Why Zakopane is Not Only Poland’s Winter Capital – 48 hours with Family
Zakopane, meaning “buried” (i.e. in snow) in Polish, is located in Southern Poland near the Slovakian border and was the destination of our mini family vacation last week. We booked an AirBnB apartment with mountain view in Zakopane for a bit of fun before attending a relative’s wedding a few hours away. Not that the wedding wasn’t fun too…it was wonderful and filled with tons of food! I was just the only one there who didn’t speak Polish (besides my 2 kids, haha). Anyway…
I had never heard of Zakopane before meeting my German but Polish-born husband, who had been there before, so the city was never on my radar and thus especially not on my bucket list. I was happily game, however, to visit Poland’s esteemed winter capital for a little getaway and never say no to traveling to a new place! This 3-day detour fit in perfectly for our family to do during the summer anyway, since a ski vacation with 2 toddlers is pointless and impractical. So off we went to Zakopane!
After seeing Zakopane, I can totally imagine how it would be super cozy in the winter – warm drinks at local restaurants with sheepskins to wrap around you, fatty sausages and meats after a day in the bitter cold, amazing ski slopes and tows with a view, etc. However, Zakopane can be enjoyed just as much during the summer, maybe even more, especially with a family!
What to see
We had about 2.5 days to make the most of the Zakopane area, so we hit the highlights as best we could, weather and moods permitting!
Krupówki Street
This popular street downtown has specialty shops, stands, restaurants, and lots of cute Zakopane-style architecture! Great spot to use as a base to try some local foods like Oszczypek smoked cheese with Żurawina (cranberry) jam or get some art or souvenirs to take back home.
For families, there is also a very cute Zakopane-style playground, Plac Zabaw, about 5 minutes away:
Morskie Oko
There are so many trails, mountains, and lakes to hike around and see in the surrounding areas of Zakopane, but the number one stop is the beautiful Morskie Oko, meaning “Eye of the Sky”. While you can supposedly also hike on further to see another lake Czarny Staw close by, the trip to Morskie Oko was all our 2 toddlers could handle for the day. This was a trek on its own, with a short shuttle bus ride from the parking lot, followed by a horse and wagon ride including a long line to wait in, followed by a 3km hike to get there.
It was totally worth the trip though, and provided not only a nice day trip out in nature but also scenic mountain landscape views and a bit of local flair, thanks to the horse and wagon rides. For those with kids who are more mobile (and patient), the shuttle and horse/wagon ride can both be surpassed and done by foot, but appropriate water/food supplies and foot gear are recommended (paved, but uphill for 9km on the main stretch). The horse and wagon ride was about 45 mins up, and after the 3km walk, there is a restaurant/bar at the lake to provide a spot to relax, enjoy the view, and let the kids run around and fuel up for the trip back.
Gubałówka
Our first choice for our full 2nd day was Kasprowy Wierch, reachable by cable car gondola ride, but due to sporadic storms in the mountains and a group of 200 people stranded atop said mountain for hours the previous night, we opted for the safer option of a trip up to Gubałówka. This also involves a cable car drawn tram ride up the mountainside, which was packed full of people and unfortunately only semi-navigable with a stroller (had to drag it over stairs to get into the tram while holding toddler since it was so packed there). It offered a great view once we reached the top, though, as well as some nice food and souvenir options. We even managed to find a little playground for the kids to relax.
At the bottom of the mountain where the tram ride begins is a long street with more souvenir shops than you have ever seen in your life, so make sure to save some Złoty to stock up on Oszczypek and local handicrafts as well!
This was all we had time to see in Zakopane, but the Museum for Zakopane Style was also high on our list. Next time!
Where to eat
We had 3 nights in Zakopane, 2 of which we spent out to eat, both of which were excellent choices! The other night I made Pierogis that we bought at the grocery store.
This was a spontaneous choice because we were hungry and it looked so cute! Awesome traditional Polish specialties. And so cheap. We ordered a menu for two people of grilled meats which was more than enough for both of us and our 2 hungry kids for about 20€. Bonus: we were there over the dinner hour and happened to land some musical entertainment with our meal too!
Found this place via Google due to its proximity to where we were staying and its many, many good reviews. Like the other night out, it also had tons of inexpensive and traditional options not found everywhere, and had interesting decor. Also recommended!
Other recommendations
Since sightseeing is much more interesting for us adults than kids 3 and under, of which we have two, we packed in what we could so what we did see was enjoyable and doable for all. This meant leaving some sights for our next visit, like the Museum of Zakopane Style, Kasprowy Wierch, Czarny Staw, the Upside Down House, Muzeum Oscypeka, etc. If you are interested in more tips, here are two other sites with more detailed information about what to do in Zakopane:
Lazy Travel Blog’s Ultimate Guide to Zakopane, Poland
Adventurous Travel’s Zakopane – What to see in Poland’s Winter Capital
