You may remember a few recent posts about my hikes in the Polish Tatra Mountains from my summer holiday. Today, I’d like to share with you a few places and activities to do in Zakopane on a non-hiking day. Some of them are also a great option for a rainy day, which isn’t a rare occurrence in the mountains. Here’s a few things to do in Zakopane, including food options, viewing points, a mini zoo, and more.

Tatra Educational Park Mini Zoo

First, I’m taking you to an educational park located near the Wielka Krokiew ski jumping hill. This zoo is home to popular farm animals, like goats and alpacas, but it also houses some more unique species, found in the wild in the Tatra Mountains.

The animals native to Tatra Mountains that you can see in the zoo include foxes, deer, and – last but not least – marmots, which are the main attraction for the park’s visitors.

I had never seen a marmot in person before visiting the zoo, and let me tell you – they’re the cutest little creatures! There were 4 marmot enclosures, each of them with a handful of individuals. Some of them were munching on a colourful salad, others were basking in the sun or digging in the ground. I could watch them all day! A few days after visiting the zoo I was lucky enough to see two marmots in the wild, high up in the mountains, but it’s a rare treat. If you want to make sure you do see those cute rodents, visit the Tatra Educational Park. You can also get some animal feed at the zoo for a small donation, and feed the goats, which is always great fun.

For up to date opening times and ticket prices, visit the official website. And by the way – there’s a second mini zoo in that area too – a privately run one, not associated with the National Park. They don’t have the most unique animals native to Tatra Mountains. Make sure you visit the right zoo!

Wielka Krokiew ski jumping hill, walking trails

Near the zoo, there’s Poland’s best know ski jumping hill. Ski jumping usually sounds like a strange sport to follow, but it’s actually really popular in Poland. Probably because we’ve had some good jumpers in recent history.

To the side of the ski jumping hill, there are some walking trails. They’re part of Tatra Mountains National Park, but they’re fairly flat – a great option if you want a more relaxed day. The trail that starts near the ski jumping hill is called Droga Pod Reglami. You can follow it to climb a small hill – Sarnia Skala – or to get to Kalatowki shelter. It’s essentially a forest path, so don’t expect much of a view. It’s a peaceful place, far less crowded than the more popular trails in Tatra Mountains.

Krupowki

The most famous place in Zakopane itself must be Krupowki – a pedestrian street filled with restaurants, shops, and souvenir stands. In the summer, expect it to be filled with tourists. It’s the heart of the town. I particularly recommend one ice cream place – Zarneccy. They make craft gelato with natural ingredients. They typically only have a few flavours available, and they’re probably not too visually appealing – after all, there are no dyes to enhance the colours. But they taste incredible!

You’ll also find stands with regional cheeses at Krupowki. In general, I strongly recommend trying the local cheeses, they’re amazing. If you want the best, freshest, authentic ones, you can find huts selling them in some of the valleys in the National Park. The ones sold at Krupowki are hit and miss, but you can find a good one. Some of the vendors let you taste the cheese before you buy it, so you know what you’re getting.

Gubalowka mini hike

Krupowki Street has a bit of ascent or descent, depending on which side you’re starting at. The lower end of Krupowki is at the foot of a small mountain – Gubalowka. You can take the funicular to get to the top, or – if you prefer to save some money and don’t mind a bit of exercise – you can follow the path along the funicular and hike to the top of Gubalowka, it should take you around 30 minutes. It’s a short but steep trail, running pretty much in a straight line. The mountain is only 1129 metres tall, far less than the most popular peaks in Tatra Mountains. But the view from Gubalowka is unmatched – you can see the whole panorama of Tatra Mountains from there.

There are plenty of restaurants and souvenir shops at the top of Gubalowka. It rained a little bit when we were on top of Gubalowka, which resulted with a rainbow over Zakopane. How pretty!

Gwarno restaurant and microbrewery

Now, let’s talk about food and drink. We went to a few restaurants during our stay in Zakopane, but there’s one that stole our hearts. After we discovered it, we went there every single day till the end of our holiday.

Gwarno is a restaurant and microbrewery located right next to the bottom station of Gubalowka funicular. Our favourite item on the menu was a baked potato with gzik, a regional cheese. It was divine! We also loved their pizza with three regional cheeses, as well as the glazed ribs. Honestly, everything we tried there was delicious.

Gwarno is also a microbrewery, and their craft beer was delicious too. They only had four varieties on tap, but they were all great, and super fresh – the taps were connected straight to the tanks in the brewery in the basement.

You can also tour the brewery itself! The ticket wasn’t expensive, and included a half pint of beer of your choice at the end. I don’t think the tour is heavily popular – we never saw anyone else tour it while we were at the restaurant every evening. We had a private tour with just the two of us and our friendly host. It was fun, and educational.

Termy – swimming pools and hot springs

One day of our stay in Zakopane, it rained heavily. It felt like a year’s worth of rainfall in one day. One of the most popular places in Zakopane that day was Termy – a complex of indoor and outdoor swimming pools. And yes – an outdoor swimming pool is a great choice for a cold and rainy day, as long as the water is hot. I absolutely loved sitting in the heated pool with cold rain on my face!

Final thoughts

So there you have it – a list of things to do in Zakopane on a non-hiking day. From a zoo and light walking trails, to hot springs and delicious food – there’s something for everyone. Honestly, it’s been 4 months since my holiday, and I wish I could go back already!  There’s plenty to do in Zakopane, and it’s certainly one of my favourite places in the world.

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