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Zakopane Resort Reviews

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Visitor reviews for Zakopane Ski Resort

Zakopane Ratings

Overall: 4.0. Based on 7 votes and 25 reviews. Vote

Snowsure: 4.0

(1) Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing, (2) is often closed due to a lack of snow, (3) occasionally suffers from a lack of snow, (4) rarely suffers from a lack of snow, (5) Zakopane is snowsure even in the poorest seasons.

Variety of pistes: 3.1

(1) The ski runs are featureless and unvaried, (3) the ski runs are varied but not extensive enough for a week, (5) Zakopane has diverse and interesting pistes including forests and high alpine terrain.

Off-piste: 2.7

(1) No off-piste worth mentioning, (2) off piste is out-of-bounds, (3) some varied offpiste that stays fresh for one or two days, (5) a vast array of off-piste routes that can stay untracked for several days.

Scenery: 4.1

(1) An ugly resort in a bland setting, (3) average mountain views and resort, (5) a spectacular setting and a beautiful / historic resort town.

Access: 4.0

(1) At least one overnight stop, (2) requires a whole day, (3) requires more than half a day – you may have time for a few turns (4) arrive by lunchtime and ski all afternoon, (5) there is a main airport within an hour of Zakopane.

Public Transport: 4.2

(1) There are no buses or taxis to Zakopane, (3) there are slow or infrequent buses / trains available, (5) getting to the resort is easy with frequent bus / train connections.

Accommodation: 5.0

(1) No places to stay in/near Zakopane, (3) a few places to stay in the resort, (5) a wide variety of accommodation suitable to suit all budgets.

Cheap Rooms: 4.7

(1) No budget accommodation available, (3) just one or two hostels so book ahead, (5) several cheap hostels and pensions available.

Luxury Hotels: 4.6

(1) No luxury accommodation available, (3) just one or two luxury hotels so book ahead, (5) several up-market hotels in Zakopane.

Ski in/Ski out: 3.7

(1) The ski area is located far from any accommodation, (3) a free ski bus takes you to the ski area in a short trip, (5) Ski-in ski-out accommodation is available.

Childcare: 3.7

(1) There are no child care facilities at Zakopane, (5) the resort has excellent child-care facilities including at least one reasonably priced creche.

Snowmaking: 4.0

(1) Zakopane relies entirely on natural snow, (3) there are just a few snow cannons, (5) there are snowmaking facilities on all pistes.

Snow Grooming: 4.1

(1) There are no snow groomers at Zakopane, (3) occasionally some pistes are left ungroomed and in a poor state, (5) all the runs at Zakopane are groomed daily.

Shelter: 3.8

(1) there is nowhere to ski when it is windy or visibility is bad and lifts often shut, (3) there are some trees for poor visibility but main lifts sometimes close, (5) Zakopane is mostly in forest where you can ski in flat-light and windy days, lifts rarely close.

Nearby options: 4.0

(1) If snow conditions are poor at Zakopane, it will be poor everywhere nearby, (3) there are good alternatives within an hours drive, (5) other locations on the same lift pass provide a rich variety of snowsure ski conditions.

Regional rating: 4.4

(1) Zakopane usually has poor snow conditions compared to other resorts in region, (3) has average conditions for the region, (5) usually has the best snow conditions in the region.

Lift Staff: 4.4

(1) The staff at Zakopane are rude or unhelpful, (5) lift staff at Zakopane are pleasant, cheerful and eager to help.

Crowds/Queues: 3.4

(1) the resort is always busy and there are usually long lift queues, (3) it is quiet apart from occasional weekends and school holidays, (5) it is uncrowded and lift queues are very rare.

Ski Schools: 4.5

(1) No ski schools available, (2) one or two ski schools but local language only, (3) a few ski schools but book early for multi-lingual instructors, (4) plenty of ski schools and multi-lingual instructors available, (5) excellent ski schools with friendly multi-lingual ski instructors.

Hire and Repairs: 4.6

(1) Nothing can be sourced, not even ski-wax or ptex. (3) there are some ski shops but rentals need to be booked in advance, (5) good quality ski equipment can be purchased or hired and overnight repairs are possible.

