Best thermal baths near Krakow
Chochołowskie Termy, Terma Bania, Terma Bukovina, Gorący Potok and Zakopane's aqua park compared, with which Krakow tours go to which baths.
The thermal baths that tours from Krakow go to are in Podhale, the region around Zakopane, and every tour on this site that includes a bath goes to one of two: Chochołowskie Termy or Terma Bania. For a first visit, book a day that ends at Chochołowskie Termy, such as the Krakow–Zakopane: Cable Car, Chocholow Baths, Cheese & Vodka day, from $102 with 4.8 from 11,188 GetYourGuide reviews.
The other complexes in this guide are real alternatives if you drive yourself or are happy to ask an operator for a different stop. Prices are “from” figures per person as checked in October 2026.
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The baths side by side
| Baths | Where | Water | Zones and hours | Tours on this site |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chochołowskie Termy | Chochołów, about 20 km from Zakopane | Pools at 32 to 38°C, about 4,500 m² of water | Saunarium, oxygen chambers, spa, restaurant. Pools 9:00 to 22:00 Sunday to Thursday, to 23:00 Friday and Saturday | Most baths days and all four baths-only trips |
| Terma Bania | Białka Tatrzańska, about 22 km from Zakopane | Pools at 34 to 38°C, thermal water drawn from 2,500 m | Fun Zone, Relaxation Zone, Saunarium, spa and a summer zone | Zakopane, Gubałówka and Terma Bania, and other tours when Chochołów is closed |
| Terma Bukovina | Bukowina Tatrzańska, Sportowa 22 | Pools at 30 to 38°C, sulphate-sodium-calcium water from 2,400 m | Open daily 9:00 to 22:00 | None names it in the listing text |
| Termy Gorący Potok | Szaflary | Describes itself as 21 pools of natural sulphur water at 32 to 40°C | Check the baths’ own site | None |
| Termy Zakopiańskie (Aqua Park) | Zakopane, Jagiellońska 31 | An outdoor thermal pool with a Tatra view, five water slides and a “wild river” | In town, no drive to the baths | None |
Distances from Zakopane are road distances from a route planner, and the water figures come from each complex’s own site. Only Chochołowskie Termy publishes prices that this site has been able to check, so look up the others on their own price lists.
Which one to pick
Chochołowskie Termy is the practical choice because the tours are built around it. Nearly every baths day gives you about three hours there after Zakopane, and four trips go only to the pools: the HelloCracow evening trip from $63, the Legendary Krakow evening experience from about $72, the day or evening trip from about $74 and the skip-the-line ticket and transfer from $82. Our Chochołów thermal baths page compares those four.
Terma Bania suits you if you want the baths and a day in Zakopane on a tour that never changes baths. The Terma Bania day costs from $75 from a central meeting point and holds 4.9 from 2,299 GetYourGuide reviews, which is the lowest price of the all-inclusive baths days on GetYourGuide. Our Zakopane and thermal baths page sets Bania against Chochołów in more detail.
Terma Bukovina and Gorący Potok are for independent travellers. No listing on this site’s tours names either, so you would arrange transport yourself, and the sums in the next section show why most people let a tour do it. The private Cracow Top Tours day has “Bukovina” in its web address but does not name the complex in its text, so ask the operator which baths you would visit.
Termy Zakopiańskie is the one to know about if you want warm water without leaving town. It is an aqua park, so expect slides and families rather than a quiet spa.
Other Experiences
Other experiences you might enjoy
More Zakopane day trips from Krakow, each with its own page and booking link.
Getting there from Krakow
Zakopane is 108 km from Krakow by road. Baths-only trips quote about two hours on the road each way to Chochołów, which is 20 km from Zakopane, about 23 minutes by road. Białka Tatrzańska, home of Terma Bania, is 22 km from Zakopane, about 32 minutes. We have not checked a public bus link from Zakopane to any of the baths, so without a car you will need a taxi or a tour for that last stretch.
That leg is where a tour earns its price. A Szwagropol bus to Zakopane is listed at 37 PLN each way, and a 3-hour adult ticket at Chochołowskie Termy is about 95 to 115 PLN in the low season, so bus and baths alone come to about 169 to 189 PLN, roughly $45 to $50, before the taxi. A baths-only trip from $63 includes the ticket and the transfers both ways. Our Krakow to Zakopane page compares the bus and the train for the town.
Before you go
- Closure. Chochołowskie Termy is closed from 19 to 30 October 2026 for building and modernisation work, except the oxygen chambers. Tours handle the dates differently, so ask which baths your date uses.
- Evening. Chochołów’s pools stay open until 22:00 or 23:00, so the evening trips get you back to Krakow late.
- Wristband. At Chochołowskie Termy, purchases go on your wristband and are paid on exit. The credit limit is 500 PLN for over-16s and 100 PLN for children.
- Time limits. Over-staying a time-limited ticket costs 0.50 PLN a minute.
- Children. Reduced tickets at Chochołowskie Termy are for ages 3 to 16, and under-3s enter free with a photo ID.
- Kit. Bring swimwear, flip-flops and a towel. Saunas and spa zones are separate areas with their own tickets on most trips.
Frequently asked questions
Which thermal baths near Krakow are best for a first visit?
Chochołowskie Termy, because most tours go there and it has the most to do: pools at 32 to 38°C, a sauna area, oxygen chambers, a spa and a restaurant. Terma Bania is the main alternative.
How far are the thermal baths from Krakow?
The baths in this guide are in Podhale, near Zakopane, which is 108 km from Krakow by road. Baths-only trips quote about two hours each way, and the baths are 20 to 22 km from Zakopane.
Do any tours from Krakow go to Terma Bukovina or Gorący Potok?
None of the tours compared on this site names them. One reviewer of the Slovakia treetop-walk day says the group went to Bukovina when Chochołów was full, so operators can change the stop, but ask before you book.
Are Chochołowskie Termy open in October 2026?
Not from 19 to 30 October 2026, when it is closed for building and modernisation work. Before and after those dates the pools are open every day.
Can children go to the baths?
Yes. At Chochołowskie Termy children aged 3 to 16 pay a reduced ticket and under-3s go free with a valid photo ID. Terma Bania has a Fun Zone.
Still deciding? Start with our breakdown of the ExploreCracow baths day, the Terma Bania day, Chochołów thermal baths trips or every tour on this site.
Spend a Day under the Tatras
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before. Krakow–Zakopane: Cable Car, Chocholow Baths, Cheese & Vodka from $102 per person.
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