With pools
The classic day
Our pick
- Length11 hours
- Zakopane2 hours
- Pools3 hours
Size up your group price
A Zakopane day trip from Krakow, hour by hour
Zakopane day: funicular, tasting, thermal pools
★ 4.8 · 10,563 written reviews
The short version
Yes, Zakopane works as a day trip from Krakow: about 1.5 hours each way by coach, then Chocholow, free time on Krupowki, the Gubalowka funicular and a long soak in thermal pools before the drive back.
Day essentials
Weigh up 3 options
What a Zakopane day costs your group
Add your travelers and weigh each version of the day by its starting fare.
- The classic day11 hours · each person, from €21
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View - The highland day9 hours · each person, from €17
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View - Springs and tasting11 hours · each person, from €21
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View
Starting prices from GetYourGuide, converted at the ECB reference rate. You will see the exact price when booking.
From the pickup in Krakow to the drop-off at night: what happens at each stop, how long it lasts, where the free time falls and how a winter date changes the plan.
Editorial team, zakopane-tour.com · Updated November 9, 2026 · 7 mins to read
Quick look
- LengthAbout 11 hours from pickup to drop-off in Krakow.
- PickupWindow of 07:30 AM to 09:00 AM, set by the driver the night before.
- StopsA village, Chocholow, Zakopane, Gubalowka and the thermal pools.
- Free time2 hours in Zakopane and 3 hours at the baths.
- Is it doable?Yes: each way takes about 1.5 hours by coach.
Is Zakopane a day trip from Krakow?
Is Zakopane a day trip from Krakow? It is, provided you accept a long day. The Zakopane day trip from Krakow that this site books lasts 11 hours, and the coach covers each leg in about 1.5 hours. That leaves room for a village stop, a tasting, 2 hours in town, the funicular and 3 hours in thermal pools, a full program for one day out of the city.
The Polish Tourism Organisation suggests a weekend or a longer stay, and both are fine choices if you want to hike.1 A single day works best when you want a taste of everything rather than a summit: the view from Gubalowka, a stroll on Krupowki and a soak with the mountains in sight. For Morskie Oko or Kasprowy Wierch, another day or a dedicated tour suits better.
The day starts with the hotel pickup. The listing has 6 pickup locations in Krakow, and the driver calls the evening before, around 8 PM, to confirm the exact time. The window runs from 07:30 AM to 09:00 AM; stand at your pickup point a few minutes early. Have breakfast before you leave, put the swimsuit at the top of your bag and charge your phone for photos and for the pickup call.
The plan in a table
Each stop, its length and what to do
| Stop | Time | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| Traditional village | 20 minutes | Photos and a short walk |
| Chocholow | 30 minutes | Cheese, spirits, regional food |
| Zakopane | 2 hours | Krupowki, optional lunch |
| Gubalowka | 30 minutes | Panorama of the Tatras3 |
| Chocholowskie baths | 3 hours | Thermal pools, saunas extra |
Times are the listing’s own; traffic and queues on busy days can shift them.
Morning: the road south and Chocholow
About 1.5 hours after pickup, the coach stops at a traditional village for a 20-minute walk and photos. It is your introduction to the Podhale wooden houses, with their steep shingle roofs and carved gables, and a chance to stretch after the drive. Keep a jacket handy: the listing notes that Tatra air can be chillier than in the city.
Next is Chocholow: half an hour of local spirits, sheep cheese and regional bites, 30 minutes in all. The Polish Tourism Organisation describes oscypek, the smoked sheep cheese, as the highlanders’ pride and the regional snack eaten more often than any other in the Tatras.2 The tasting breaks up the morning nicely, and it is the moment to buy cheese to take home.
From Chocholow it is only 15 minutes by coach to Zakopane. On the way you cross the open Podhale countryside with the Tatra wall rising ahead. If the sky is clear, take a photo from the window; the light is often best in the morning, before clouds gather over the peaks. Most of the day lies ahead of you at this point, and the stops so far have been short on purpose.
Where the time goes
Minutes at each stop of the day
- Village walk20
- Chocholow tasting30
- Zakopane120
- Funicular ride10
- Gubalowka30
- Thermal pools180
Stop lengths as the listing gives them: 20 and 30 minutes, 2 hours, 10 and 30 minutes, then 3 hours.
Midday: free time on Krupowki
Zakopane brings 2 free hours, most of them around Krupowki Street. This traffic-free strip is lined with highland eateries and gift stalls, and it is rarely quiet.4 For context, the Tatra Museum explains how Podhale highlanders lived day to day.5 The street runs downhill toward the lower station of the funicular, so you end your free time close to the next stop.
