The route, stop by stop
The film opens with a short intro, and the walk starts at 1:12 on Krupówki, Zakopane’s pedestrian main street. We follow it past the Holy Family Church to the market at the foot of Gubałówka, cross the stream and take the funicular to the top. Up there we walk the ridge for about half an hour: the viewing terrace, the slope with the Tatras behind the town, and a long lane of stalls and cafés. Then we ride back down, walk along Kościeliska to Willa Koliba and finish back on Krupówki. Google Maps can’t show the funicular, so its route stops at the lower station and picks up again on the way to Koliba. Tap a time to jump to that moment in the film.
- KrupówkiZakopane’s pedestrian main street, lined with timber highlander houses, café terraces and horse-drawn carriages waiting for passengers.▶ 1:12
- Down KrupówkiPortrait artists set up between the shops. On a summer afternoon the whole street is moving at strolling pace.▶ 5:00
- Holy Family ChurchThe town’s stone parish church, built between 1879 and 1896. People sit on the steps out front to rest between shops.▶ 11:53
- The market at the foot of GubałówkaRows of wooden stalls selling souvenirs, woollens and highlander hats, with the hill rising behind them.▶ 15:45
- The footbridge over the streamA short bridge over a fast mountain stream between the market and the funicular.▶ 17:40
- Gubałówka lower stationThe funicular’s glass-fronted station. Tickets come from the counter or the machines, which have an English option.▶ 19:45
- The ride upGlass-roofed cars climb the hill in about three minutes. Sit at the front for the view up the track.▶ 22:30
- The top of GubałówkaYou step out by a big timber restaurant and the Gubałówka sign. A man in full highlander costume stands by the path.▶ 25:22
- The viewing terraceCoin telescopes and information boards, looking across Zakopane to the Tatras. On our day the summits stayed in the clouds.▶ 27:30
- The log steps on the slopeSteps cut into the grass lead down the hillside, with the town spread out below.▶ 30:00
- Along the ridgeA gravel path along the top of the hill, meadow on one side and forest on the other.▶ 32:30
- The flower figuresAnimals planted entirely in flowers and moss, set along the fence above the view.▶ 37:30
- The lane of stalls and cafésUnder the radio mast, the ridge turns into a lane of food stalls, cafés and restaurants with terraces.▶ 42:30
- The fairground gamesShooting stalls and prize booths for children, part of what makes the top of the hill so popular with families.▶ 50:00
- Back down by funicularOn the way down you pass the summer slide, where people ride down the hillside beside the track.▶ 56:20
- Willa KolibaThe first house built in the Zakopane Style, designed by Stanisław Witkiewicz in 1892–93. It is now a museum.▶ 1:01:00
- Back on KrupówkiBack among the timber chalets and café terraces of Krupówki for the last stretch of the walk.▶ 1:09:10
Open this route in Google MapsWalking directions from Krupówki through the main landmarks. Our film takes a few extra turns.
Poland’s mountain town
Zakopane sits in a valley between the Tatra Mountains and the long ridge of Gubałówka, near Poland’s border with Slovakia. It is often called the winter capital of Poland. It is home to about 27,000 people and gets more than two and a half million visitors a year, in winter for the skiing and in summer for the mountains.
A carriage waiting on Krupówki. Our own photo.
It is also the centre of highlander, or Górale, culture, with its own dialect, music and wooden architecture. In the 1890s the painter and architect Stanisław Witkiewicz turned the highlanders’ wooden buildings into a style of their own, the Zakopane Style. Willa Koliba, near the end of our walk, was the first house he built that way. The funicular to the top of Gubałówka opened in 1938.
What the camera doesn’t tell you
We came to Zakopane expecting a quick look at a ski town in summer. It turned out to be one of the nicest surprises of the trip. The day was cloudy from start to finish, and it didn’t matter: everything below the clouds was green, the streets were clean, and the old wooden houses were looked after.
Getting up the hill was easy. The ticket machines at the lower station switch to English, and we had our return tickets in a couple of minutes without joining the counter queue. ▶ watch at 19:45 Everything seemed to work as well for visitors as for the people who live there, and whenever we asked someone something, they answered in English and with a smile.
On top, the ridge felt like a small town of its own: a lane of cafés, restaurants with terraces, souvenir stalls and games for children. ▶ watch at 42:30 There were families everywhere, and we heard more languages than we expected in a Polish mountain town.
The promenade on top of Gubałówka. Our own photo.
We filmed this the day after our walk along Kraków’s Royal Route. Together, the two walks are what we remember most about Poland: how many different people were sharing it, and how well it was kept.
How to do Gubałówka without the queue
- Use the ticket machines.The machines at the lower station have an English option and sell return tickets, so you can skip the counter. We bought ours there in a couple of minutes.
- Buy online for the lowest price.PKL sells the same tickets online for 5 zł less than the station price.
- Go up even when it’s cloudy.The Tatras stayed in the cloud for us, but the town, the forest and the hills below were green and clear, and the ridge has plenty to walk through.
- Bring a layer.It was 18°C and overcast when we started in mid-July, which is why so many people in the film are in jackets.
- Allow an hour on top.We spent about half an hour walking the ridge. With a meal on one of the terraces, an hour is about right.
What it costs
| This walk: Krupówki, the market, the ridge and Willa Koliba from outside | Free |
|---|---|
| Gubałówka funicular, return, at the station (June to September 2026) | 49 zł (39 zł reduced) |
| Gubałówka funicular, return, online (June to September 2026) | 44 zł (35 zł reduced) |
| Gubałówka funicular, return, from October 2026 | 42 zł at the station, 37 zł online |
| Willa Koliba museum, if you go in | 20 zł (10 zł reduced), free on Thursdays |
Funicular prices are from PKL’s 2026 price list and museum prices from the Tatra Museum, both checked October 2026. Reduced tickets are for ages 5 to 26 and over 65 on the funicular.
Where to stay for this walk
We didn’t stay in Zakopane. We drove down for the day from our apartment in Kazimierz, in Kraków, the day after filming the Royal Route. If you want to stay:
Worth paying for
- Gubałówka funicularThe easiest way up for the view over Zakopane to the Tatras, and the ridge walk on top. Return tickets from the machines or online.Official site ↗
- Willa Koliba, the Museum of the Zakopane StyleInside the house where the style began. Closed on Tuesdays and free on Thursdays.Official site ↗
Questions people ask
How much is the Gubałówka funicular?
In summer 2026 a return ticket is 49 zł at the station or the ticket machines and 44 zł online. From October it drops to 42 zł at the station and 37 zł online.
How long does the Gubałówka funicular take?
About three minutes each way, according to PKL, which runs it.
Is Zakopane a good day trip from Kraków?
Yes. We drove down from Kraków, walked the town and the top of Gubałówka in a little over an hour, and drove back the same day.
Is Gubałówka good for children?
Very. The ridge has fairground games, a summer slide, flower figures and plenty of places to eat, and we saw families everywhere.
Is it worth going up when it’s cloudy?
We think so. The high peaks were hidden for us, but the view over the town and the green hills was still the best part of the day.
Facts and prices checked October 2026. Opening hours and ticket prices change, so check official sites before you go.
