Winter in Poland is far from over, and the trips to the Polish mountains are ON!!
Bordering Poland and Slovakia, Zakopane is a busy resort town in South Poland catering to millions of tourists. Thriving on the Tatry Mountains’ magic, the Polish winter is packed with people and activities. Other seasons also add their unique charm to the picture pastoral settings of Zakopane, but a winter holiday here is too good to skip!
Living close to Zakopane has its advantages. A 4.5-hour drive from the Lower Silesia capital, Zakopane qualifies as an ideal weekend trip from Wrocław.
What are the winter activities in the Polish Mountains?
Skiing, snowmobiling, sledge rides, hiking, sliding, treetop walking, cable car rides, local cuisine tasting, and ice-castle visits complete the list of top things to do in Zakopane in winter. The reason why all the roads in Poland lead to south Podhale, making Zakopane Tatry – the fairy Winter Capital of Poland.
While the city remains wrapped under the thick snow and ice blanket, residents are vigorously clocking hours at work. Winter is a typical high tourist season in the Polish Mountains.
At the peak of winter, the city streets are crammed with tourists, slopes are taken by adrenaline seekers, mountain trails belong to hikers and impregnable valleys are packed with winter sledge rides.
Take a look at the best winter activities in Tatry Zakopane
1. An evening with Highlanders from the Polish Mountains
Southern Polish Mountains bordering Slovakian Tatry fall in Podhale. The region is home to the ethnic Góral people – a diverse group of first mountain settlers in the foothills of Tatry mountains in the 15th century.
With visibly distinct features, a prominent Highlander dialect and a tall build, Górale are warm and welcoming residents of Zakopane. Local tourism, shepherding, gastronomy, farming and cattle rearing are their primary occupation, and they deliver some of the best winter experiences in Zakopane.
We spoiled ourselves with a unique Polish winter experience comprising a Tatra Sleigh Ride with live Highlander music and a local food experience. For an hour, a horse-drawn sledge carrying tourists steered through the cradles of Chochołowska Valley. The Highlanders, outfitted in regional attire, customarily presented the full-blown tour with real torches, an experience worth every penny paid.
Set in the picturesque Zab village on the Zakopane outskirts(a 30-minute drive from Zakopane) in Chochołowska Valley, the trail for horse sledge ride offers a close shot of lush nature and Tatras wildlife.
An hour’s ride later, in the freezing Tatry Zakopane outdoors, we were greeted by a warm traditional feast with bonfire, barbecue, and live Highlander music in a mountain hut. With unlimited food and drinks on the menu, this experience is rightly called a feast.
The feast comprises bread with lard and pickled cucumber, homemade bigos, highlander tea with alcohol, lemon and raspberry tea, and mulled wine. Polish food feast, totally worth the experience!
A trip in the pristine Tatry outdoors, a fireplace with sausages to grill, local stories and live traditional music, and the cosy winter spirit inside a warm wooden mountain cabin! I say this winter experience in Zakopane is worth a try.
2. Winter hikes in Zakopane
Mountain hikes are the best thing ever! Period. Not just in Tatry or Karkonosze, a mountain hike is a great idea on any given day, any season.
A hiking experience can be twice as satisfying when in High Tatry. From the most popular and populated trails like Morskie Oko, Kasprowy Wierch, and Giewont to lesser traversed and more demanding trails in the Gąsienicowa Valley, winter hikes get you up close and personal with Tatry and make the top things to do in Zakopane.
Be careful with the ever-changing Zakopane winter weather! The less frequent and trickier the trail, the bigger the risks. Many of the best Tatry hiking trails are remote and closed during peak winter because of excess snowfall. Track the weather closely, and don’t miss your hiking essentials while packing for the trip.
Speaking of hiking essentials, colourful and cute custom lanyards are a must-have. They keep your hands free by securely attaching important items like mobile phones, keys, and ID cards to your body. The best part is that they can be customized to reflect your hobbies. This item really simplifies every hiker’s life.
The Tatry rescue team in Zakopane usually have a busy winter; don’t bring them more challenges.
