Where is your stop

How to get to Zakopane from Krakow, by rail, road or tour

The short version

To get to Zakopane from Krakow, take a direct train of about 2 hours, a coach or minibus, drive the S7 and the Zakopianka, or join a guided day with hotel pickup.

Good to know

  • About 100 km south of Krakow1
  • Pendolino fares from PLN 92
  • No cars in Kuznice5

Find out about 25 stops

Zakopane, the cable cars and Morskie Oko on the map

First pick a route, then tap any pin or stop for details and Google Maps.

Map of the way from Krakow to Zakopane: Krakow's main station and bus station, the S7 tunnel under Lubon Maly, Rabka-Zdroj, Chocholow and Zakopane station

  1. Krakow's main station: Pendolino tickets to Zakopane from PLN 9.

    Google Maps

  2. The regional bus station next to Krakow Glowny, where coaches and minibuses leave for Zakopane.

    Google Maps

  3. The S7 tunnel under this hill takes under 2 minutes to drive.

    Google Maps

  4. The expressway section from Myslenice ends here; the road to Zakopane narrows after it.

    Google Maps

  5. Wooden village with a 30-minute tasting stop on the site's tour, and the 1846 uprising museum.

    Google Maps

  6. The rebuilt station in the town centre, next to the historic station building.

    Google Maps

Map data by © OpenStreetMap contributors

How to get to Zakopane from Krakow without wasting the day: the train and its fares, the coach, driving the Zakopianka through the new tunnel, and the tour that collects you.

Editorial team, zakopane-tour.com · Updated November 9, 2026 · 8 mins to read

Quick look

  • DistanceAbout 100 km south of Krakow.1
  • TrainPendolino from PLN 9, regional trains at PLN 26.50.2,3
  • CoachA bus transfer of 2 hours from €9.
  • CarThe S7 tunnel takes under 2 minutes; parking in Kuznice is not possible.4,5
  • Guided day11 hours with pickup in Krakow, from €23.

Four ways south, and which one fits your day

There are four practical answers to how to get to Zakopane from Krakow: a train, a coach or minibus, your own car, or a guided day that picks you up and brings you back. If you are asking how far is Zakopane from Krakow, the Polish Tourism Organisation puts it about 100 km south of the city.1 It also says plainly that you can arrive by train, coach or car, and that at peak traffic times and in winter the train is the way it recommends.6 That advice is worth taking seriously, since the road south is the only road most visitors know.

The choice depends less on price than on what you want to do on arrival. If you plan to ride the Gubalowka funicular, walk Krupowki and soak in a thermal pool, a tour handles the logistics: the most-booked one runs 11 hours with a coach from Krakow and back. If you want to hike to Morskie Oko or ride the cable car to Kasprowy Wierch, you need an early start and your own timetable, and the train or a car gives you that freedom.

Whatever you pick, think about the return before the outbound trip. Zakopane sits at the end of the line in the mountains, and in the evening the same road and the same tracks carry the day's visitors back north. Sunday afternoons and the last day of a holiday weekend are the times to avoid on the road. A booked train seat or a coach with a fixed return slot takes that worry off your hands, and lets you stay for sunset on Gubalowka without watching the clock.

Compare the options

Train, bus, car or tour from Krakow

OptionTimeCostGood to know
PendolinoAbout 2 hoursFrom PLN 9Not every pair runs all year
Regional trainCheck timetablePLN 26.50From Krakow Glowny
Bus transfer2 hoursFrom €9Free cancellation
CarTraffic dependentFuel and parkingNo cars in Kuznice
Guided day11 hoursFrom €23Pickup in Krakow

All fares shown are starting fares; the seat and the season move them.2,3,10,12,5

By train: the modernised line and the Pendolino

The railway has run to Zakopane since 1899, and before that the trip from Krakow usually meant a two-day ride by horse-drawn carriage.7 The line has just been through a long rebuild. Close to 30 modernised stations and new stops now serve it, according to the rail infrastructure manager PKP PLK.11 PLK said the works could cut the journey to about 2 hours for the fastest train.10 In the 1930s the Luxtorpeda fast train already managed 2 hours and 18 minutes, a reminder of how long the line had been neglected.8

Two operators matter to a visitor. PKP Intercity began running its Pendolino trains to Zakopane from 14 December 2025.9 Its timetable lists 9 year-round and 2 seasonal pairs of trains between Zakopane and Krakow.12 A Pendolino ticket from Krakow costs from PLN 9, the operator says.2 Each Pendolino set has 402 seats, 45 in first class and 357 in second.13 There is also a night train, the IC Podhalanin, which now calls at Krakow daily on its way between Zakopane and the Baltic coast.14

The regional alternative is Koleje Malopolskie, the Malopolska region's own rail operator, which lists a single ticket from Krakow Glowny to Zakopane at PLN 26.50.3 Its trains stop at smaller stations on the way, such as Kalwaria Zebrzydowska Lanckorona and Sucha Beskidzka Zamek.15 At the far end you arrive in the town centre: the City of Zakopane says the rebuilt station reopened next to the renovated historic station building.16 From there Krupowki is a short walk downhill, and the bus stops for the valleys are close by.

