Krakow to Zakopane Day Trip: Gubałówka Funicular & Cheese Tasting

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Free cancellationExcellent qualityLikely to sell out

1/19

Duration8h–10h

GroupUp to 50

LanguagesEN

PickupAt your hotel

Zakopane’s wooden houses, mountain views and smoky cheese from Krakow

You’ll ride from Krakow into Poland’s highlands with hotel pickup, taste real oscypek cheese in Chochołów village, ride the Gubałówka funicular for sweeping mountain views, and wander Zakopane’s lively streets. Expect cold air on your face, local stories shared over snacks, and moments of quiet awe you might not be ready for.

8h–10h

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Zakopane and surrounding highlights

Travel from Krakow to Zakopane
Visit Wielka Krokiew ski jumping hill
See the chapel of St. Sacred Heart of Jesus
Walk along Zakopane's main street
Ride Gubałówka funicular for mountain views
Visit Chochołów village with wooden houses
Return to Krakow from Zakopane

The Experience

“You can always tell who’s from here by how they eat oscypek,” our driver Marek said, grinning as he handed me a chunk of that smoky cheese outside a little hut in Chochołów. I tried it plain first—salty, chewy, with this campfire smell that stuck to my fingers—and then dipped it in cranberry jam like Marek showed us. Honestly, I didn’t expect to like it so much. The air in Chochołów was cold and sharp, and the old wooden houses looked almost too perfect, but you could see laundry flapping behind fences and hear someone chopping wood somewhere out back.

We’d left Krakow early (I barely remember the highway part) and rolled into Zakopane just as the clouds started lifting off the Tatra Mountains. Our guide Ania pointed out the ski jumping hill—Wielka Krokiew—and told us about the world cup events there. I couldn’t imagine flying off that ramp; even standing at the bottom gave me butterflies. On Krupówki Street it was all noise: buskers playing accordion, kids begging for ice cream, locals selling sheepskin slippers. My hands were freezing but I still bought some honey vodka from a stall—just for “warming up,” as Ania winked.

The funicular up Gubałówka was quick but somehow felt slow enough to watch everything change—the rooftops shrinking, the mountains suddenly right there in front of us. It’s not just about the view (though wow), but also that feeling of being above everything for a minute. People around us were mostly Polish families; one little girl pressed her face to the glass and kept whispering “Tatry!” over and over. At the top, we just stood quietly for a while. Sometimes silence is better than any photo.

I keep thinking about those weathered houses in Chochołów—how they’ve survived so many winters—and about Marek laughing when I tried to say “oscypek” with my mouth full (I definitely butchered it). If you’re looking for a day trip from Krakow that’s more than just pretty scenery, this one sticks with you in small ways you don’t expect.

What’s included

Your day includes hotel pickup from Krakow by air-conditioned vehicle with an English-speaking driver and guide. You’ll get tickets for the Gubałówka funicular ride, sample traditional oscypek cheese at a mountain hut, visit Chochołów’s UNESCO-protected wooden village homes, wander Krupówki Street market with free time in Zakopane town before returning to Krakow in comfort.

Good to know

Easy physical levelInfant seats availablePublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Poland is beautiful