Zakopane Day Tripper - The Best Guide to Zakopane and the Tatra Mountains

Many people visiting Kraków may fancy a trip to the mountains for a complete contrast to urban vibes. There are agencies offering day tours and although very convenient, they can tend to be quite pricey. The good news is that public transport between Kraków and Zakopane is efficient and excellent although there are a few important things to note. If travelling during Polish school holidays, especially summer, the roads are extremely busy, and there can be big tailbacks when nearing Zakopane. Also, at this time it is best to have purchased your ticket for the bus or train prior to your journey. Outwith holiday time, it is very easy to jump on a bus and pay the driver (cash is needed for this) or buy your ticket for the train prior to boarding. The train and bus stations in Kraków are pretty much integrated and are easily walked to from the main market square.  Getting to Zakopane by bus There are a variety of bus companies operating services to Zakopane. The best way to find out times a

Visitors to Zakopane for skiing should probably be warned, this is NOT a ski resort in the same sense as those one might venture to in the Alps. It is a town that has some areas for skiing. These areas are located separately and your choice of location must very much be governed by your ability and experience. It is probably not somewhere to select for a week of skiing. Rather, it is somewhere you can go and include skiing in other outdoor pursuits. The skiing recommendations listed here starts with the biggest, most alpine area but then goes on to review some of the other complexes the town has to offer for all abilities. KASPROWY WIERCH Kasprowy Wierch Ski Website This is the absolute BEST place to ski in Zakopane. It is alpine, located in two valleys fanning out from Kasprowy Wierch mountain which reaches an elevation of 1,987 metres. Since it is national park area, no snow cannons are allowed as they would disturb wildlife, so skiers must accept the snow conditions na

Zakopane in the months of July and August is uncomfortably busy. The roads are gridlocked, restaurants are packed and Krupowki street has a tsunami of bodies ebbing and flowing along it. Visitors seeking the peace and tranquility mountain trails should afford, will be appalled at the relentless lines of trekkers on the Tatra trails, and valleys seem so mobbed visitors must question why they bothered to make the effort to come to Zakopane in the first place. It is a fact for example, that during these months around 10,000 people per day make their way to the beautiful Morskie Oko lake. Why would anyone want to walk for 2 hours to stand in a line to purchase a drink at a mountain hut and sit on a lake shore with thousands of other people?  Giewont mountain and Kasprowy Wierch are no better. Cable car queues stretch long distances even by 9am. Trekkers literally have stand in line to wait their turn to hang onto the chains needed make the final assent onto Giewont. Even more challe

The approach to Schronisko PTTK Murowaniec Granaty is part of Orla Perć. There is no one way system on it so in theory it has two possible access routes. However, due to a serious, tricky chimney climb at Żleb Kulczyńskiego, it is best approached from Czarny Staw Gąsienicowy. This massif actually consists of three peaks and is the easiest section of Orla Perć. To access it involves tramping up the blue trail signposted for Schronisko PTTK Murowaniec from Kuznice. From Murowaniec mountain hut keep following the blue trail, but this time it is signposted for Czarny Staw Gąsienicowy. Once at the lake, follow the shoreline to your left for around 800 metres.                                                                Czarny Staw Gąsienicowy Presently you will arrive at markers for a yellow trail which gains height quickly as it crosses diagonally over a scree filled gully. Once this is crossed, proceed up the path to the right of the gully onto the western rib of S

Adventurous visitors to Zakopane and the Tatra mountains will definitely love Orla Perc ridge. It is documented as a via ferrata, but it actually isn't in the true sense as there are no cables to clip into. The ridge itself is best attempted in sections due to the long access walks to the marked routes, however, each segment of it certainly won't disappoint if you enjoy hanging off chains over sheer cliff faces and exposed gullies. Route descriptions are practically non-existent in English so click on this High Peaks page link to find out more detail and images. Essential map for Orla Perc Dramatic section of Orla Perc Contemplating the looming obstacle ahead! Looking down onto the Buczynowa Dolina (Beech Valley) Views across to the High Tatras Views over the Five Polish Ponds from Orla Perc Scrambling Orla Perc stylee