Hours on the road

How long each part of a Zakopane trip takes

  • Tour coach, one way1.5
  • Bus transfer2
  • Fastest train2
  • Thermal pools3
  • Full guided day11

Durations from the listings and PKP PLK's figure for the fastest train.10

Is a Zakopane day trip from Krakow by train realistic?

A Zakopane day trip from Krakow by train works if you pick the right departures. With the fastest trains planned at about 2 hours each way, most of your travelling happens early and late, and the middle of the day stays free for the town and one mountain sight.10 Book an early outbound train and an evening return, and check the timetable for the exact day: the Pendolino pairs are not all year-round, and seasonal trains run only part of the year.12

On a single day by train, choose one big thing. Gubalowka fits easily, since its funicular starts a few minutes' walk from Krupowki. Kasprowy Wierch fits if you buy a timed ticket in advance, then ride a minibus or city bus to Kuznice, where private cars cannot go.5 Morskie Oko is harder: the trailhead at Palenica Bialczanska lies more than 20 km from Zakopane, and the walk alone needs hours.17 For that lake, a tour or an early car is the better tool.

The train also makes sense for a longer stay. If you are staying two or three nights, the rail ticket is cheap, you avoid the Friday and Sunday road traffic, and you do not need a car in town, where the local buses reach the valleys and the cable car station. Keep the ticket on your phone, and leave a little slack before the evening train: the walk back from the funicular or the thermal pools can take longer than it looks on the map.

Your best route

Which way to Zakopane suits you

Let your plan for the mountains pick the transport.

  • If I want the highlights in one day

    A guided day

    Pickup, funicular, Krupowki and pools are all in 11 hours.

  • If I travel in winter or on a holiday weekend

    The train

    The tourism office recommends it at peak times and in winter.6

  • If I want the cheapest ticket

    An early Pendolino

    PKP Intercity fares start at PLN 9.2

  • If I want to hike to Morskie Oko

    A car or an early start

    The trailhead is more than 20 km beyond Zakopane.17

  • If I want Kasprowy Wierch

    Train plus a city bus

    Cars cannot reach the cable car in Kuznice.5

Pick your ride

Three ways to reach Zakopane

No planning

The guided day

Hotel pickup in Krakow

  • Length11 hours
  • Coach1.5 hours each way
  • IncludesFunicular, pools
See the details

Your own day

The bus transfer

Transport only

  • Length2 hours
  • DriverEnglish
  • CancelUp to 24 hours
See the details

More sights

The Tatras tour

Ski jump and chapel

  • Length9 hours
  • StopsWielka Krokiew, Jaszczurowka
  • GuideEnglish, Polish
See the details

By coach or minibus

Coaches and minibuses run between Krakow and Zakopane through the day, mostly from the regional bus station next to Krakow Glowny. Timetables and operators change often, so check the departure board or the operator on the day. If you prefer a fixed booking, a bus transfer listing on GetYourGuide takes 2 hours and costs from €9. It allows free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead and has an English-speaking driver.

The bus shares the Zakopianka road with every car going south, so its timing depends on traffic. In good conditions it is a comfortable ride with luggage space and no changes. On a busy Friday afternoon or on the last day of a long weekend, leave a buffer before any timed ticket in Zakopane, whether for the Kasprowy Wierch cable car or a thermal bath slot. Keep a snack and water at hand in case the last stretch crawls.

For a family or a small group, compare the bus fare per head with the per-person price of a guided day. The difference is often smaller than it looks once you add the funicular, the pools and the time spent finding each one. If you only want transport and plan to hike, the bus does the job with the least fuss; if you want to see the highlights with someone else doing the planning, the tour wins.

Price your trip

What the trip costs for your group

Choose a way to travel and set the number of people.

Weigh up 4 options

What the trip costs for your group

Choose a way to travel and set the number of people.

2 people
  1. Guided day with pools11 hours · each person, from €21

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    View
  2. Guided day, Spanish too11 hours · each person, from €27

    ≈

    View
  3. Tatras sightseeing day9 hours · each person, from €17

    ≈

    View
  4. Bus transfer only2 hours · each person, from €8

    ≈

    View

Starting prices from GetYourGuide, converted at the ECB reference rate. You will see the exact price when booking.

