A guide to Zakopane: Poland's answer to the Alps

Nowhere in Poland do the mountains loom larger, rockier and snowier than in Zakopane. Huddled in a deep valley under the gaze of the Giewont massif, this town of timber-carved cottages has risen to become the country's answer to the Alps. By summer, hikers flock to the wildflower-strewn fields of the adjoining national park. By winter, skiers draw lines down the surrounding hillsides, and others soak in steaming hot springs in the shadow of the mountains.

While adventure swirls in the peaks and valleys of the greater Podhale region containing Zakopane, the town itself remains a real enchantress. Streets are lined with fire-warmed taverns that serve smoked mountain cheese and soul-warming drams of vodka late into the night. You'll hear the piercing fiddle and choral combos of the local music as you stroll and spot wonderful highlander Gothic cottages squirreled away down side roads.

If you're looking for an offbeat, outdoorsy alternative to Kraków or Warsaw, Zakopane is the answer.

When should I go to Zakopane?

Zakopane is often called the winter capital of Poland, and it's probably true that peak season is still the snow season. The resorts open up between December and March, offering some of the best bargain skiing this side of the Alps.

There are key dates that are best avoided if possible: Christmas and New Year's, when the town is bursting, followed by Polish school winter breaks, starting in late January, which can produce a huge spike in visitor numbers, not to mention hotel rates and traffic.

But the thing is, the winter capital moniker is a bit of misnomer. Zakopane has something all four seasons. Spring brings extraordinary wildflower blooms in the Chochołowska Valley, while autumn is prime for hiking in the Tatras. The summer, meanwhile, has another uptick in crowds, though they come with walking boots and climbing gear in lieu of skis.

The overall sweet spot for folks who aren't skiing has to be the early fall, around mid-September to the beginning of October. You'll glimpse the fabled złota Polska jesień (Polish golden autumn) creeping into the forests, and even the most famous hiking trails can be empty.

How much time should I spend in Zakopane?

It's possible to whiz in and out of Zakopane on a day trip from Kraków, and there's no denying that it's a no-stress way to sample the Polish mountains if you're tight on time. But these are very much whistle-stop tours. You'll usually hit a mountain viewpoint, bathe in a thermal spa and do some shopping on Krupówki, Zakopane's main drag.

To really experience what the Podhale – the southern region where Zakopane is located – has to offer, you need at least a few days, preferably a week. That will allow for a few day hikes in the national park, cultural outings to nearby villages and plenty of hours to explore Zakopane itself. Overnighting is also very tempting, since Zakopane now offers one of the biggest selection of top-class spa hotels in the country.

When it comes to skiing, Zakopane isn't tied to Saturday changeovers like in the Alps. You can easily drop in for just a day on the slopes, and there's generally no issue with mid-week arrivals. Given that the resorts here aren't massive, three days is usually plenty.

Is it easy to get in and around Zakopane?

Zakopane is easier to reach than ever before. There was a time when driving the sole road from Kraków to the mountain town meant braving immoveable traffic queues. Thankfully, the long-promised express highway is almost finished, though congestion remains on the final leg after Nowy Targ. If you get lucky with a straight shot, you can get from Kraków's airport to Zakopane in under 2 hours.

The main reason for a car is the freedom to drive to trailheads, ski fields and lookouts on the northern fringes of Tatra National Park. All are also accessible by bus from Zakopane's main terminal, but it can be a fiddle.

If hiking or skiing isn't on the menu and you just want to enjoy Zakopane's town center, a set of wheels probably won't be necessary. Intercity trains leave from Kraków every 2 hours, taking close to 3 hours (the route is a scenic wind through the foothills of the Podhale). Buses, meanwhile, go every 30 minutes, cost as little as 22 Polish złoty (zł) per person and tend to be a touch quicker than the trains.

Top things to do in Zakopane

Try some of Poland's best skiing

Zakopane is the epicenter of skiing in Poland. It's not like the great interconnected resorts of the Alps. Instead, a tiara of small-scale ski fields that often have just one or two slopes strings out along the foothills around town.

Only one resort can offer high-alpine skiing like you get in Austria or France. That's Kasprowy Wierch, a 1987m peak served by an iconic gondola that was first built in the 1930s. Don't worry, it's been modernized and now opens onto a bowl of black- and red-rated pistes that are by far the highest and most snow sure in the country.

The issue is that Kasprowy Wierch lacks artificial snowmaking (it's simply not allowed inside the national park). So you're very much at the mercy of powder gods. It's also busy, since the main cable car isn't for the sole use of skiers. Not to worry; alternatives abound.

