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Zakopane & Thermal Baths: Cable Car, Oscypek & Vodka

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1/19

Duration10h–12h

GroupUp to 30

PickupAt your hotel

The cable car climbs Mount Gubalówka while you taste smoked cheese in Poland's ski town

You're picked up from Krakow and driven to Zakopane in the Tatra Mountains, where you ride the cable car up Mount Gubalówka, walk through a traditional highland village, browse Krupowki Street's bazaar while tasting Oscypek cheese and local vodka, then spend three hours in the thermal baths before returning to the city. The round transfer and all entry fees are included, so you only show up ready to go.

10h–12h

Step-by-step itinerary

Visit traditional wooden houses in Chocholow
Take cable car up and down Gubalowka hill
Enjoy free time on Gubalowka hill
Explore Zakopane with host guidance
Free time on Krupowki Street bazaar
Relax in thermal baths pools

The Experience

You start the morning with a pickup from Krakow and drive south toward the Tatra Mountains. The road climbs gradually, and after about two hours you're in Zakopane, the winter capital of Poland, surrounded by peaks and old wooden chalets. Your first stop is Chocholow village, where the houses still look the way they did centuries ago — thick timber frames, steep roofs, the kind of architecture that doesn't photograph well but makes sense the moment you see it built for mountain snow. A local will walk you through, and you'll understand why this place matters to the region's identity.

Then you head into Zakopane proper. The cable car up Mount Gubalówka takes about ten minutes, and the view from the top opens up the whole valley if the weather cooperates — you get free time up there to walk around or just stand and look. Coming back down, you have the afternoon to spend on Krupowki Street, the main bazaar where every stall sells the same things: Oscypek (the smoked cheese that tastes like nothing else you've had), flavored vodka in small bottles, carved wooden souvenirs, and clothes made from thick wool. You'll taste both the cheese and the vodka with someone who knows what they're talking about, so you're not just buying blind. The street itself is crowded and a bit chaotic, which is exactly what makes it feel real.

After that comes the thermal baths in Chocholow — you get three hours to soak in pools fed by water pulled from 3,600 metres underground. The water is warm, and the whole complex is built into the landscape so it doesn't feel like a resort; it feels like you've found something. You can float in the regular pools or the warmer ones, depending on what your body needs. By the time you're done and heading back to Krakow, you've moved through four different versions of what this region is: the old village, the mountain view, the market energy, and the quiet of warm water.

What’s included

Your day includes round-trip transfer from Krakow, entry to Chocholow village, the Gubalówka cable car ride up and down, free time on Krupowki Street, a tasting of Oscypek cheese and flavored vodka, three hours at the thermal baths, and all entry tickets. Depending on which option you book, you may travel in a shared or private vehicle.

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyInfant seats available

Operated by Legendary Krakow

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to see the Tatra Mountains, taste local food, and soak in thermal pools without arranging transport or buying tickets separately — the fixed itinerary and included transfers mean you show up and the day unfolds on schedule.