After my overnight pit stop in Rzeszów it was time to head down to Zakopane. If you have not heard of Zakopane, look it up. Google it, check videos on YouTube, etc. It's a special place. And many visitors to Poland debate how much time to spend there. Day trip? One night passing through from Krakow to Budapest? Multiple days so you have time to enjoy the various hiking options? Of course there is no 'right' answer. It depends on how much time you have for your travels in general, what you like to do, the logistics of how it fits into your overall itinerary, etc. I wrestled with this a bit as well before ultimately deciding I wanted to spend at least two nights there, even though my stay coincided with off season / shoulder season. In retrospect it was the right decision, no question.
With that bit decided, next question was how to get there. If you ask Google Maps for directions from Rzeszów to Zakopane, the default is to send you west to Krakow and then south to Zakopane, like this:
Now when I see that map, I wonder about all the unexplored territory below. That looks like it would be interesting to check out, right?
Well, it might be. But it would add about 2 hours to the drive.
I had committed to a 1/2 day of work later in the afternoon, so I did not have a full day to play with. Therefore my decision was do I want to spend those 2 hours driving around TBD southeastern Poland or getting to know Zakopane? While the rural exploration might have been more interesting, getting a feel for the town of Zakopane would be much more relevant. So I opted for the shorter route.
Took some parting shots of the parking situation outside my apartment in Rzeszów and hopped in the Renault to hit the road.
REMINDER: Click each pic for a higher res version.
Couldn't resist the highway sign photo opportunties confirming that, yes, I was indeed heading to Zakopane.
Also took advantage of yet another McDonald's in Poland. No food pics, but pretty sure it involved coffee and an egg sandwich. Maybe a McCrispy.
If we are keeping track, that's McDonald's meals in Warsaw, Łodz, Lublin, and en route to Zakopane so far.
The route between Krakow and Zakopane is well traveled. I have heard it can be heavy, heavy traffic during peak season weekends. I got a very small taste of it around Szaflary.
Side note about Szaflary and the surroundings: it appears that there is more to this region than just the famous Zakopane. Drill into a map around Szaflary and you'll see a number of other water parks, hiking spots, holiday apartments and 'Willas'. Poland's vacation wonderland.
And it's around this stage of the drive where the roadside atmosphere ramps up with some shops and such, but with advertising above all else.
(This would have been an interesting place to stop.)
(Restauracja WIDOK, which I see is a bit off the main path so the early billboard may be a smart play.)
(This sequence was notable for its variety. Cristina Ristorante & Pizzeria; RAD-POL, which best I can tell does not have any locations particularly close to Zakopane, but may be a popular choice for all the people dressing up their holiday homes; a Thai massage place, and Wystawa Figur Woskowych EXPO Krupówki, aka, the wax museum, which featured Queen Elizabeth and Mr. Bean on its billboard; just a dazzling array of promotional images to process here.)
(Bonus image: in trying to track down more info about RAD-POL I visited their website and took note of this shot above that is in their homepage carousel. Not super clear to me what the intent is. Is he representing their typical client? Is he answering inbound client phone calls? Don't know, but it got my attention.)
And just one more shot illustrating how the gauntlet of billboards bombards you from both sides of the road.
(MYSZOGRÓD, which google maps describes as "Quirky attraction with miniature houses, villages, a railway & a ski resort populated by live mice."; and Największa Papugarnia Egzotyczne Zakopane, which is categorized as an 'Amusement Center', but prominently features people interacting with birds in all the google maps pics. I skipped them. Maybe next time. Mice on skis does intrigue me.)
As I got closer to town I had to focus more on the driving and finding the apartment I rented, so the picture taking had to be paused. I booked two nights at House'27, which turned out to be solid. I think they have 5 rooms or so in this modern 'willa' type structure.
Inside I was happy with my 'mountain view apartment'.
(View from the apartment's balcony)
The location was on the south side of town. Took ~10 minutes to walk to Krupowski 40 and about 1/2 an hour to get all the way up to the Gubałowka cable car. You can see the apartment indicated by the heart icon on the map below.
I like walking so this worked for me. Plus, it let me cover a lot of ground and see most of the town in my loops back and forth over the time I was there. I had a couple hours free in the early/mid afternoon, so I started my initial walkabout. First thing I noticed was the contrast in some of the homes nearby. I'm not sure if the yellow one is residential or holiday apartments. Either way it's definitely a holdover from a different time. The vast majority of the town looks more like the second cluster of buildings.
Moving out to the main drag, which in this part of town is Hr. Władysława Zamoyskiego, I snapped a couple of vibe pics.