Krakow to Zakopane

How the trip south has shrunk

  1. Before 1899

    By carriage

    Usually a two-day ride by horse-drawn carriage.7

  2. 1899

    The railway

    Trains reach Zakopane for the first time.7

  3. 1930s

    Luxtorpeda

    The fast train covers the route in 2 hours and 18 minutes.8

  4. S7 tunnel

    Through Lubon Maly

    Under 2 minutes underground on the expressway.4

  5. 14 December 2025

    Pendolino

    Intercity's fastest trains start serving Zakopane.9

  6. Today

    About 2 hours

    PLK's target for the fastest train.10

By car: the Zakopianka and the new tunnel

Driving south from Krakow, you follow the S7 expressway and then the road the locals call the Zakopianka. The biggest recent change is a tunnel under Lubon Maly between Lubien and Rabka-Zdroj, which takes under 2 minutes to drive and joined about 32 km of expressway between Myslenice and Rabka-Zdroj, according to the national roads authority GDDKiA.4 Before the new section, about 16 km of the old road took about 15 minutes at an average 42 km/h.43

Each of the tunnel's two tubes is 2058 m long.44 It has a 100 km/h speed limit enforced by average-speed cameras, so set the cruise control and do not try to make up time there.42 South of Rabka the road narrows again, and on summer and winter weekends the queues build towards Nowy Targ and the entrance to Zakopane. If you can, drive down on a weekday morning and come back after dark, when the road is calmer and the views have done their work.

Parking is the real question. You cannot drive to Kuznice, the base of the Kasprowy Wierch cable car: the road is closed to traffic, and PKL, the cable car operator, advises leaving the car in Zakopane and taking a city bus, which stops by the cable car.5 The nearest car park to the cable car is on Karlowicza Street.45 For Morskie Oko, the official car parks are sold online by Tatra National Park, covered on the Morskie Oko page of this site.

Video

The train ride between Zakopane and Krakow

RailwaylineT on YouTube · The video stays unloaded until you press play.

Zakopane can be reached from many places in Poland, by train, coach, or by car but especially during peak traffic times or winter the train is the best method to get to the Tatra capital
Polish Tourism Organisation6

Before you leave Krakow

Getting-there checklist

Booking3

  • Book Pendolino seats early, as fares start at PLN 92
  • Check that your train pair runs on your date12
  • Leave slack before any timed cable car ticket

On the road3

  • Use the city bus to Kuznice, not the car5
  • Keep to 100 km/h in the S7 tunnel42
  • Carry a card for parking and tickets

Coming back3

  • Book the evening return before you go
  • Agree a meeting point if your group splits up
  • Pack a warm layer for the mountains

By guided tour from your hotel

A guided day removes every one of the questions above. The site's own tour lasts 11 hours, with hotel pickup or one of 6 pickup locations in Krakow. About 1.5 hours on the coach brings you to a traditional village and to Chocholow, where there is a 30-minute stop with spirits, cheese tasting and regional food. In Zakopane you get 2 hours on Krupowki, then the funicular to Gubalowka and 3 hours at the Chocholowska thermal baths before the drive back.

It is priced from €23 and lets you reserve now and pay later, with free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead. Other tours follow a similar pattern. One of 9 hours swaps the pools for photo stops at the Wielka Krokiew ski jump and the Jaszczurowka chapel, from €19. Another runs 11 hours with a guide in English, Polish and Spanish, from €30. Compare the stops, not only the price, as the cheaper days usually leave out the pools and the more expensive ones add them.

A tour is the right answer if this is your only day in the Tatras and you want the highlights without studying timetables. It is the wrong answer if you want a long hike, since the schedule is fixed and the coach waits for nobody. In that case, use the train or the bus to get there, and treat the trail as your own project. You can still book the pools or the funicular separately once you are in town, and come back on a later train when the day is done.

FAQ

Straight answers to common questions.

How far is Zakopane from Krakow?
About 100 km.

The Polish Tourism Organisation puts Zakopane about 100 km south of Krakow.1 By the fastest planned trains it is about 2 hours.10

Can you take a train from Krakow to Zakopane?
Yes, direct.

PKP Intercity lists 9 year-round and 2 seasonal pairs of trains, and Koleje Malopolskie runs regional trains from Krakow Glowny.12,15

How much is the train from Krakow to Zakopane?
From PLN 9 by Pendolino.

PKP Intercity sells Pendolino tickets from PLN 9; Koleje Malopolskie lists a single at PLN 26.50.2,3

Is the bus or the train better?
The train in winter and at peak times.

