Krakow to Zakopane: Thermal Springs, Cable Car & Highland Cheese

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Free cancellationTravelers' pickLikely to sell out

1/49

Duration11h

GroupUp to 30

LanguagesEN · PL

PickupAt your hotel

Zakopane’s wooden houses, mountain views and warm springs—slow moments from Krakow

You’ll wander through Chochołów village’s wooden houses, taste real Oscypek cheese with a local twist, ride up Gubałówka Mountain for wild Tatra views, then unwind in Chocholow Thermal Springs before heading back to Krakow—all with pickup included. Expect small surprises and slow moments that stick with you long after.

11h

Step-by-step itinerary

Zakopane tour with thermal springs

Pickup from Krakow hotel
Travel to Zakopane (1.5-2 hours)
Visit Chochołów Village and walk
Taste smoked sheep's cheese and vodka
Take funicular to Gubałówka mountain
Enjoy panoramic Tatra Mountains view
Descend and walk Krupówki street
Relax at Chocholow Thermal Springs (2.5 hours)
Return to Krakow hotel

The Experience

You know when you step off the minivan and the air just smells different? That’s how it started for us—leaving Krakow behind, rolling into Chochołów where every house looks like it belongs in a fairy tale. Our guide Marek grinned at my surprise (“it’s all spruce, always spruce!”), and I kept running my hand along the wood railings just to feel that rough polish. There was this faint scent of smoke in the air—maybe from someone’s breakfast fire—and I caught myself wishing we could linger longer. But then someone pointed out a stork’s nest perched on a chimney and we all stopped to stare for a minute.

The next bit was honestly my favorite: we ducked into a shepherd’s hut for Oscypek (that’s the smoked sheep’s cheese—try saying it right, I dare you). It was salty and chewy, nothing like what I expected, and washed down with a tiny glass of vodka that made me cough so hard Marek laughed out loud. He told us how his grandfather used to make cheese by hand up in the hills. There was something about standing there with strangers, all of us grinning with cold fingers wrapped around little glasses—it felt oddly intimate. The main keyword here is day trip Krakow Zakopane, but honestly it felt more like dropping into someone else’s rhythm for a while.

Zakopane itself is busy but not in an annoying way—Krupówki Street has this jumble of voices and bright wool hats everywhere you look. We took the funicular up Gubałówka Mountain (the cable car rattles more than you’d think) and suddenly the Tatras just opened up below us—snow still clinging to the peaks even though it was spring. I bought a carved spoon from an old woman who barely looked up from her knitting; she nodded once when I said “dziękuję” (probably butchered it). After wandering back down, we squeezed into a café for pierogi before heading out again.

The last stop: Chocholow Thermal Springs. Honestly, I didn’t expect much—I’m not really a spa person—but sinking into that hot water after hours outside? My legs practically sighed. You could hear kids splashing somewhere nearby but mostly it was quiet except for our own laughter echoing off the tiles. The drive back to Krakow felt slower somehow; everyone half asleep or just watching fields blur past in the dusk light. I still think about that first bite of cheese and how warm my hands finally felt at the end.

What’s included

Your day includes hotel pickup from Krakow, round-trip transport by minivan or car, entry tickets for both Chocholow Thermal Springs (with access to pools and slides) and Gubałówka Mountain funicular railway, plus a tasting of traditional Oscypek cheese paired with Polish vodka at a local shepherd's hut before returning home relaxed in the evening.

Good to know

Easy physical levelInfant seats availableNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditions

Operated by Cracow Top Tours