Beginners: 4.4

(1) Beginners can only watch others ski and snowboard, (3) a few gentle slopes but beginners will get bored in less than a week, (3) Vast areas of gentle terrain.

Intermediates: 3.7

(1) No intermediate terrain at Zakopane, (3) intermediate skiers will get bored after a few days, (5) vast areas of cruising runs.

Advanced: 3.7

(1) Nothing for advanced skiers and snowboarders, (3) enough steep terrain for a few days with some good offpiste, (5) Enough steep terrain and offpiste areas to entertain advanced skiers for at least a week.

Snow Park: 4.0

(1) Not even a kicker at Zakopane, (3) average sized park quite well looked after, (5) huge park area and expertly crafted pipes, jumps and boardercross trails.

Cross-country: 3.6

(1) There is nowhere to go for cross-country skiing around Zakopane, (3) there are some cross country trails available, (5) the area features many spectacular and well maintained cross-country trails.

Luge/Toboggan: 2.4

(1) No designated luge or toboggan runs, (3) there are toboggan runs that open quite often, (5) Zakopane has long and well maintained luge / toboggan facilities suitable for all ages.

Mountain Dining: 4.2

(1) Nowhere to buy food by the pistes, (3) some places to eat up on the mountain but they are often busy and expensive, (5) there is a variety of excellent mountain eateries right next to the slopes to suit all budgets.

Eating: 4.4

(1) Bring your own food, there isn't even a shop. (5) A wide variety of places to eat and drink in the resort, from fast food to fancy restaurants.

Apres-Ski: 4.3

(1) Nothing to do, not even a bar, (3) there are a few bars in the resort but nothing special, (5) clubs and bars stay open until very late and have a friendly atmosphere.

Other Sports: 4.0

(1) No sports facilities at all apart from ski lifts, (3) resort has just a small public swimming pool, (5) resort has all kinds of sports facilities, including a full-size swimming pool.

Entertainment: 4.3

(1) Besides the snow and walking there is nothing to do here, (3) the non-skier will find things to do for few days but may become bored after a week, (5) the resort area is a fascinating place to visit, regardless of winter sports.

Winter Walks: 4.8

(1) Very limited walking and no snowshoe trails, (3) a couple of designated scenic walking/snowshoe trails, (5) extensive and diverse winter walking trails for all abilities.

Ski Pass Value: 4.0

(1) A 1 week ski pass is overpriced compared to the number of lifts available, (3) the ski pass is averagely priced and covers a reasonable number of lifts, (5) ski passes are excellent value for money and cover a lot of lifts spanning a big area.

Value (National): 4.1

(1) Overall, Zakopane is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the country and not worth the money, (3) overall represents average value for money, (5) overall offers the best value resort in the country.

Value (Global): 4.4

(1) Overall, Zakopane is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the world, (3) overall it offers pretty average value for money compared to resorts from other countries, (5) internationally the resort offers excellent value for money.

