Zakopane – a city situated at the threshold of the Tatra mountains, a city with a unique climate, magnificent folklore and interesting history. Although, compared to other Polish cities Zakopane is a relatively young city, there is no shortage of landmarks and museums to visit. Zakopane possesses a fantastic offer of activities in terms of active recreation. During winter the unofficial “winter capital of Poland” that is Zakopane and the mountains surrounding it have numerous ski and snowboard slopes to choose from such as: Kasprowy Wierch with the Gasienicowa and Goryczkowa valleys, Polana Szymoszkowa, Nosal, Harenda, Male Ciche, Butorowy Wierch, Gubalowka as well as the local Witow Ski,  Bukowina Tatrzanska, Bialka Tatrzanska, Dluga Polana in Nowy Targ and Kluszkowce offer slopes for both skiers and snowboarders, young and old, pro and beginner alike.  

      Zakopane is by no means just about the winter. During summer, spring and autumn we recommend hikes on the numerous and beautiful mountain trails such as: Droga pod Reglami,  Niznia Laka, Orla Perc, the crossroads of Kasprowy Wierch, Szatra, Tatrzanska Droga Młodości (the Tatra Road of Youth), the trail over Regle that leads through numerous plains such as: Biale, Chocholowska, Filipka, Gasienicowa, Goryczkowa, Giewont, Huty, Iwanowka, Jarzabcza, Jarzabka, Jaworzyna Rusinowa, Jaworzynka, Kalatowki, Kasprowa, Kondratowa, Kominy Dudowe, Kominy Tylkowe, Kopieniec, Kopka, Kopy Soltysie, Krolowa, Kryta, Lejowa, Mala Laka, Miętusia, Morskie Oko, Olczysko, Ornak, Panszczyca, Pisana, Five Lakes and Pyszna. Try some mountaineering and scale the local peaks : Nosal, Rysy, Giewont, Beskid, Butorowy Wierch, Czerwone Wierchy, Kominiarski Wierch, Bystra, Baraniec, Wierch, Raczkowa Czuba, Pachola, Wolowiec all of which offer views that are as much breath taking as they are out of this world.

      Zakopane is the most important city in the Podhale region and without doubt one of the largest tourist attractions that Poland has to offer. The city is situated between 800 and 1100 m above sea level, which makes it the highest placed city in Poland. As a result the air here has a brisk and fresh quality to it. Hundreds of thousands of tourists flock to Zakopane every year to witness first hand the awesome culture of the “gorale” mountain people, take part in the many festivals that fill up the calendar year after year and listen to the unique folk music that derives from Zakopane. The accommodation offer is huge and everyone will find something suitable for their wallet – from 5 star hotels, through luxurious apartments, with VISITzakopane.pl offering a wide range of apartments to choose from, to small hotels, motels and cheap rooms in pensions and small mountain cottages.

      You can get to Zakopane from practically each part of Poland with numerous buses and trains coursing from most major cities. Getting here by car means taking the popular “zakopianka” route from Krakow. At peak season we recommend taking alternative routes through Cholowow or Bukowina Tatrzanska. The beginnings of Zakopane can be traced back to the second half of the 14th century when nomadic, pastoral farmers settled down to form a small village. In the year 1772 this village was drawn into the Austrian Empire. In 1824 the village and part of the Tatra mountains  were sold to the Homolacsow family. It was the initiative of this family that lead to the construction of the first church in Zakopane. Tourism began to flourish with the creation of the Tatra Association in 1873. Tytus Chalubinski, one of the founding members of the Association, a biologist, doctor as well as a pioneer of Tatra mountaineering began to promote Zakopane. In this period more and more “guests” began to frequent Zakopane. Tourists would find accommodation in the local Mountain cottages and lived side by side with the local “gorale”. This tradition remains strong to this day. In 1876 Zakopane gained the status of a health resort. When a road and rail road connecting Zakopane with Nowy Targ was built  the city began to develop rapidly. Public and tourists interest with Zakopane escalated when getting to the city become more and more convenient. At the Turn of the 19th and 20th century numerous pensions and Spas were built. At this point in time Zakopane became popular amongst the artistic elite, a member of which, was Stanislaw Witkiewicz (Witkacy), who possibly had the largest influence on Zakopane as it is known today. It was he who implemented the “Zakopane style” into Zakopane’s architecture. This move was Witkiewicz’s response to the Tirol style that originated from Austria, which began to make a name for itself in Zakopane. Witkiewicz, afraid that the Tirol style would dominate Zakopane’s landscape, placed an enormous emphasis on his unique style, which essentially resulted in his “Zakopane style” of building being the dominant architectural trait of Zakopane to this day and a paragon for the whole Podhale region in general. Witkacy’s legend lives on thanks to a theatre in his name. In the years between WWI and WWII Zakopane continued to develop. In 1922 the Tatra museum was opened and in 1936 a cable car service to Kasprowy Wierch was opened and 2 years later a similar service was established on the Gubalowka mountain. The famous “Wielka krokiew” ski jumping complex was built in 1925. Later in 1929 and then in 1939 Zakopane hosted the FIS Skiing World Cup. The city received its city merit in 1933. Today Zakopane continues to develop especially in light of tourism.