(View heading out of town)
(View heading into town)
On the walk into town I saw a little bit of everything ...
(This little random games set up. Probably popular with kids and families.)
(Browar Watra Klub Muzyczny - Restauracja, which looked interesting and lively when I passed by later in the evening. Not very impressive 3.9 stars on google, though, with a number of comments about the service not being particularly warm. This review seems to sum it up: " it’s a good place for a big group to drink". Tracks with what I observed.)
(Random building that caught my eye for not being a willa-style construction or otherwise actively trying to lure in visitors to spend money. Stood out in that regard.)
On the other hand, there is this:
(Podhale do Góry Nogami Dom iluzji, which translates as 'Upside Down House of Illusions', which is conspicuously screaming for attention.)
Closer into town I spotted my first horse-drawn carriage. Business looked pretty slow, but it was Friday afternoon in April after all.
I snapped this next shot as it felt like a transition point into the main stretch of downtown. Turns out that it's the Krupowski 40 commercial center. Yes, same one with the Pierre Cardin billboard outside of town.
(The Restauracja Góralski Browar signage didn't really call out to me in the moment, but if you check their google maps listing you can see they have 4.5 stars and some of the pics show off beautiful views.)
Took a couple of orientation shots to remember the vibe at the beginning of the Krupowski main drag.
Took an obligatory picture of the regional cheese kiosk. I have no doubt that it was all delicious. Tried some with Judy our first night in Krakow during last year's trip.. But I resisted this time.
(Pretty sure that was a real person in there, looking out with semi-dead eyes. Can't be easy to man the cheese kiosk during a slow afternoon shift in the April offsesason.)
Also took note of the mulled wine stand. I love the idea of mulled wine. Just don't love the actual taste of mulled wine. Tried it once at a Christmas market in Brugges and of course sampled some Glogg when we lived in Andersonville. Just not my taste.
When I took a closer look and zoomed in on that above foto I realized the mulled wine lady was giving me side eye. Another person perhaps not delighted with her afternoon shift. Or maybe I violated some etiquette. No Grzaniek, no picture?
I noticed that there is a range of food, shopping, and entertainment options around town. Going through my pictures later it became pretty clear that while most of the town is definitely dialed up to look nice and put on a show, there are outlets positioned to appeal to a spectrum of visitors. Here, for example, are some shots illustrating the shopping spectrum.
(Your humble, garden variety souvenir shop)
(A souvenir cottage, one or two rungs up the ladder in terms of presentation if not necessarily quality.)
Stodoła steps up the visual presentation. Nice fresh pasta display in the windows. Solid terrace with the light treatment and sheepskin bench covers.
And then there's Pstrąg Górski Browar Rzemieślniczy, which looks like a mini-resort with multiple levels of outdoor seating along the live stream.
If you check out those google maps listings you'll see that the first one, Owczarnia, was the highest rated with 4 stars on 15,000+ reviews. Maybe more than other places you visit, checking reviews seems to be fundamentally important in Zakopane. Can't just rely on the eye-candy factor, unless you're maybe merely looking for a spot to grab drinks with a view to people watch.
My aim this afternoon was still to get up to Gubałowka, so I continued following the flow of Krupowski unti I reached the access to the underpass.
On the other side you have maybe a 300 meter long stretch of stands selling souvenirs, artisanal jams, etc. Some of it is nonsense and junk, some of it is really interesting and authentic. If you're a shopper you can easily spend a lot of time browsing and hunting through the stalls of Zakopane.
(I did not stop here, but maybe I should have. Hot chocolate. Some kind of pastry with pistachio cream. If I can share one tip about Poland, if you have the opportunity to try something involving pistachio, try it.)
(Vibe shot on a grey, quiet-ish Friday in April)
I finally made it up to the station where you can get your funicular tickets to the top of Gubałowka. You probably first notice strategically located Restauracja Gwarno, which actually looks pretty nice and has solid reviews.
Then, as I drew closer I saw the bad news.
("The cable railway to Gubałowka is closed." Fuh. Unfortunate.)
Well, that kind of sucks. But the good news is that I was reading this sign on April 17th and I would also be in town the next day, April 18th, when the funicular was back in operation. So I would get up a little early tomorrow and have a busier day than I originally planned. But I'd get there (next post). Rejected in the moment, though, I made my way back to the apartment with some groceries and opened up the laptop for a few hours to take care of some work. Later in the evening I did a stroll back through town to get some evening vibes. Selected shots of that walkabout below.
