The park’s five valleys – including Kościeliska Valley and Chochołowska Valley – await visitors with different natural attractions and wildlife.
The national park’s visitor center is located in Zakopane, where detailed information about current trail conditions, weather, and hiking routes is available. An entrance fee must be paid to enter the park, with proceeds used for area conservation. This area of outstanding biodiversity significance has been on UNESCO’s list of biosphere reserves since 1993, and was also nominated as a World Heritage site jointly with the Slovak side in 1992.
Wielka Krokiew Ski Jump
Zakopane’s most famous sports facility has become a symbol of the city in recent decades. The jump, built in 1925, has been renovated several times, most recently modernized in 2011, when it received a K-120 classification, meaning the critical point is at 120 meters.
The facility regularly hosts ski jumping World Cup competitions, including the annual Zakopane events that attract crowds of tens of thousands. The museum next to the jump allows visitors to learn about the history of Polish ski jumping and its legendary champions, including Adam Małysz and Kamil Stoch.
The jump area offers beautiful views of Zakopane and the Tatras in both summer and winter. In summer, it’s possible to approach the jump and visit the viewpoints, where tourists can experience how steep the slope is from which competitors descend.
Jaszczurówka Chapel
The chapel in the Jaszczurówka district is one of Zakopane’s most photographed architectural masterpieces, perfectly blending traditional Góral wooden architecture with sacred function. The church dedicated to St. Stephen the Martyr, built between 1904 and 1907, was designed by Stanisław Witkiewicz, the creator of the Zakopane style.
Its uniqueness lies in the richly detailed wood carvings: the decorated beam system, ornamental elements, and distinctive tower all celebrate Góral folk art. The interior space exudes an intimate atmosphere, where the wooden furnishings and colored glass windows create a harmonious unity.
The chapel is located on a hilltop, offering stunning views of Giewont and the surrounding mountains. The surrounding cemetery is also an interesting sight, featuring traditional wooden grave monuments. The church is an active parish, so masses are held on Sundays and holidays, providing visitors with a special experience accompanied by traditional Polish church music.
Kuźnice
The eastern district of Zakopane is also one of the most important starting points in the Tatra Mountains. The area’s name comes from the word for „forges” as ironworks once operated here, using charcoal made from wood from the surrounding forests.
Today, Kuźnice is primarily a gathering place for tourists, from where a cable car departs to the Kasprowy Wierch summit, and numerous marked hiking trails lead from here into the mountains. The district has several mountain shelters and inns where hikers can prepare for their journey or rest after descending.
The area is also lively in winter when skiers and snowshoers head into the mountains from here. The Kuźnice area has several moderately difficult hiking trails, ideal for those who want to experience the beauty of the Tatras without climbing the steepest peaks. The cable car, opened in 1936, is itself a technical curiosity, transporting passengers to nearly 2,000 meters altitude.
Kasprowy Wierch
The 2,023-meter-high Kasprowy Wierch is one of the most easily accessible high peaks in the Tatras, reached by cable car from Kuźnice. The cable car, opened in 1936, was pioneering work at the time and remains one of Europe’s oldest still-operating mountain cable cars.
From the summit, a breathtaking 360-degree panorama opens to both the Polish and Slovak sides; on clear days, even the peaks of the High Tatras are visible. The meteorological observatory at the top has been collecting data since 1936, and its role in researching the mountain range’s weather remains significant today.
In winter, it’s a popular ski slope with runs of varying difficulty levels leading down. In summer, it’s an excellent starting point for hiking the surrounding ridges, such as toward Świnica or Giewont. A modern visitor center operates at the summit with a restaurant and viewing terraces, where tourists can enjoy the special atmosphere of the high mountain environment.
Dolina Chochołowska
Chochołowska Valley is the longest and one of the most beautiful valleys in the Tatras, stretching nearly 10 kilometers through the mountains. The valley’s uniqueness is its largely flat terrain profile, making it an ideal choice for families and less experienced hikers.
