Must Visit Landmarks in Zakopane and the Stories Behind Them
Words by
Marek Wisniewski
The Mountains Remember Everything Here
I have walked these streets in every season for over twenty years, and I still find something new tucked behind a wooden eave or carved into a stone wall. When people ask me about the must visit landmarks in Zakopane, they usually expect me to start with the obvious ones, the postcard views and the cable cars. But this town's real character lives in its famous monuments Zakopane has accumulated over more than a century of artists, shepherds, rebels, and dreamers who shaped this place at the foot of the Tatras. Every building here has a story, and most of them are stranger and more moving than you would expect. Let me walk you through the ones that matter most.
1. The Old Cemetery on Nowotarska Street (Stary Cmentarz)
Location: Nowotarska 18, Zakopane
This is where Zakopane keeps its soul. The Old Cemetery, established in 1848, is not a somber place despite what you might expect. It is an open-air gallery of carved wooden and stone crosses, many of them designed by the very artists buried beneath them. Walking through the iron gate on Nowotarska Street, you pass the graves of Stanisław Witkiewicz, the architect who essentially invented the Zakopane Style of architecture, and his son Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz, the playwright and painter who died in 1939. There is also the grave of Sabała, the legendary Góral folk musician and storyteller whose real name was Jan Krzeptowski, and whose tales shaped how the outside world saw the highland culture.
What to See: The sculpted tomb of Władysław Hasior, covered in fragments of metal, glass, and bone, is unlike anything you will find in a European cemetery. Look for the small wooden crosses near the eastern wall, many carved by local highlanders in the late 1800s.
Best Time: Early morning on a weekday, before 9 AM, when the light cuts through the spruce trees and you will likely have the place entirely to yourself.
The Vibe: Quiet and contemplative, almost like a sculpture garden that happens to hold the dead. The only drawback is that the gravel paths can be uneven and slippery after rain, so wear proper shoes.
Insider Detail: Most tourists walk straight past the modest stone marker for Kazimierz Przerwa-Tetmajer, the poet who wrote some of the most important Polish literature about the Tatra Mountains. His grave is near the center path, slightly to the left, and it is easy to miss if you are not looking for it.
2. Villa Koliba and the Zakopane Style Museum
Location: Kościeliska 18, Zakopane
If you want to understand Zakopane architecture, you start here. Villa Koliba was built in 1892 and 1893 as the first building designed entirely in the Zakopane Style, created by Stanisław Witkiewicz. He took the traditional wooden building techniques of the Góral highlanders, the people who had lived in these mountains for centuries, and turned them into something that could stand alongside any European architectural movement. The building now houses a museum run by the Tatra Museum, and inside you will find original furniture, hand-carved details, and drawings that show how Witkiewicz developed his vision.
What to See: The main hall on the ground floor has the original carved wooden ceiling and a massive fireplace. Upstairs, the exhibition rooms show how the Zakopane Style evolved and influenced buildings across the region.
Best Time: Midweek afternoons, around 2 or 3 PM, when guided tours are running but the crowds thin out. Saturdays in July and August can get uncomfortably packed.
The Vibe: Intimate and educational without feeling like a school trip. The rooms are small, so when a tour group fills them, it can feel cramped and hard to see the details up close.
Insider Detail: Look at the wooden railings on the exterior balcony. The patterns are based on traditional highlander tool handles and shepherd's axe shafts, not abstract decoration. Witkiewicz was obsessed with making every element functional and rooted in local craft.
3. The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Ludźmierz (Sanktuarium Matki Bożej Ludźmierskiej)
Location: Ludźmierz, approximately 4 kilometers west of Zakopane center
Technically this is in the village of Ludźmierz rather than Zakopane proper, but no serious list of historic sites Zakopane connects to would be complete without it. The wooden church here dates to the 13th century, making it one of the oldest wooden sacred buildings in Poland. According to local legend, the statue of the Virgin Mary kept disappearing from the church and being found on a nearby hill, which the villagers took as a sign to build a new sanctuary at that spot. The current structure has been rebuilt and expanded many times, but the core of the original wooden church still stands.
What to See: The interior wooden altars and the medieval statue of Our Lady of Ludźmierz, which has been a pilgrimage object for centuries. The surrounding cemetery also has remarkable carved wooden grave markers.
Best Time: Late spring, in May, when the sanctuary holds its annual pilgrimage and the surrounding meadows are green. Weekday mornings are best for quiet visits outside of festival periods.