Show all 35 ratings

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March 23, 2023
Jump Wide from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
We went to Zakopane as part of a trip of three guys (one a non skier) to see if we could go skiing from the Uk for less than £100. It was the end of the season but would recommend anyone to see what Zakopane has to offer. See how we got on from our video, search "jump wide" on Youtube for our experience.
November 26, 2016
Kathy Janio from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
We have been to Zakopane three times for skiing. The first time was a good few years ago. But latterly, Christmas/New Year 14/15 and 15/16. Snow was a bit hit and miss. But with the snow machines running, there was enough for us. We are not experienced skiers, and don't need black runs. We are returning again. But this time will be in March 2017, when we hope there will have been more time for the snow to fall and settle. We will wait and see. :) But we love it there. We tend to go to Szymoszkowa, and at times the bottom ski lift can be busy. We hire our skis and boots on an hourly basis and there are several ski hire cabins very close to the ski lift; so very easy. We love it there. As some other posters have said, really it would be nice if the place stayed less touristy and unspoilt.
December 07, 2014
Henry Wakeman from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
We just had a family ski holiday to Zakopane and went with Sunshine World. I must admit, we were sceptical about the conditions and runs, but were so pleasantly surprised. The runs were managed so well and because it isn’t a very well-known area, by us Brits, there were no queues at the lifts. We loved the long blue at the back and the stops for warm beer were nice too. It’s great to see that they are making the place even better with two new lifts (not opened when we were there). There was plenty of snow and the runs were clean and wide, giving us newbies a better chance of not hitting anyone, haha. Sunshine World really made it for us, they organised everything for us, were completely professional and made it fun for us and our little ones. We loved being on the slopes and will definitely book with these guys for next year’s holiday.
November 16, 2013
Alice Worth from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
This is a fantastic little town and we had a great experience here in March 2013, the snow was amazing for late March and the people we met were all so nice! We've booked to go back again with White Side Holidays who organised our trip this winter and we're heading back in March next year and are hoping for more of the same! The different slopes that they showed us were fantastic; we travelled all over the area. I'd highly recommend them for holidays in this region of Poland and for skiing they were brilliant. The Gubalowka mountain is no longer open in Zakopane but there are so many different places to ski that we didn't miss it.
November 17, 2011
Barbara from Zakopane from Ski Poland Poland
Hi Sharon, The best place to go with your parents is MT. Kasprowy Wierch - they can easily get there by cable car from Kuźnice (5 minuts on public mini bus from the centre of Zakopane). Another recommended places are Gubalowka (funicular from the market squere) and Szymoszkowa. If they like walking they can take a funicular up, then have a 2 km walk and take the chair lift on Szymoszkowa to go back. Have a great time in Zakopane! Barbara
April 15, 2011
Barbara from Zakopane from Ski Poland Poland
Hi, We have 30cm of fresh snow on Kasprowy Wierch - quite good ski conditions. For the very first time in its history, the Ski mountaineering World Cup Final is going to take place outside the Alps. On April 16th we will enjoy in Zakopane and Polish Tatra Mountains already the XIV edition of Piotr Malinowski Memorial which has been acclaimed the most prestigious ski mountaineering competition in this part of Europe. An extraordinary scenery for this event constitutes the high mountain setting of Tatra National Park. The race's route leads through the most picturesque sights of Tatras, yet it is within an easy reach for all the supporters from Kasprowy Wierch area.
April 09, 2011
Barbara from Zakopane from Ski Poland Poland
Ski slopes in Białka Tatrzańska (Kotelnica) will be open until tomorrow (10.04). On Sunday (last day) all the lifts are available for free! The chair lift on Gasienicowa (Kasprowy Wierch) is closed until Monday (11.04). According the weather forecast it is going to snow in Tatra Mountains today and tomorrow so probably it will be possible to ski on Kasprowy Wierch at least during next week.
February 02, 2011
donald from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Zakopane is a great place to learn and if budget is an issue. Fantastic vibe day and night. If you can avoid the main slopes do as they can be very busy. Plenty of others around with no queues and cheaper but is cheap anyway, Also, February is regional holidays for schools with each region taking turns to holiday there so will be busy on slopes. 4th time this Feb, can't wait. Party of 18 going.
January 07, 2011
James from Ski Australia Australia
Zakopane is a fantastic place! I have been to many ski resorts in Europe (from the Alps to the Carpathians) and after discovering it this year I like Zakopane the most. It has great skiing, combined with great tourist facilities and a fabulous atmosphere!!!
March 16, 2010
Neilson from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Just come back from 3 nights in Zakopane. Great snow and enough slopes to keep you going for 3 or 4 days as an intermediate/advance skiier/boarder. Not sure if I would spend a week there though, unless learning, then I would imagine it to be really good place to stay longer. Kasprowy Wierch was great until the snow storm set in and for some reason no queues as others seem to experience! Scymozykova seems to the best 'resort' for ski hire (£12 per day) and has a nice red and blue run with cafe/bars on top (£1.50 - £2 a pint) and at the bottom with a roaring fire. Harenda, 2 miles out of town has one chair lift and a drag - essentially one big slope divided as blue, red and black runs. Fine for a morning but then time to move on. Didn't manage to make it to Nosal unfortunately but meant to be decent (one black/red run plus nursery slopes). People generally friendly but sign posts, menus etc could be improved as it took a little while to work things out with the resorts scattered around and my Polish being non existent.

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