The Polish Tourism Organisation recommends the train at peak traffic times and in winter, while a bus transfer takes 2 hours.6

Can I drive to the Kasprowy Wierch cable car?
No, Kuznice is closed to cars.

Leave the car in Zakopane, for example on Karlowicza Street, and take a city bus, which stops by the cable car.45,5

How long is a guided day trip from Krakow?
About 11 hours.

The site's tour lasts 11 hours, with about 1.5 hours by coach each way.

Is the new tunnel on the Zakopianka toll-free?
It is part of the S7 expressway.

The tunnel takes under 2 minutes and has a 100 km/h limit with average-speed cameras.4,42

Sources

  1. Polish Tourism Organisation · Kraków & Małopolska ↩
  2. PKP Intercity · Od połowy grudnia Pendolino będzie kursowało do Zakopanego ↩
  3. Koleje Małopolskie · Kraków Główny - Zakopane ↩
  4. General Directorate for National Roads and Motorways (GDDKiA) · Nowy tunel na Zakopiance otwarty ↩
  5. Polish Cableways (PKL) · FAQ Kasprowy Wierch ↩
  6. Polish Tourism Organisation · Zakopane - The magic of winter ↩
  7. City of Zakopane · Zakopane - the hub of the world ↩
  8. City of Zakopane · Zakopane - the hub of the world ↩
  9. PKP Intercity · Od połowy grudnia Pendolino będzie kursowało do Zakopanego ↩
  10. PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe · PLK S.A. zwiększa możliwości podróży pociągiem do Zakopanego ↩
  11. PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe · PLK S.A. zwiększa możliwości podróży pociągiem do Zakopanego ↩
  12. PKP Intercity · Od połowy grudnia Pendolino będzie kursowało do Zakopanego ↩
  13. PKP Intercity · Od połowy grudnia Pendolino będzie kursowało do Zakopanego ↩
  14. PKP Intercity · Od połowy grudnia Pendolino będzie kursowało do Zakopanego ↩
  15. Koleje Małopolskie · Kraków Główny - Zakopane ↩
  16. City of Zakopane · Bezpośredni pociąg do Zakopanego wrócił na trasę ↩
  17. Tatra National Park · Morskie Oko w pigułce ↩
  18. Tatra Museum · Museum of the 1846 Chochołów Uprising
  19. City of Zakopane · Along the Krupówki promenade and the Zamoyskiego street
  20. Tatra Museum · Main Building
  21. City of Zakopane · Along the Kościeliska street
  22. City of Zakopane · Along the Kościeliska street
  23. Tatra Museum · The Museum of Zakopane Style at Villa Koliba
  24. Tatra Museum · The Museum of Zakopane Style at Villa Koliba
  25. City of Zakopane · Along the Oswalda Balzera street, towards Koziniec and Jaszczurówka
  26. City of Zakopane · Along the Tetmajera and Piłsudskiego streets towards the Wielka Krokiew
  27. City of Zakopane · Along the Tetmajera and Piłsudskiego streets towards the Wielka Krokiew
  28. City of Zakopane · A walk around Zakopane: Gubałówka
  29. City of Zakopane · Mountain ropeways
  30. City of Zakopane · A walk around Zakopane: Gubałówka
  31. City of Zakopane · A walk around Zakopane: Gubałówka
  32. City of Zakopane · A walk around Zakopane: Gubałówka
  33. Polish Cableways (PKL) · Kasprowy Wierch: Tourpassy
  34. Polish Cableways (PKL) · FAQ Kasprowy Wierch
  35. Tatra National Park · Bilety na kolejkę na Kasprowy Wierch
  36. Tatra National Park · Morskie Oko w pigułce
  37. Tatra National Park · Morskie Oko w pigułce
  38. Tatra National Park · Transport do Morskiego Oka
  39. Tatra National Park · Morskie Oko w pigułce
  40. City of Zakopane · Morskie Oko PTTK Shelter
  41. City of Zakopane · Morskie Oko PTTK Shelter
  42. General Directorate for National Roads and Motorways (GDDKiA) · Nowy tunel na Zakopiance otwarty ↩
  43. General Directorate for National Roads and Motorways (GDDKiA) · Nowy tunel na Zakopiance otwarty ↩
  44. General Directorate for National Roads and Motorways (GDDKiA) · Nowy tunel na Zakopiance otwarty ↩
  45. Polish Cableways (PKL) · FAQ Kasprowy Wierch ↩

Read next

More to read before the Tatras

GuideZakopane tour from Krakow: prices and what is includedGuideZakopane tours compared: thermal baths, Morskie Oko, privateGuideZakopane thermal baths: Chocholow and the other pools comparedGuideA Zakopane day trip from Krakow, hour by hour

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