Zakopane, Tatra Mountains w/ Gubalowka Funicular tour from Krakow

Great day out in Zakopane

I was walking through the old town in Krakow when I found a tourist office. I had already booked tours to Auschwitz and the Salt Mines on line, but also wanted to visit Zakopane so I booked a tour which included Chocołòw, a cheese tasting and a funicular trip to Gubalowka. I was told that I would be collected near my hotel but this was not the case - although my hotel was just south of the river in Krakow, near Kantor where cars and vans are allowed, they made the collection point Starowislna 65, which was a 25 minute walk from my hotel. Not that great as I have osteoarthritis. Anyway I was collected on time in a small white van with about 6 other people in the van, all British as the tour was in English. Our driver / guide was a really nice bloke called Andrew who was a very careful driver. I was collected on time, in fact about 5 minutes early and was the only one waiting for my particular tour. We set off to Zakopane, stopping to take photos in a very quaint town with wooden houses called Cocholow, and also stopping for a cheese tasting. This was by a small wooden hut at the side of the road and Andrew put the cheese pieces on smoking fire in the hut. Apparently this is a traditional Polish sheep’s cheese. I really liked it, it tasted a bit like halloumi but saltier. We continued on into Zakopane where we were given tickets to the funicular up to Gubalowka. There were several ski lifts on the side of the mountain but not enough snow to ski, although it is obviously a popular ski resort. The views from the top of the funicular were spectacular, I did not stop for a coffee in the cafe up the top as it looked too busy. Once back at the bottom of the funicular I wondered through the wooden stalls selling tourist souvenirs and into the main street which was pedestrianised. There were some of the usual high street shops you would find in any European city, including Tiger, Tiger and TK Maxx alongside some more traditional shops. It was a very pretty town and we had a couple of hours to explore it as well as find some lunch. I stopped in a cafe and had some excellent goulash soup which was more of a stew, very filling, for under £6 before heading back to the van and back to Krakow. We went a different route for the first half of the journey back which made it more interesting, it was about a 2 hour drive in each direction. All in all I would recommend this trip to anyone wanting to visit Zakopane although it is easy to do this trip yourself on a train, but you would not visit Cocholow or the cheese hut!

Response from the operator: Dear Wales_Solo_traveller, Thank you so much for sharing such a detailed account of your day in Zakopane! 🏔️ It is wonderful to hear that you enjoyed the traditional wooden architecture in Chochołów and that the smoked sheep's cheese (oscypek) reminded you of a saltier halloumi – it truly is a local delicacy! We are also glad that Andrew’s careful driving and professional service made your journey pleasant and interesting. I would like to sincerely apologize for the inconvenience regarding the pick-up point. We understand that a 25-minute walk can be very difficult, especially with osteoarthritis, and we will certainly review our communication to ensure our guests' needs are better met in the future. We hope the spectacular views from Gubałówka and that delicious goulash soup remain great memories of your time with SeeKrakow. Since you enjoyed this trip, we would love to welcome you back for another adventure next time you are in town! 🚐 As this was a 5-star experience for you, would you consider sharing your review on Google as well? It would help other travelers find us more easily. Best regards, The SeeKrakow Team

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Holiday

It was worth doing it's very long day but stunning scenery 😁

Response from the operator: Dear James, Thank you for your review! We are so glad you found the trip worth it. It is indeed a long day, but those views of the Tatra Mountains make every minute on the road worthwhile! 😁 We are happy you enjoyed the stunning scenery with SeeKrakow. If you are looking for something a bit closer to the city next time, we would love to take you to the famous Wieliczka Salt Mine or show you the history of the Schindler’s Factory. Best regards, The SeeKrakow Team

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Zakopane Formula 1 trip

This trip was amazing in its self but was spoilt by the driver from start to finish. Driver gave the impression he did not want to be there,car allegedly broke down then miraculously was fixed but nothing was done to fix it?? Arrived at our first place of visit no information given whilst other trips around us were getting told about the subject off their guide we got told to read the boards, other trips got to sample cherry vodka and the local cheese we got the cheese but he didn't have any vodka left? As i say the trip was amazing and the places were better than we expected but on our return journey the driver was driving fast excessively fast i.e 160kph with 4 passengers on board and snow outside i asked the driver to be a bit more cautious and was told it was fine the roads are ok i then informed him we weren't comfortable with his speeds and he asked.us what speed we wanted him to do in a sarcastic tone, not a nice situation to be in. Overall a great trip but hopefully your driver will be way better.

via Viator

Zakopane Tatra Mountains Thermal Baths

ZAKOPANE Tatra Mountains Thermal Baths was amazing. Booked with SeeKrakow driver and vehicle were amazing. A little bit of history of the area was given on route. The pools and saunas were lovely. Couples, families and children all catered for. Food was very reasonably prices. Big thank you to Pawel for help with changing our pick up location due to construction work outside our hotel. Great trip.

via Tripadvisor

Simply Stunning

Amazing day trip. Could not fault our guide, Alex. Zakopane is simply stunning. The funicular to the top was breathtaking. So much to see and do. We visited the thermal baths, not quite what we expected and very busy but still great. Would recommend this day trip to anyone. It’s a long day, 11 hours in total but so worth it. Make sure you have a wonder around Zakopane itself after you descend from the mountain.

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