The north side of town is home to Polana Szymoszkowa, a two-run mini resort with spectacular head-on views of the High Tatras from its top station. Another valley over, one of Poland's largest linked ski mountains awaits in Białka Tatrzańska, an ultramodern resort with spa hotels at the base of its pistes.

Hike in Tatra National Park

Poland's very best hiking is in Tatra National Park. It erupts just south of Zakopane as the country's little slice of Carpathia shoots skyward to over 2000m. It's so close that it's even possible to get hiking straight out of your hotel door, though some of the most popular paths in the area require a transfer or short drive from the town center.

The uber-easy route to Morskie Oko (see below) aside, there's probably no more famous trail than the one that snakes behind Giewont. The mountain is legendary – they say it's a sleeping knight that will awaken to defend Poland in its hour of need. There are a few ways to the top, but the most well-traveled begins in the small village of Kuźnice before skirting through a forested valley and twisting up the south side of the peak. Expect some short scrambling sections with chain assistance right at the end.

To stray away from the crowds, head out of town to join the Valley of the Five Lakes trail. It's a whole day's hiking into a section of the Tatras where some of the highest peaks loom large: Rysy, Poland's tallest, to the east; Świnica, a shark fin of granite, to the west. As the name implies, you'll walk around a quintet of glittering lakes cradled deep in the valley bottom.

Walk to Morskie Oko

Morskie Oko (the Eye of the Sea) is one of the most mythic locations in Poland. Painters, poets and postcard makers have all drawn inspiration. That's hardly surprising, since this alpine lake sits tucked into a valley where jagged mountaintops spurt up on all sides.

Zakopane is the launchpad for the unchallenging hike to it. Start with a bus transfer to Łysa Polana (30 minutes), then join the paved road leading into the national park. About 2 hours later you'll emerge to see the great inky lake, with Rysy, the highest summit in the country, lurching to the southeast.

Ride the Gubalowka

If you have time to do only one thing in Zakopane, make it the Gubalowka funicular. This short, narrow gauge clambers up the hill of the same name on the north side of town. Rides are scenic enough, passing over a small ski slope amid patches of evergreen woods, but nothing can prepare you for the panorama at the top. A full wallop of mountain landscape unfolds as you gaze across Zakopane to the great peaks of the Tatras: Giewont, Kasprowy, Kresanica. A couple of highland taverns offer hot (for winter) and cold (for summer) beers on adjoining decks that really make the most of the view.

Bathe in thermal baths

In Poland, the mountains mean hot springs, and hot springs mean thermal baths. They've been a feature of the Podhale region for centuries, first as medicinal escapes for nobles, then as a fine addition to any hiking or skiing jaunt.

The best of them stud the hillsides around town. Termy Chochołowskie has fine views of the western Tatras and the foothills that line the Slovakia border from its heated outdoor pools. Termy Bukovina is generally better for kids and families, since it offers twisting corkscrew slides. For skiers, Terma Bania is perfectly set at the base of the slopes of Białka Tatrzańska.

My favorite thing to do in Zakopane

I adore the solitude of the Zakopane mountains come deep winter. A series of secret valleys pierce into Tatra National Park to offer some super short hikes that are doable in the snow. I take the path through Dolina Strążyska, alongside a river strewn with boulders that wear top hats of snow, all the way to a frozen waterfall that gets me daydreaming of Narnia. There's a little mountain hut there (twisting smoke from the chimney stack should confirm it's open) that does a fine, finger-warming hot chocolate. If you're up for more, you can extend the hike up and over the backbone of Sarnia Skała, a subpeak of the Tatras with excellent views of other mountains.

Be warned: There's always an avalanche risk, so pay attention to the signage as you enter the park. Plus, hiking anywhere around Zakopane in winter almost certainly requires special gear: thermals at a minimum; potentially spikes and crampons. Come prepared.

How much money do I need for Zakopane?

Everywhere in Poland has gotten a lot pricier in recent years, Zakopane especially. As the town has emerged as an alternative to the ski centers of the Alps, its star has risen and so have hotel rates, food prices and the cost of tours. 

Compared to the likes of Meribel in France and Ischgl in Austria, you're likely to be pleasantly surprised by what it costs to put together a ski week in Poland's winter capital. But there's also a whiff of the jet-setter in the air these days. Spa hotels abound, swanky cocktail places crop up along the main street, and there are branded outfitters in abundance in the malls. You can still get bargains, but you'll have to peer below the surface.

• Night in a shared room in a hostel: 70zł

• Night in a spa hotel during ski season: 950zł

• Plate of pierogi in a tavern: 20zł

• Beer in a bar: 12zł

• Day ski pass: 170zł

• Pizza: 50zł