The Vibe: Deeply spiritual and ancient, with a stillness that feels different from the more tourist-heavy sites in Zakopane center. The parking area is small and fills up fast during pilgrimage weekends, so arriving early matters.
Insider Detail: The wooden shingles on the roof are replaced using the same hand-splitting technique that has been used for over 700 years. If you visit during a restoration period, you can sometimes watch the craftsmen at work.
4. Gubałówka Hill and the Funicular Railway
Location: Access from the base station on ulica na Gubałówkę, Zakopane
Gubałówka is the hill that looms directly above Zakopane, and the funicular railway that climbs to the summit has been running since 1938. The ride itself takes about three minutes and covers roughly 1,120 meters of track, rising to an elevation of 1,126 meters above sea level. From the top, you get a panoramic view of the Tatra Mountains that stretches from Rysy, the highest peak in Poland, all the way across the valley. The funicular was originally built to make the summit accessible to visitors who could not or did not want to hike, and it remains one of the most popular attractions in the region.
What to See: The observation platform at the summit, the wooden architecture of the upper station building, and on clear days, the view of the entire Tatra range. There is also a small exhibition inside the station about the history of the railway.
Best Time: Early morning, ideally before 9 AM on a clear day. The summit gets extremely crowded by midday, especially in summer and during ski season. Winter mornings after fresh snow are spectacular.
The Vibe: Touristy at the top, with souvenir stalls and food vendors, but the ride up and the view itself are genuinely worth it. The funicular cars are small and the queues can stretch to over an hour during peak summer weekends.
Insider Detail: The original 1938 funicular mechanism was replaced in 2001, but the upper and lower station buildings retain their interwar modernist design. Look at the geometric window frames and clean lines of the lower station, a style that was radical for its time in this mountain town.
5. The Tatra Museum (Muzeum Tatrzańskie) on Krupówki
Location: Krupówki 10, Zakopane
The main building of the Tatra Museum sits right on Krupówki, the pedestrian street that serves as Zakopane's central artery. Founded in 1876, it is one of the oldest museums in Poland dedicated to a specific mountain region. The collection covers the natural history of the Tatras, the ethnography of the Góral highlanders, and the artistic legacy of the many painters, writers, and musicians who made Zakopane their home. The building itself, designed in the Zakopane Style, is worth studying before you even step inside.
What to See: The ethnographic section on the upper floors, which includes traditional highland clothing, wooden household tools, and musical instruments. The natural history room has taxidermied Tatra wildlife, including chamois and marmots, alongside geological samples from the range.
Best Time: Weekday mornings, when school groups have not yet arrived. The museum is rarely empty, but mornings give you the most space to read the exhibit descriptions.
The Vibe: Old-fashioned in the best sense, with wooden display cases and hand-written labels alongside modern panels. The building can feel warm and stuffy in summer since there is no air conditioning in the older exhibition rooms.
Insider Detail: Ask the staff about the small side room on the second floor that contains personal items belonging to Bronisław Czech, the Olympic skier and World War II resistance fighter who was executed by the Gestapo in 1944. Most visitors walk right past it.
6. The Church of the Holy Family (Kościół Świętej Rodziny)
Location: Krupówki 1, Zakopane
This Roman Catholic church sits at the very start of Krupówki, and its stone construction makes it stand out among the wooden buildings that define Zakopane architecture. Built between 1904 and 1906, it was designed by the architect Jan Witkiewicz-Koszyc, who blended neo-Gothic elements with local highland motifs. The interior features stained glass windows and a carved wooden altar that reflects the same Zakopane Style principles Witkiewicz championed, but executed in a more formal ecclesiastical context.
What to See: The stained glass windows along the nave, which depict scenes from the life of Christ using a color palette inspired by Tatra mountain sunsets. The carved wooden pulpit is another highlight, with highland floral patterns worked into the religious iconography.
Best Time: Late afternoon, around 4 or 5 PM, when the light through the stained glass is at its most vivid. Avoid Sunday mornings during mass if you want to explore freely.
The Vibe: Cool and hushed, a genuine place of worship that also functions as an architectural landmark. Photography is technically allowed but should be discreet, and flash is not permitted.
Insider Detail: The church bells were cast in a foundry in Kraków and transported by horse-drawn cart over mountain roads in 1906. The original transport route is now a hiking trail that starts near the church and winds up into the lower hills.