5 Best hiking trails in Zakopane
1. Palenica Białczańska – Morskie Oko – Czarny Staw pod Rysami
Trail length: 20.8 km, Difficulty level: Hard
2. Droga pod Reglami – Dolina Białego – Sarnia Skała – Strążyska Valley
Trail length: 8 km, Difficulty level: Hard
3. Strążyska Valley – Siklawica Waterfall
Trail length: 4.7 km, Difficulty level: Moderate
4. Dolina Białego
Trail length: 6.9 km, Difficulty level: Moderate
5. Koscieliska Valley – Mroźna Cave – Smreczyński Staw
Trail length: 14.0 km, Difficulty level: Moderate
3. Snowmobile ride in Zakopane
The snowmobile ride in Zakopane is a pure mix of adrenaline and soul satisfaction. Another top winter experience in Zakopane that money can buy – drifting and cruising through the sparse valleys in the High Tatry is a delight. The ride takes you to places you can’t imagine reaching by foot or any other means.
Depending on the snowmobile ride span and the tourists’ ease with the machine, a guide leads through a sparsely taken route, gliding and drifting through pits, bumps, and bends, cruising over tons of thick snow cover.
Our snowmobile adventure was another fitting tribute to winter in the Polish mountains. Guides gave us all the necessary instructions and provided essential safety gear for a snowmobile ride. Just remember – dressing up warmly (in layers) is the best way to go!
4. Sledge rides in Tatry Zakopane
Speaking of the best way to go, sledge rides in Tatry Zakopane are a huge attraction. Let’s start with the rare husky sledge ride in Zakopane, provided by locals. They offer dog unique dog sledging experiences in Zakopane.
During my multi-day guided trip to Zakopane this winter, I booked 2 short rides for my client. Priced 350 PLN for a 10-minute husky sledge ride, this experience, led by unbelievably enthusiastic Siberian Huskies, is a popular winter attraction in Zakopane.
A lovely day under clear skies and crisp snow welcomed us as Kasia from Psynabiegunach introduced us to her restless pack of huskies. The representatives from Psynabiegunach were thorough and professional and shared compelling details from their huskie’s lives. Howling with utter excitement, these huskies darted through the Chochołowska Valley. It was just another day in the park for them.
The horse sledge ride is best combined with the Highlander experience or booked solo. Besides hiking, the Morskie Oko trail is popular for horse sledge rides. The ride cost 80 PLN per person (down) and 100 PLN for the ride up.
I recommend booking a husky sledge ride from Psynabiegunach.
5. Skiing in Zakopane
Ski slopes in Zakopane are the busiest spots during winter. So the hack for pro skiers is to look for less crowded slopes in Tatry mountains. Drift away from the city centre and target a slope at least half an hour’s drive.
Slovakia is known for lesser-crowded, long, and seamless slopes like BACHLEDKA Ski & Sun. An entry pass is required to access the slopes.
Ski slopes close to the city are outrageously crowded, the biggest downside of skiing in the Zakopane city centre. Be informed that most of the ski slopes rent equipment if needed.
For beginners, pre-booking a ski instructor is the ideal way to go. If you need an English-speaking person to teach you the basics of skiing, I recommend booking an instructor a few days in advance. Most of the instructors accept on-spot cash payments. We booked services from Nosal Ski Center, and they had some qualified and patient ski instructors under their wings who made sure our skiing in Tatry experience was satisfying.
6. Chochołowskie Termy
Where would you go to bathe away all the fatigue and sweat from endless winter adventures in Zakopane? Thermal baths are winter essentials designed to retune the body and mind.
Treat your senses to ultimate satisfaction with breathtaking views of Chochołowska Valley. The warmth of the heated pool on the top floor, a cold pool beside, every possible kind of sauna you could imagine around yourself, and a gentle touch of snow falling from the sky. You can’t beat that experience!! Chochołowskie Termy is hands-down a top winter activity in Poland.