Lunch is up to you. The listing marks a lunch of 45 minutes on Krupowki as optional and charged separately. A sit-down meal in a highland restaurant fits easily; so does a hot cheese from a street grill eaten on the move. Cafés with views of the peaks are a good place to warm up in winter. Keep an eye on the clock, since the group regroups for the funicular.
That window is enough for the street, a meal and a short detour. It is not enough for a museum and a long lunch together, so choose one. If shopping is the plan, the stalls near the lower funicular station sell wool, carved wood and cheese, and you will pass them again on the way up. Agree a meeting point with your group before you split up, and keep the guide’s number handy in case the street is busier than expected.
Shape your day
Which version of the Zakopane day suits you
Choose the wish closest to yours and the right day appears.
If I want a bit of everything
The classic day
Village, tasting, Krupowki, funicular and 3 hours of pools.
If I would rather see more sights
The highland day
It adds the ski jump and the Jaszczurowka chapel instead of pools.
If I want longer on Gubalowka
The highland day
It gives a full hour on the hill instead of 30 minutes.
If We set our own pace
A private car tour
It lasts 10 to 12 hours and can be customised.
If I want to hike to a lake
A Morskie Oko day
Plan on about 4 hours of walking, with sturdy shoes and water.
Three ways to spend the day
Pools, sights or your own plan
No pools
The highland day
More sights
- Length9 hours
- Gubalowka1 hour
- Extra stopsSki jump, chapel
Customisable
Private car
Your own pace
- Length10 to 12 hours
- PlanYour choice
- ExtrasPaid on top
Afternoon: Gubalowka and the view
A 10-minute funicular climb takes you to the top of Gubalowka Hill, where you stay 30 minutes. At 1123 m the hill seals off the northern side of the Zakopane basin, facing Giewont and the main range.3 Tickets are bought for you, and the group goes through an express security lane. On a busy winter weekend the queue at the lower station can be long, and that is where an organised group saves real time over going alone.
The time on top is enough for the classic panorama and a coffee. A few hundred steps along the crest from the top station, the crowd thins and the view opens. On clear winter days the snow line on the peaks is sharp; in summer the slopes below are green and dotted with wooden huts. Food stalls and souvenir stands line the path near the top, and the ski slope beside the station turns into a summer toboggan run when the snow is gone.
Plan for the season. The operator PKL plans its autumn check of the Gubalowka railway for 16 to 27 November 2026 and runs substitute transport on those days.6,7 Ask the guide how this affects your trip. A coach leg of 30 minutes then follows, with an optional 5-minute photo stop. From there the coach heads back out toward Chocholow and the pools.
Hour by hour
The day from pickup to drop-off
Early morning
Pickup in Krakow
From 07:30 AM to 09:00 AM, at one of 6 pickup points.
Mid-morning
Village and Chocholow
A 20-minute walk, then 30 minutes of cheese and spirits.
Late morning
Zakopane
2 free hours in the center of Zakopane.
Early afternoon
Gubalowka
A 10-minute funicular ride and 30 minutes at the top.
Afternoon
Thermal pools
3 hours at the Chocholowskie baths.
Evening
Back to Krakow
About 1.5 hours by coach to 6 drop-off points.
Late afternoon: the thermal pools
The last big block is 3 hours at the Chocholowskie thermal baths, on a pass good for all zones but the saunas. Its 52 pool troughs spread over close to 4,500 square meters, with water between 32-38°C.8,9 Outdoor pools look toward the mountains, and in summer a sandy beach opens outside.10 Inside, the pools are linked by short walkways, so you can move between water zones without going back to the changing rooms.
That is a generous soak. Use the early part for the warm indoor pools, then head outside before the light fades. Slide fans will find a waterslide and two pontoon slides.11 Food and drinks go on a wristwatch, and you pay the total when you leave.12 It is easy to lose track, so check the balance once before the last swim. Keep the watch on your wrist the whole time and settle up before you change.
Pack swimwear, a towel and sandals, the items a bath ticket listing tells guests to bring. Allow a few minutes at the end to shower and dress before the coach leaves. The drive back to Krakow takes about 1.5 hours, and the coach drops guests at 6 locations in the city. The ride back is quiet, with warm and tired passengers, and you arrive in Krakow in time for a late dinner in the Old Town.
Video
Zakopane day trip from Krakow: food and Gubalowka
Natalia Knight on YouTube · The video stays unloaded until you press play.
You will also visit Krupówki, a famous pedestrian with atmospheric restaurants serving regional delicacies, places with souvenirs, and a favorite spot for tourists.