7. Krupówki Street Itself
Location: Krupówki, running north-south through Zakopane center
Krupówki is not a single building but a street, and it deserves its own entry because it is the living spine of Zakopane. Stretching roughly 1.5 kilometers from the intersection with Nowotarska Street up toward the base of Gubałówka, it is lined with restaurants, shops, wooden architecture, and street performers. The street has existed in some form since the 18th century, when it was a simple path connecting highland settlements. By the late 1800s, it had become the commercial and social heart of the growing resort town, and today it carries that same energy, amplified by thousands of daily visitors.
What to See: The wooden facades of the older buildings on the eastern side, many of which date to the early 1900s. Look up above the shop signs to see carved eaves and decorative elements that most people miss. The small square near the intersection with Chramcówki Street has a bronze statue of a highlander playing a fiddle.
Best Time: Early morning, before 8 AM, when the street is quiet and you can actually see the architecture. Evening walks after 8 PM in summer are also pleasant, with buskers and a cooler atmosphere.
The Vibe: Energetic and commercial, sometimes overwhelmingly so. The sidewalks are narrow and the pedestrian traffic in July and August can make it nearly impossible to stop and look at anything without blocking the flow.
Insider Detail: The small alley that branches off Krupówki near number 38 leads to a courtyard where local artists sell handmade wooden carvings and sheep cheese. It is not marked on most tourist maps, and the vendors there are often the same families who have worked that spot for decades.
8. The Wielka Krokiew Ski Jump
Location: ulica Bronisława Czecha 1, Zakopane
Wielka Krokiew, which translates roughly to "The Great Krokiew," is the large ski jumping hill that has defined Zakopane's identity as a winter sports destination since it was first built in 1925. The current structure, rebuilt and modernized multiple times, has a hill size of 140 meters and a K-point of 125 meters. It hosts events in the FIS Ski Jumping World Cup and has been the venue for multiple FIS Nordic World Ski Championships. Even if you are not a ski jumping fan, the scale of the structure is staggering when you stand at the base and look up.
What to See: The viewing platform at the top of the inrun tower, accessible by elevator, which gives you a perspective that most spectators never experience. The small museum at the base covers the history of ski jumping in Zakopane and displays equipment from different eras.
Best Time: During a competition, obviously, but for a quieter visit, weekday afternoons in the off-season, between October and November or March and April, when the hill is not in active use.
The Vibe: Imposing and slightly vertigo-inducing. The elevator to the top is small and slow, and if you are claustrophobic, the inrun tunnel walkway is not for you.
Insider Detail: The original 1925 hill was built entirely by local highlanders using hand tools and horse-drawn carts. The wooden scaffolding was assembled without a single blueprint, based on the builders' experience with traditional highland construction techniques. A plaque near the base commemorates the original construction crew, but it is partially obscured by a souvenir stand.
9. The Chapel of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus (Kaplica Najświętszego Serca Jezusowego) in Jaszczurówka
Location: Jaszczurówka, a neighborhood on the western edge of Zakopane
This small chapel, built in 1904 and 1905, is one of the purest examples of Zakopane Style religious architecture. Designed by Stanisław Witkiewicz himself, it sits on a hillside in the Jaszczurówka district and is constructed entirely from local spruce wood. The interior is intimate, with hand-carved pews, a wooden altar, and a ceiling that follows the steep pitch of the roof. It was built as a place of worship for the local highland community, and it still holds regular services.
What to See: The carved wooden altar and the small stained glass window above it, which casts colored light across the interior in the late afternoon. The exterior shingling, done in overlapping fish-scale patterns, is a masterclass in traditional highland woodwork.
Best Time: Late afternoon, around 4 PM, when the light through the stained glass is strongest. The chapel is open most days but locked during winter storms.
The Vibe: Small, warm, and deeply peaceful. The space seats maybe thirty people, so even a handful of visitors can make it feel full. There is no heating inside, so winter visits require warm clothing.
Insider Detail: The chapel was nearly demolished in the 1950s during a period of state atheism in Poland. Local highlanders physically blocked the demolition crew, and the building was saved. A small plaque on the exterior wall tells the story in Polish.
10. The Dwie Doliny Cable Car to Kasprowy Wierch
Location: Base station in Kuźnice, approximately 3 kilometers south of Zakopane center
The cable car from Kuźnice to Kasprowy Wierch, at 1,987 meters above sea level, is one of the most dramatic rides in Poland. The journey takes about 12 minutes and covers a vertical rise of over 900 meters. The upper station sits just below the summit of Kasprowy Wierch, and from there, hiking trails lead to some of the most spectacular viewpoints in the Tatra Mountains. The cable car system was first opened in 1936 and has been modernized several times, but the route and the experience remain essentially the same.