It is the largest Thermal Bath in Poland comprising essential elements aptly suited to the senses. With heated indoor pools, indoor and outdoor jacuzzi, an exclusive range of saunas, outdoor hot and cold pools, slides, and an array of massage and healing therapies (paid separately), Chochołowskie Thermal Baths is a symphony for the senses.
Our visit to the Chochołowskie thermal baths, after a day packed with outdoor activities, was a well-deserved treat on a winter evening in Zakopane. The price for a standard 4-hour ticket is 139pln, allowing access to all the levels with some exceptions.
(Pictures Courtesy – Chochołowskie Thermal Bath)
More details on their website.
7. Bachledka Treetop Walk
Treetop Walk Bachledka overlooks a flawless ski slope on the Tatra and Pieniny National Parks border in Zdziar town of Slovakia. Rising 32 m above the ground with a trail stretching to 1234 m, the Treetop Walk Bachleda stands tall and versatile, battling the harshest wind gusts in the open valley.
To access the top, a gondola ride, with an uninterrupted view of skiers and a flawless slope, is available from the parking to the Treetop entrance. For hiking enthusiasts – a super steep 1.5 km trail from the parking is open year-round unless it’s a weather emergency.
An hour’s drive from Zakopane through Route 66, the highway to Bachledka Treetop Walk has an international border crossing, where the border control could ask you to show your international documents. Keep it handy!
Address – Bachledova dolina 702, 059 55 Ždiar, Slovakia
Detailed blog on Zakopane to Bachledka Treetop Walk trip: Treetop Walk Bachledka: The Finest of Polish Winter Adventures In High Tatry
8. Kasprowy Wierch Cable Car Ride
It won’t be wrong to call Kasprowy Wierch Cable Car the most scenic cable car ride in Poland. Starting from the city, the Kasprowy Wierch cable car ride rips through the Tatry mountain chain, traversing the pristine forests and snow-clad peaks to end up on one of the highest mountains in Poland.
I remember being on this ride during mid-summer for a penultimate hike to Giewont. Unfortunately, the cable cars were non-operational this winter because of strong wind gusts on the mountain-top.
Even worse, they overlooked to update the information on their website, which is otherwise nicely built and highly informative. And we ended up losing some precious time on our tour. We couldn’t make it on the cable car ride this winter, but there’s always a next time. Perhaps soon 😉
I hope you get lucky with the information on their website.
9. A trip to the Upside Down House
Did you know that Upside Down Houses in Poland are quite famous? Other Upside Down Houses in Poland are located on the Baltic Coast in North Poland. I remember visiting one in Gdynia and the other one in Medzydzdroje.
Hence my recommendation for this funny yet fancy tourist attraction in Zakopane. Sitting across from the well-known wooden ZAKOPANE city monument in the centre, Dom do Gory Nogami (in Polish) is a quick visit site.
Giving an impression of a house balancing upside down on its nose, the creators did a great job making sure everything inside is upside down. Except for the lone AC, which caught my attention 😉
Kids love this place, but so do adults. The entry ticket costs 35 pln per person.
10. Tasting Grilled Osczypek With Cranberry Jam
Grilled Osczypek is the soul food for tourists in Zakopane! Produced from mountain sheep milk typically salty in taste, Osczypek is a smoked cheese and an exclusive offering from the Tatra Mountains in Poland. Grilled Osczypek with Cranberry Jam is a match made in heaven. Don’t miss it when in Zakopane!
Osczypek Museum Zakopane is another point of interest located in the city centre, where they provide a full tour of the cheese-making process and its history, ending the tour with a degustation session.
Go for it if you have someone alongside to translate the Polish language. They don’t offer tours in English.
More details on their website!
I am a digital content creator, tour operator, travel photographer, and wilderness and culture tour guide in Poland. I majored in Tourism & Hospitality studies at the University of Wrocław and currently live in Wrocław, offering a wide range of services comprising marketing promotion, content collaboration, travel photography and guided tours in Poland and Europe.
For a custom tour request or to book my guiding services, please contact me via contact forms or at my email whistlinghound@gmail.com
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