Zakopane Day Tour from Krakow: Tatra Mountains & Cable Car

Zakopane's wooden villages, mountain views and highlander traditions in one full day from Krakow

A full-day guided tour from Krakow to Zakopane and the Tatra Mountains, with hotel pickup, cable car admission, and visits to the wooden village of Chocholow and the ski jump sites. The tour lasts around nine hours with an English-speaking guide, includes a tasting of oscypek smoked cheese, and covers all transport and entry tickets. You arrive back at your hotel in the evening without arranging anything yourself.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time at each

1. Chocholow30m
2. Krupowki Street2h
3. Mount Gubalówka1h · entry included
4. Tatra Mountains30m · entry included

Full-day Zakopane and Tatra Mountains tour

• Pickup from Krakow hotel
• Drive to Zakopane town
• Visit Chochołów wooden village
• Taste traditional smoked sheep cheese
• Explore Krupówki street market
• Ride cable car up Gubałówka hill
• Enjoy views of Tatra Mountains
• Visit Jaszczurówka Chapel
• See Zakopane ski jumps
• Return to Krakow hotel

The experience

Your driver picks you up from your Krakow hotel in the morning and drives you two hours south to Zakopane, the mountain town at the base of the Tatras. The route itself crosses into the region where the landscape shifts: flat farmland gives way to foothills, then to the peaks themselves. Once you arrive, the day splits between the main sights and free time on Krupowki Street, the central market lined with restaurants, shops selling traditional highlander clothes and souvenirs, and the energy of a town built around mountain tourism.

The cable car up Mount Gubalówka is the centerpiece. The funicular climbs from one end of Krupowki Street to the summit, where the view opens across the full Tatra range: the jagged ridge that forms Poland's southern border. At the top, cafes and bars let you sit with the view. Many visitors order mulled wine and stay for an hour. On the way down or during your free time in town, you'll pass the Jaszczurówka Chapel, a wooden structure over a century old and a quiet example of Zakopane's sacred architecture. The ski jumps (the site of the annual International Ski Jumping Competition) are also on the route, a reminder that this town has hosted world-class winter sports for decades.

The stop in Chocholow, a village of nearly identical wooden houses, is where you taste oscypek. The cheese is smoked sheep's milk, made in small wooden structures called bacówkach by local highlanders using methods that have barely changed. You'll try it with a shot of Polish vodka and hear how it's made. The production is as much the point as the taste. The village itself is striking: the houses are traditionally washed with soapy water twice a year, at Christmas and before Easter, which keeps them pale and uniform. It's a place where architecture and daily life are inseparable.

Your driver returns you to Krakow in the late afternoon or early evening. The tour runs nine to ten hours total, including the two-hour drive each way, so plan for a full day away from the city.

What’s included

• Round-trip hotel pickup and drop-off in Krakow.
• cable car admission to Mount Gubalówka with panoramic Tatra views.
• stop in the wooden village of Chocholow with oscypek smoked cheese tasting and local vodka.
• about three hours of free time on Krupowki Street to shop and eat at local restaurants.
• visits to the Jaszczurówka Chapel and the ski jump sites.
• English-speaking guide.
• written guidebooks in other languages.
• comfortable air-conditioned vehicle transport.

Options for this experience

3 options

Transfer only, entry ticket not includedAvailable from 21 DecIncludes pickup

Complete Zakopane day tour packageGuide in English or Polish · 08:00, 08:30 and 09:00Regular group tour: shared vehicle with other travelers. Pickup from your hotel, or from the nearest spot within 5 min. where entry is prohibited. Pickup is included

VIP private and luxury tourGuide in English or Polish · 9 departure times: the first at 07:00, the last at 11:00Private vehicle reserved only for your booking. Private and luxury tour option. Pickup is included

You pick the guide language when booking.

You see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates & prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day9 departure times: the first at 07:00, the last at 11:00

Book up to1h before

AgesAdult (16 to 60 years) · Senior (61 and older) · Child (5 to 15 years) · Infant (under 5)

GroupUp to 30

Live guideEnglish and Polish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup is optional; you can also go straight to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Easy physical levelInfant seats available

Operated by Cracow Top Tours

Is this one for you?Choose this if you want cable car, cheese tasting, and mountain views bundled with transport from your hotel. Book the guided tour for stops at each, or the transfer-only option if you'd rather explore Zakopane independently.

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Top questions

What languages is the guide in?

Live guide in English and Polish.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (5 to 15 years); Infant (under 5).

What's included in the Zakopane tour from Krakow?

The tour includes round-trip hotel pickup and drop-off in Krakow, the cable car ride up Mount Gubalówka, entry to all sites, a tasting of oscypek smoked cheese with local vodka in Chocholow, an English-speaking guide, and about three hours of free time on Krupowki Street to eat and shop on your own. Lunch is not included, though restaurants line the main street.

How long does the tour take?

The full tour lasts nine to ten hours, including the two-hour drive from Krakow to Zakopane and the return journey. Once in Zakopane, you'll have roughly three hours of free time to explore Krupowki Street and eat.

What is oscypek and where do I try it?

Oscypek is a smoked cheese made from sheep's milk by highlanders in the Tatra region. You'll taste it during the stop in Chocholow, a wooden village where local producers make it in small structures called bacówkach. The tasting includes a shot of Polish vodka and an explanation of how the cheese is produced.

What will I see from the cable car on Mount Gubalówka?

The cable car takes you to the summit of Mount Gubalówka, where you see the full range of the Polish Tatra Mountains. At the top, there are cafes and bars where you can sit and take in the view, and various walking trails if you want to explore further.

Is the cable car ticket included, or do I buy it separately?

The cable car ticket is included in the tour price. You don't need to buy admission on site. The funicular departs from one end of Krupowki Street and takes about fifteen minutes to reach the summit.

What is Chocholow known for?

Chocholow is a historic wooden village famous for its nearly identical houses, all built in the traditional highlander style. The village has a unique custom of washing the houses with soapy water twice a year (at Christmas and before Easter), which keeps them pale and uniform. It's also the center of oscypek production and a living example of Tatra mountain architecture and culture.