Zakopane might be a nice Christmas destination for those who don’t want to spend tons of money in fancy Alps resorts but still want to feel that magic mountain vibe. It’s a beautiful Polish town that attracts hikers in the summer and skiers in the winter. But what to do in Zakopane during the winter holidays when you might run into “CLOSED” sign way too often? Here we share our experience.
How to get to Zakopane?
Zakopane is a small town in the very south part of Poland, right next to the Tatra mountains. The closest international airport is 1 h 30 min away in Krakow. And here you have two options. The first one is to take public transport and, in the best-case scenario, spend at least 3 hours traveling to your final destination. Or just do yourself a favor and rent a car. This is what we did.
Where to stay?
Although we were dreaming of spending Christmas in a romantic mountain cabin in the Tatra mountains, we soon understood that we needed to abandon this idea. We were just too late and most of the affordable places were already taken. And this is an affordable trip, you remember. So, we found a great alternative. Hotel Belvedere, not far from the main street and forest. Nothing too fancy but also great value, particularly during the holidays.
Christmas Eve in Zakopane
Surprisingly, Poland, not Italy, is the most catholic country in Europe. Therefore, Christian traditions are very strong there. Christmas Eve has massive importance for Polish people. Don’t be surprised that most of the bars, restaurants, and other places do not care about tourists and just close their business. Being Lithuanian, I had a feeling that this might happen therefore we agreed to purchase Christmas Eve dinner at our hotel.
Christmas Eve dinner took place in multiple halls across the hotel. We patronaged one of them and were seated at a table for two. Looking around, it seemed that we were the only ones sitting at such a small table. Most of them were suitable for big family gatherings. Another important thing is that this type of dinner is meat-free. So, if you’re not a big fan of fish, you’re in big trouble. The traditional dinner featured several courses (appetizer, soup, first course, second course, and dessert) brought to us in a span of two hours. Even though there were a lot of waiters running around, the food delivery was very slow and most of the staff did not speak English. The short live folk music intro gave that feeling of authenticity that we’re definitely in Poland. For me, this kind of dinner wasn’t anything exotic since we have very similar traditions in Lithuania. For Tyler though it was a different experience.
After dinner, we wrapped ourselves in warm jackets and went for a stroll in the heart of Zakopane. Even though the main street was illuminated, the town itself felt dead. There were several lost tourist souls like us, looking for any open place to warm ourselves up with a cup of hot tea, all in vain. We were lucky to find a street vendor that sold oscypek – a traditional smoked sheep milk cheese that is specific to the Tatra mountains. I bet that guy nailed the whole month’s sales in just that one evening.
Merry Christmas!
All the fun stuff starts on Christmas morning. First of all – breakfast. And not some lame breakfast with one pancake and yogurt, but a huge buffet that included sparkling wine in case someone would like to start celebrating earlier than usual. Before coming to Zakopane, we knew we would like at least one active entertainment that would not include skiing. In the end, we narrowed our options to a ride with a husky-led sleigh ride or snowmobiling. We decided that the last one is faster than dogs and booked our time slot.
An agency that organizes snowmobile tours was located further from the town, a bit higher in the mountains (another benefit of a rental car). At first, were the formalities – signing papers that they will not be responsible for your broken bones. Winter gear (helmet, gloves, shoes, pants) were provided. I had a difficult time finding small gloves that would fit me and that would also be dry. After that, there was a short safety demonstration and instructions on how to drive a snowmobile. The main rule is to LEAN. That means, when a curve is upcoming, a driver needs to turn the handlebars and tilt in the direction of the turn. The same is applied to passengers. Operators need to tilt, not to take selfies. After the lessons were complete, the procession of 10 snowmobiles took off inroute to our Christmas expedition.
That was the first snowmobile ride for me and I enjoyed it. Not that we reached an amazing speed, but the endless white blanket was hypnotizing. And a forest right next to us, and these hills. Simply beautiful. The whole ride took 1 hour (I wish we had booked for longer!) and also included a short stop for pictures. Of course, not everyone remembered the main LEAN rule. Two pairs had a small accident. One snowmobile fell sideways and pinned a women’s leg (nothing was broken!) Another crew managed to drive a snowmobile straight into a tree (the snowmobile was a bit broken). One tree in the wide meadow and they managed to run into it. Again, safety is important and not just for cowards.
After the snowmobile ride, we came back to town and looked for a place to eat. We ended up going to a tiny shopping mall that has a food court on the top floor with panoramic windows. We were grateful that they were opened on Christmas. Try to get a window seat and you won’t regret it. There was one last thing to do in Zakopane – take a funicular to the top of Gubałówka mountain. The funicular is right at the end of Krupówki Street, The main thoroughfare, and tickets can be easily purchased at the vending machine. There are tons of things on Gubałówka: places to eat, hot drink stands, skiing, skating, made in China souvenirs, locally handmade souvenirs, kids playing in the snow, parents disciplining their kids… It was a bit crazy up there. But the panoramic views were stunning and, because of that, it was worth visiting.
Christmas in Zakopane in a nutshell
Christmas in Zakopane is a holiday destination that won’t break your bank account. The sooner you will book your accommodation, the better chances you’ll get a great deal in an amazing location. Keep in mind that due to local religions Christmas Eve will be very quiet and the real festivities will start on Christmas morning. There are a lot of winter activities in Zakopane as well – just choose according to your interests and budget
