Zakopane
Poland
Poland’s winter capital under the Tatras, with a wooden architecture invented here on purpose, a highlander culture that is not a performance, and smoked sheep cheese on every corner
Photo by Tomasz Zielonka on Unsplash
Photos by Mareks Steins, Lāsma Artmane, Krzysztof Kowalik and Raymond Petrik on Unsplash
Best time to visit all of Poland
December to March for the snow and the markets, and June to September for the walking — the town is at its fullest between the holidays and in the depths of high summer
Climate month by month
The next sixteen daysOpen-Meteo
Average high and low · °C
Rainfall · mm per month
Best months to visit This month · wettest 160mm in Jul
Where it is
49.30°N, 19.95°E Open in Google Maps
Things to do
A week easily- Eat grilled oscypek on Krupówki
- Take the funicular up Gubałówka at dusk
- Walk to Morskie Oko, early
- Check the mountain forecast before any ridge
- Eat one street back from the main drag
Zakopane travel tipsthe general rules
Currency budget Poland
Good valueZłoty, and cards are taken almost everywhere — Poland is close to cashless. The Christmas market stalls are the one place that still wants notes. Never use the Euronet machines or the “we accept euro” boards; they are the worst rate in the country.
ATMs & cards
Use PKO BP, Santander, mBank or ING machines. The Euronet machines, which are everywhere tourists are, charge a fee and offer a conversion that costs several per cent. Decline it, always.
Avoid these
- Euronet
- the machines beside the Christmas markets
Use these instead
- PKO BP
- Santander
- mBank
- ING
Decline the conversion. Draw before the market rather than at it: the independent machines cluster where the stalls are, and a good many stalls still want cash.
Wherever you are: if the machine offers to charge you in your home currency, decline. That is dynamic currency conversion and the rate is set by the ATM's operator, not your bank.
Safety all of Poland
SafeComfortable. The mountains are the real consideration: the Tatras are high, the weather turns fast, and the Orla Percć ridge is a via ferrata with a genuine fatality record that people walk onto without understanding what it is. Winter avalanche risk is real and published daily.
Where to walk, and where to pay attention (5 areas)
Comfortable, including after dark
Worth more attention
- the Orla Percć ridge — a via ferrata with a real fatality record, reached from ordinary walking paths
- the high Tatras in winter without checking the bulletin — avalanche risk here is published daily and is not decorative
Our own assessment, not a sourced index.
Entry & visa Poland visa rules
No visa needed
Freedom of movement — no time limit, and no visa. Bring a passport or national ID card.
Other passports
No visa neededup to 90 days
90 days within any 180-day period, counted across the whole Schengen area, not per country. ETIAS, a paid online authorisation, is being introduced for these passports — check the official link for whether it applies to your travel dates.
Visa required in advance€90 (Schengen short-stay visa)
A Schengen short-stay visa is applied for before travel, at the consulate of your main destination.
How to get it: Apply at the consulate or visa centre of the country you will spend most time in, typically 15 working days ahead and no more than six months before travel.
Entry rules change often and depend on your passport, not where you live — the official page above is the authority, and the airline checks before you board.
Health & emergencies all of Poland
Good and affordableRequired to enter
No vaccinations are required for entry from Europe or North America.
Jabs worth having, and what happens if you need a doctor
Worth having
- Routine vaccinations up to date
- Tick-borne encephalitis for forest areas in the east and north-east
Getting treated
EU/EEA and Swiss visitors are treated on the same terms as residents with an EHIC or GHIC card; UK visitors use a GHIC. Everyone else pays, and travel insurance is worth having for the repatriation cover rather than the treatment. Private clinics are inexpensive and much faster than the public queue for anything non-urgent.
Orientation, not medical advice — entry rules change and what you need depends on your own history. Check with a travel clinic four to six weeks before you go.
Food tip
Very goodOscypek, the smoked sheep cheese, grilled and served with cranberry jam, sold the length of Krupówki; kwaśnica, a sour cabbage soup with ribs; and żur. The restaurants on Krupówki are priced for visitors; one street back they are not.
Getting around
Workable- UberWorks here
- BoltWorks here
- FREE NOWWorks here
- Against a taxi
- Cheaper than a street taxi, and far cheaper than one waiting outside a station.
Time zone and your working day
Europe/Warsaw — 6 hours ahead of you
2 hours of overlap with a 09:00–17:00 day where you are — 09:00–11:00 your time, 15:00–17:00 theirs.
No overlap with a 09:00–17:00 day where you are. Working from here means one of you keeps odd hours — their day starts at 03:00 on your clock.
office hours both at once night
Their 09:00–17:00 is 03:00–11:00 on yours.
The difference from the UK, Europe, the US and ten more
Worked out against America/New York, which is where this request looks like it came from.
Getting online
Getting online: Airalo or Holafly — a data eSIM for Poland, installed before you fly and working the moment you land.
Source: Ookla Speedtest Global Index · measured June 2026
Must-see
Nearby day trips
Say a few words
Polish
- HelloDzień dobryjen DOH-bri
- PleaseProszęPRO-sheh
- Thank youDziękujęjen-KOO-yeh
- Yes / NoTak / Nietak / nyeh
4 more phrases
- Excuse mePrzepraszampsheh-PRA-sham
- How much is it?Ile to kosztuje?EE-leh to kosh-TOO-yeh
- The bill, pleaseRachunek, proszęra-HOO-nek
- Cheers!Na zdrowie!na ZDRO-vyeh
Religion
Catholic
One of the most observant countries in Europe, and it shows: churches are full, roadside shrines are everywhere, and religious holidays close everything. Dress modestly in churches.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Say dzień dobry on entering shops
- Accept hospitality — refusing food or vodka repeatedly can offend
- Give flowers in odd numbers, and never chrysanthemums, which are for graves
- Dress respectfully at churches and memorial sites
Don't
- Do not say "Polish concentration camps" — they were German camps in occupied Poland, and the phrasing causes real offence
- Do not treat Auschwitz-Birkenau as a sightseeing stop; dress and behave as at a cemetery
- Do not mix vodka or drink it slowly in company; it is taken neat and together
- Do not be loud in churches, which remain in active use
Where to stay in Zakopane
No Holistay rentals in Zakopane yet — the platform is just opening up. Every listing here will have a video tour and the option to negotiate the nightly price directly with the host.
In the meantime, here is Zakopane on the sites that do have the inventory — each search is already filled in:
- Booking.com hotels, guesthouses and apartments — the widest coverage almost everywhere
- Airbnb whole homes and apartments, and the better option for a week or more
How to get there
Fly into Krakow KRK
2hfrom the airport· 110 km as the crow flies
2h by direct bus from the airport.
Also worth pricing: Katowice KTW — three hours by road.
Google Flights · Rome2Rio for the trains, buses and ferries as well as the flights