Pack for the day
What to bring on a Zakopane day trip
Wear3
- Layers: the mountains can be cooler than Krakow
- Sport shoes, as the record advises
- Sunglasses for snow or summer glare
Carry3
- Swimsuit, towel and flip-flops
- Money for an optional lunch
- Your booking and phone for the pickup call
Know3
- Pickup window 07:30 AM to 09:00 AM
- Saunas are not in the bath ticket
- Coach time of about 1.5 hours per leg
Zakopane day trip from Krakow itinerary: summer and winter
The Zakopane day trip from Krakow itinerary stays the same all year, but the feel changes. Midwinter days are short: around mid-January the sun stays up for only about 8.6 hours, by the reckoning for Poprad-Tatry, a Slovak station 33 km away across the range.13 Gubalowka and the pools may be in the dark by the end of the day.
Temperatures differ sharply too. At that station, January highs average 0.5 °C and July highs 23.4 °C.13,13 The Tatra National Park adds that air temperature falls roughly 0.5° C with each 100 m you gain, a point to remember up on Gubalowka, well above the streets.14 Dress in layers in every season. Fleece, shell jacket and warm hat handle most conditions and fold into a small pack beside your swimwear.
Winter brings queues as well as snow. Zakopane is the Winter Capital of Poland, and its busiest weekends can bring up to 250,000 visitors.15,16 In summer the day feels longer and the pools brighter, with daylight of about 15.9 hours in July at the same station.13 A weekday in June or September is the easy sweet spot.
What fits in one day, and what does not
What fits: a village, a cheese tasting, Krupowki, the Gubalowka view and a long soak. That is the plan of the day this site books, and it holds 10,563 reviews averaging 4.8. It is a well-paced sampler of the Tatra foothills for travelers based in Krakow. It does not try to take you high into the mountains, and it should not be judged as a hiking day. It is a long, relaxed look at the Podhale region with the Tatras as the backdrop.
What does not fit: a hike to Morskie Oko, the cable car to Kasprowy Wierch or an afternoon of museums. Those are full days in their own right. A Morskie Oko day from Krakow involves about 4 hours of walking, and the highland day of 9 hours swaps the pools for the ski jump and the Jaszczurowka chapel.
If you want those sights without a fixed plan, a private car tour that can be customised lasts 10 to 12 hours and starts from €83. For a first visit, though, the shared day is the efficient answer, and a full refund stays possible until a day before. That flexibility matters for a mountain day, when low cloud can hide the whole range from Gubalowka.
FAQ
Straight answers to common questions.
How long is the Zakopane day trip from Krakow?
About 11 hours.
Count on 11 hours door to door, including about 1.5 hours of coach travel per leg.
What time does the pickup start?
In a window from 07:30 AM to 09:00 AM.
Your driver gets in touch at about 8 PM the night before with the exact time.
How much free time is there in Zakopane?
2 hours.
The free time is centered on Krupowki Street; lunch of 45 minutes is optional and extra.
How long do you spend at the thermal baths?
3 hours.
You get 3 hours, and only the saunas fall outside your pass.
How long is the funicular ride up Gubalowka?
About 10 minutes.
About 10 minutes up the rails, then 30 minutes to look around.
Can I visit Morskie Oko on the same day?
Not on this tour.
Morskie Oko needs its own day: one tour from Krakow involves about 4 hours of walking.
Sources
- Polish Tourism Organisation (poland.travel) · Zakopane: The magic of winter ↩
- Polish Tourism Organisation (poland.travel) · Zakopane: The magic of winter ↩
- Malopolska Region tourist portal (visitmalopolska.pl) · Gubalowka funicular railway ↩
- Polish Tourism Organisation (poland.travel) · Zakopane: The magic of winter ↩
- Polish Tourism Organisation (poland.travel) · Zakopane: The magic of winter ↩
- Polskie Koleje Linowe (pkl.pl) · Gubalowka ↩
- Polskie Koleje Linowe (pkl.pl) · Gubalowka ↩
- Chocholowskie Termy (official site) · Chocholowskie Termy ↩
- Chocholowskie Termy (official site) · Chocholowskie Termy ↩
- Chocholowskie Termy (official site) · Chocholowskie Swimming Pools ↩
- Chocholowskie Termy (official site) · Chocholowskie Swimming Pools ↩
- Chocholowskie Termy (official site) · Chocholowskie Swimming Pools ↩
- NOAA · Global Summary of the Month, Station Poprad-Tatry, Slovakia (NOAA GHCN LO000011934), 1991 to 2020 ↩
- Tatra National Park (tpn.pl) · Klimat (climate) ↩
- Polish Tourism Organisation (poland.travel) · Winter experiences in Poland ↩
- Malopolska Region tourist portal (visitmalopolska.pl) · Zakopane: the winter capital of Poland and the navel of the world ↩