Zakopane Day Trip from Krakow: Oscypek Tasting & Gubałówka Funicular

Sheep Cheese & Mountain Views: A Day in Poland's Tatra Heart

You're picked up from your Krakow hotel and driven to Zakopane, where you taste oscypek cheese in a traditional highlander hut, ride the Gubałówka funicular for Tatra views, and explore Krupówki Street on your own time. Hotel drop-off happens in the evening. The whole day (transport, entry tickets, tastings, guide) is arranged, so you only have to show up at your hotel entrance.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time at each

1. Chocholow30m
2. Mount Gubalówka3h · entry included
3. Krupowki Street30m

Zakopane day tour with tasting and views

• Driver picks you up in Krakow
• Travel from Krakow to Zakopane
• Visit oscypek cheese producer
• Explore Zakopane and free time
• Ride funicular to Gubałówka summit
• Visit Krupówki Street and shop
• Return from Zakopane to Krakow

The experience

The funicular car climbs toward 1,123 meters with a glass roof that lets you watch the Tatra peaks rise closer. Before that, though, you're sitting in a wooden hut in Chochołów watching a highlander slice oscypek: the smoked sheep cheese that tastes nothing like what you'd expect, sharper and almost nutty, and it's been made the same way in these mountains for centuries. Your Krakow hotel pickup happens between 7:30 and 9 in the morning, and the drive south takes about two hours. The driver confirms the exact time the night before, and you don't have to think about tickets or navigation or where to stop. That's already decided.

Krupówki Street is where Zakopane actually lives. It's crowded, yes, but it's also the place where locals buy their highlander wool sweaters and where the regional restaurants have real food, not tourist versions of it. You get free time to walk it however you want, to duck into shops, to find a café that looks good, to just stand and watch the mountain light change. After the funicular ride down from Gubałówka (or if the cable car is closed for maintenance, a drive as high as the road goes and a short walk to the viewpoint), you've seen the full spread of the mountains and the town below them, and you've tasted the regional spirits that go with the cheese. The whole day is structured so you're never waiting in a queue or figuring out what comes next.

The return drive to Krakow leaves you back at your hotel in the evening. You've covered the main things (the cheese, the mountain, the street where Zakopane happens) without renting a car or hiring a separate guide for each stop. The tour runs in English, but if you book in another language, you get instruction booklets so nothing gets lost in translation.

What’s included

Your day includes hotel pickup and drop-off in Krakow, round-trip transport to Zakopane, entry to a traditional highlander hut where you'll taste oscypek cheese and regional spirits, a Gubałówka funicular ticket (or equivalent viewpoint access if the cable car is closed), and free time to explore Krupówki Street and eat at local restaurants. An English-speaking driver accompanies you throughout.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 09:00

Book up to3h before

AgesAdult (18 to 64 years) · Senior (65 and older) · Child (2 to 17 years) · Infant (under 2)

GroupUp to 22

Live guideEnglish and Polish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 4 days ago

Good to know

Easy physical levelInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Thousand Miles

Is this one for you?Book this if you want the main Zakopane highlights (mountain views, local cheese, the town center) without arranging transport, tickets, or timing yourself. The fixed schedule and included pickup mean you only show up at your hotel entrance.

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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 (2 to 17 years); Infant (under 2).

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

How long is the drive from Krakow to Zakopane?

About two hours each way. You're picked up between 7:30 and 9 AM, and returned to your hotel in the evening.

What is oscypek?

A smoked cheese made from sheep's milk, produced by local highlanders in wooden huts called bacówki. You'll taste different varieties during the tour.

Is the Gubałówka funicular always running?

The cable car closes periodically for maintenance. If it's closed during your dates, the tour drives as high as possible by car and includes a short walk to the viewpoint, plus a complimentary lunchbox and mulled wine tasting as compensation.

Is hotel pickup included?

Yes. The driver picks you up from your Krakow hotel and drops you back there at the end of the day. Pickup time is confirmed the evening before.

What's included in the price?

Hotel pickup and drop-off, transport to and from Zakopane, Gubałówka funicular ticket, oscypek and regional spirit tasting, and free time in Krupówki Street.

How much free time do you get in Zakopane?

You have free time to explore Krupówki Street and the surrounding area on your own. The exact duration depends on the day's schedule, but it's enough to walk, shop, and eat.