Saturday in Zakopane, Part I: Checking out Gubałowka (April 2026)

After getting shutdown the day before in my effort to visit Gubałowka, I got up early-ish on a Saturday morning in April and made my way into town. First, though, a mountain view shot from my apartment.

REMINDER: Click any of the pictures for a higher res version.

Can also see the mountain off in the distance here. I like being in places with mountains.

I also like being in places with McDonald's for breakfast. Added to my streak with an egg mcmuffin and mcafe.

The Gubałowka funicular opens at 9am. This pic was taken at 9:04.

It's a simple but very attractively designed station with views out to the town and the mountains.

And they have a nice rotation of safefy and protocol messages on the big screen you see on the wall. I have 12 different shots on my fotoroll, but I'll just include one here. You get the gist.

The internet is telling me that 120 people can fit in the funicular. That sounds awful. I was happy to have no more than 15 - 20 people max riding with me this morning.

Took a few scenery shots on the ride up. The internet also tells me that the ride is about 4 minutes, covering a distance of 1300 meters with an elevation gain of 300 meters. More info here if you're interested. I can simply say that I liked the ride.

You hop off the funicular and the feel is kind of like a boardwalk environment, but set in the mountains with spectacular views. It's like nothing I had seen before.

(If you're interested and willing to put in a little effort, there is a sign explaining the different peaks of the Tatra Mountains that you're looking at.)

There are multiple restaurants, cafes, snack stands, etc. Places to eat, drink, rest, enjoy the view, play games. It's an entire entertainment complex nicely done in a gorgeous setting. Below is a screenshot of my Zakopane pins in Google Maps. You can see toward the top of the image a cluster of pins in a horizontal / slanted line. Those are just some of the places to check out up at the top of Gubałowka. You can also scroll through my pins in the more visual 'Collections' format.

Had to take the obligatory picture with the rams and ... a sheepdog? Probably isn't a panda bear, right? That wouldn't make sense. Either way, nice momento of one's visit.

I took a quick 270-degree (more or less) spin video for reference of everything I was seeing.



Wandering uphill, behind the restaurants, I realized there is another whole layer of the Gubałowka experience. Kind of a games and adventure strip, with various things to entertain the family (and take your money). One could easily spend a full day here. Multiple meals, some carnival games, take an ATV tour, come back to have a beer or two with a view of the mountains. I mean, look at all this.

(And just to remind you where you are, you can still get a view of the Tatras if you peek around the buildings here and there)

But I had a lot to do still, so it was not in the cards for me to partake in a day full of Gubałowka leisure activities. I hopped on the funicular back down, taking this snippet to remember.



And down in the station you can see just 45 minutes later there were more people waiting for the ride up the hill.

Verdict: Amazing. I hope to someday get back there and time my visit with a warmer weather sunset so I can enjoy a Polish craft beer with a view of the Tatras.