What to See: The view from the upper station platform, which on clear days extends across the entire Tatra range into Slovakia. The trail from the station to the summit of Kasprowy Wierch takes about 30 minutes and is well-marked.
Best Time: Early morning departures, ideally the first or second car of the day, to avoid queues and to catch the clearest weather. Mountain conditions change rapidly, and mornings are statistically the most stable.
The Vibe: Exhilarating and slightly nerve-wracking if you are not comfortable with heights. The cable car cabins are enclosed but the sensation of rising above the treeline is intense. Wind at the upper station can be fierce even on calm days in the valley.
Insider Detail: The cable car was originally built with funding from the Polish government as part of a push to develop tourism in the Tatra region. The original 1936 machinery was manufactured in a factory in Chorzów, and some of the original steel cable segments are displayed in a small exhibit near the Kuźnice base station.
When to Go and What to Know
Zakopane is a year-round destination, but the experience changes dramatically with the seasons. Summer, from June to August, brings the largest crowds and the warmest weather, with daytime temperatures typically between 18 and 25 degrees Celsius. This is when Krupówki is at its most crowded and when cable car queues can exceed two hours. Winter, from December to March, transforms the town into a ski resort, with temperatures often dropping below minus 10 degrees and heavy snowfall. The ski jumps and cable cars operate in full swing, but some smaller museums and chapels reduce their hours.
Spring and autumn are the quietest periods. Late April and May bring wildflowers to the lower meadows and fewer visitors, while October offers autumn colors in the forests surrounding the town. Many restaurants and shops on Krupówki remain open year-round, but some smaller establishments in outlying neighborhoods close between seasons.
Getting around Zakopane is straightforward. The town center is compact and walkable, with Krupówki and the surrounding streets forming a pedestrian-friendly zone. Local buses connect the center to Kuźnice, Jaszczurówka, and Ludźmierz, and they run frequently during peak season. Taxis are available but can be expensive during busy periods. If you are driving, be aware that parking in the center is extremely limited and costs between 5 and 8 Polish złoty per hour.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best free or low-cost tourist places in Zakopane that are genuinely worth the visit?
The Old Cemetery on Nowotarska Street is free to enter and offers one of the most culturally rich experiences in Zakopane. Walking Krupówki Street costs nothing, and the architectural details on the older wooden buildings are best appreciated on foot. The Chapel in Jaszczurówka is also free, and the walk to it through the neighborhood takes about 20 minutes from the center. The Tatra Museum charges around 8 złoty for adult admission, which is modest for the depth of its collection.
How many days are needed to see the major tourist attractions in Zakopane without feeling rushed?
Three full days allow you to cover the main landmarks at a comfortable pace, including a cable car trip to Kasprowy Wierch, visits to the Tatra Museum and Villa Koliba, and time on Krupówki. Two days are possible but will feel tight if you want to include the cemetery, the Jaszczurówka chapel, and the Ludźmierz sanctuary. Adding a fourth day gives you flexibility for weather delays, since mountain conditions can cancel cable car operations.
Do the most popular attractions in Zakopane require advance ticket booking, especially during peak season?
The Gubałówka funicular and the Kasprowy Wierch cable car do not require advance booking, but queues during July and August can exceed 90 minutes, so arriving early is strongly recommended. The Tatra Museum and Villa Koliba rarely sell out but can have timed entry during busy periods. The ski jump viewing platform at Wielka Krokiew sometimes requires tickets during World Cup events, which are announced on the venue's official website months in advance.
What is the safest and most reliable way to get around Zakopane as a solo traveler?
Walking is the safest and most practical option within the town center, which is compact and well-paved. Local buses, operated by the municipal transport authority, are reliable and cost around 3 to 4 złoty per ride. Taxis are regulated and metered, though prices rise during peak season. Rideshare apps also operate in the area. For solo travelers, the main caution is weather, since mountain paths and even some sidewalks can become icy and hazardous in winter without proper footwear.
Is it possible to walk between the main sightseeing spots in Zakopane, or is local transport necessary?
Most of the central landmarks, including Krupówki, the Tatra Museum, the Church of the Holy Family, the Old Cemetery, and Villa Koliba, are within a 15-minute walk of each other. The Jaszczurówka chapel is about a 25-minute walk from the center, and the Kuźnice cable car base is roughly a 30-minute walk or a short bus ride. Ludźmierz is too far to walk comfortably, about 4 kilometers, and requires a bus or taxi. For the central area, local transport is not necessary unless mobility is a concern.
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