At the valley entrance is the traditional Góral village of Chochołów, famous for its uniformly styled wooden houses from the 19th century. The path through the valley winds among streams, meadows, and forests, where the colorful autumn foliage is particularly spectacular in fall.
At the end of the valley is the Chochołowska shelter, built in 1953 and an excellent resting place for hikers. From here, the journey can continue to higher regions or toward surrounding peaks. The valley is especially beautiful in spring when meadows fill with wildflowers and streams rush swollen from snowmelt.
Villa Koliba
One of Zakopane’s most important cultural centers, built in the late 1890s based on Stanisław Witkiewicz’s designs. The building served as experimental ground for developing the Zakopane style and was the first example of modern adaptation of traditional Góral architecture.
The villa now functions as a museum, serving to present Witkiewicz’s life work and the development of the Zakopane style. The exhibition provides insight into Zakopane’s artistic life at the end of the 19th century, when the city became Poland’s intellectual center.
The building’s interior displays period furnishings, furniture, and decorative elements, all drawing inspiration from Góral traditions. Villa Koliba shows how Witkiewicz blended folk art elements with European Art Nouveau trends. The museum garden is also worth visiting, where visitors can see traditional Góral sculptures and wood carvings.
Zakopane Style Museum (Muzeum Stylu Zakopiańskiego)
Housed in the House of Inspirations (Dom Pod Jedlami), which was once the home of Stefan Żeromski, a famous Polish writer in the early 20th century. The museum was created to document and popularize the architectural and design movement known as the Zakopane style.
The exhibition details how Stanisław Witkiewicz developed the unique architectural language that was built on Góral folk traditions but adapted to modern needs. Furniture, textiles, wood carvings, and other objects on display all demonstrate the style’s characteristics.
The collection contains original design drawings, photographs, and documents showing the style’s spread and influence in other parts of Poland. The museum building itself is a masterpiece of the Zakopane style, with detailed wood carvings, distinctive roofing, and traditional solutions. Visitors can learn how Zakopane became Poland’s cultural center at the turn of the 19th-20th centuries, and how this architectural movement relates to the era’s search for Polish national identity.
Zakopane weather: when is the best time to visit?
Spring (March–May):
Spring months bring variable weather to Zakopane, when snow is still often encountered in the mountains while winter melts in the city. In late March and April, daytime temperatures range between 5-12°C, and in May can warm up to 15-18°C. This season is less crowded, making it an ideal period for those who prefer quieter hiking, though thorough preparation is necessary due to weather unpredictability.
Summer (June–August):
Summer months offer pleasant, cool weather in the mountains, when daytime temperatures typically range around 20-25°C in the city, while it’s 10-15°C cooler in higher regions. This is peak season for hikers, when most tourist trails are accessible and mountain shelters operate at full capacity. Afternoon showers can be expected, so a rain jacket is definitely necessary.
Autumn (September–November):
The autumn period is one of Zakopane’s most beautiful seasons, when deciduous forests dress in golden yellow, orange, and red. September still offers pleasant hiking weather with 12-18°C temperatures, October features cooler weather of 5-12°C, and November may bring snowfall. Autumn months are less busy, allowing for quieter mountain excursions.
Winter (December–February):
Winter months represent Zakopane’s golden age, when the city transforms into a true winter wonderland. Temperatures range between -5°C and -15°C, but -25°C can occur during colder periods. Snow amounts are usually abundant, creating excellent skiing conditions. This is the busiest period, when accommodations and ski lift areas are flooded with tourist crowds, especially during Christmas and New Year’s holidays.
Best time to visit Zakopane:
The best periods to visit Zakopane are late spring (May–June) and early autumn (September), when there’s pleasant hiking weather, nature blooms or displays colorful autumn splendor, and tourist crowds are still tolerable. Late May and June feature average temperatures of 15-20°C, while September offers pleasant weather of 12-18°C. For winter sports enthusiasts, it’s worth visiting between mid-December and early March, when snow coverage is guaranteed and ski slopes operate at full capacity.