Zakopane Day Trip from Krakow with Pay-on-the-Day Funicular and Baths

About This Experience

Discover Cracow runs this flexible day, rated 4.9 from 1,976 reviews on Viator. The price covers transport, an English-speaking guide and the cheese tasting, but not the Gubałówka funicular or the thermal baths: if you want either, you buy the ticket yourself on the day. That is why it starts from about $46 (174 PLN) per person from the meeting point, or about $63 (240 PLN) with hotel pickup.

The group meets at Krakow Central Bus Station, upper floor, stand G5, where there is seating, toilets and snacks. Departure is between 7:30 and 9:00, confirmed the day before, and the drive takes 1.5 to 2 hours each way, longer at weekends and in high season. The bus drives through Chochołów on the way without stopping.

The opening stop is a shepherd's hut (bacówka) for smoked sheep's-milk cheese sold as oscypek with a shot of Polish vodka. In Zakopane the itinerary allows about two hours for Gubałówka and about 1.5 hours on Krupówki. In the low season from 1 October to 18 December 2026 the PKL return ticket for the funicular costs 37 PLN online or 42 PLN at the ticket office, and queues can be long in busy periods.

The day ends with about three hours at the Chochołów thermal baths if you choose to go in. Adult tickets there cost 95 PLN for 3 hours Monday to Thursday and 115 PLN Friday to Sunday in the 2026 low season; locker hire is extra. The baths are closed 19 to 30 October 2026, and the operator notes the baths may be swapped for a similar nearby complex, so check which one your date uses.

The operator advises bringing cash in złoty for the optional extras, as some vendors take cards and some do not. Plan for a full 11-hour day; shared groups can reach 50 travellers.

Highlights

• Taste smoked sheep's-milk cheese sold as oscypek with Polish vodka at a highlander shepherd's hut.
• Drive through Chochołów, a village of traditional wooden houses, on the way to the mountains.
• Choose whether to ride the Gubałówka funicular to the ridge above Zakopane, paying on the spot.
• Spend free time on Krupówki, Zakopane's main pedestrian street, for lunch and shopping.
• Finish with an optional three-hour soak in the thermal pools, buying your ticket on arrival.
• Meet at an indoor stand at Krakow Central Bus Station with seating and toilets.

What's Included

• ✓ Return transport from the Krakow meeting point, or hotel pickup on the hotel-pickup option
• ✓ English-speaking live guide
• ✓ Guidebooks in other languages
• ✓ Drive through Chochołów village
• ✓ Cheese and vodka tasting at a highlander bacówka
• ✓ Free time in Zakopane

Not Included

• Gubałówka funicular ticket, paid on site (PKL low-season return 37 PLN online or 42 PLN at the ticket office)
• Thermal baths ticket, paid on site (Chochołowskie Termy adult 3-hour ticket 95 PLN Mon to Thu, 115 PLN Fri to Sun)
• Locker hire at the baths
• Gravity toboggan on Gubałówka (optional, paid on site)
• Lunch and personal expenses
• Tips for the guide and driver

What to Bring

• Cash in Polish złoty for optional extras
• Swimsuit, towel and flip-flops if you plan to visit the baths
• Comfortable footwear
• Waterproof clothing in autumn and winter

Good to Know & Caveats

• The funicular and baths tickets are not included; buy them on site on the day.
• Start time can shift between 7:30 and 9:00 with traffic and weather; changes are sent the day before.
• Krakow to Zakopane takes 1.5 to 2 hours each way, longer at weekends, holidays and in high season.
• Queues for Gubałówka can be long in high season, and the operator has no control over them.
• The baths may be swapped for a comparable nearby complex; Chochołowskie Termy is closed 19 to 30 October 2026.
• Mountain views depend on the weather and cannot be guaranteed.
• Shared groups can reach 50 travellers.

Meeting Point

Krakow Central Bus Station (Bosacka 18B), upper floor, stand G5; arrive 15 minutes early. The hotel-pickup option collects you from your accommodation instead.