Zakopane

The Tatras, forming the border with Slovakia, is Poland's beautiful alpine range of towering peaks, rocky cliffs and glacial lakes, dotted with numerous little villages preserving traditional highland lives. The region's largest town is Zakopane, Poland's premier mountain resort and a popular holiday destination in both winter and summer. Zakopane is the winter sports capital of Poland, superbly situated at the foot of the Tatras with immediate access to the ski slopes in winter, but also to well-marked walking trails during summer. The charming town has a laid-back fairytale atmosphere, the steep streets lined with traditional wooden cottages made from roughly cut logs and the 'Zakopane-style' architecture featuring delicately carved patterns and intricate woodwork decoration. The heart of Zakopane town is a pedestrian mall lined with restaurants, cafés and shops. The region is popular for outdoor activities and one of the more popular holiday attractions is the trip to the exquisite glacial lake, Morskie Oko. The area has good facilities and is also known for its fascinating highland folklore and culture, and many of the inhabitants wear colourful traditional dress. Zakopane holiday resort lies about two hours south of Krakow, and is a great choice for those looking to take a ski holiday in Europe.

Zakopane's slopes are fast becoming legendary within Europe's skiing and snowboarding community. Featuring good snow conditions and splendid views, and a real youthful energy amongst its staff members, your experience at Zakopane is guaranteed to be fun and rewarding. The most popular slopes at Zakopane ski resort are Kasprowy Wierch, Nosal and Gubalowka, and tourists are warned that they will be better off pruchasing their ski passes in advance, to avoid long queues on the popular downhill courses.