I seldom had school breaks during winter when I was growing up, so it was my first time going on a wintery vacation. We've already decided to visit Poland. But I would also love to incorporate some "nature" elements in our trip, also hoping to go somewhere off the beaten path to spend our anniversary. Upon research, I found out about the Tatra Mountains and the small but beloved town of Zakopane. Initially, I couldn't find much information about things to do there, so I didn't know what to expect. It was right before skiing season and way past the summer hiking season when we were there, so it felt pretty secluded and quiet. Our whole time there was a delight.
The accommodation | Willa Bliźniaczek
As the bus left Krakow and slowly ascended into Zakopane, one thing immediately caught my eye and made me fall in love with this place- its traditional folk architecture. Seeing wooden framed cottages on both sides of the roads with snow everywhere felt like heading into a fairy tale world. This was what I've always imagined a winter wonderland to be like.
Upon arrival after the 2-hour bus ride, we headed to our "villa" to drop off our suitcases. This is one of the most authentic and beautiful accommodations I've stayed in during all my travels despite being the cheapest one on this trip. The room was enormous for two people (in HK standard), and it had everything that's in my dream house (minus arched doorways haha): the slanted roof, warm colour tones, and a balcony with amazing views. The host even helped us arrange a taxi for the departure day as we were catching an early bus. I could just stay here for the rest of my life.
THE HIKES
Siklawica waterfall
We came here to explore the nature, so we did. On our first day there, we arrived quite late. In addition to the early sunsets (around 15:45), there wasn't much time for us to hike, making this short route the perfect choice for the day. (Back then, I wasn't as comfortable with hiking in the dark as I am now.) It just started snowing a few days before our arrival, and it was also my first time trekking in the snow. Though sadly, we weren't able to try skiing there as the snow wasn't thick enough, we could still marvel in and fool around with these magical white things that don't exist back home.
The waterfall itself, if not frozen, wasn't that spectacular, but the view along Dolina Strążyska was charming in the snow. The entrance fee to the national park was just 5 zloty, and it was totally worth it. The walk was supposed to take around 45 minutes one way, and it was close to where we stayed, yet everything looked so magical I couldn't help stopping every two steps to snap a shot.
Dolina Gasienicowa
Hiking Hala Gąsienicowa was definitely the highlight of my time in Zakopane. The trailhead was at Kuznice, next to the cable car station. Again, there was a 5 zloty entrance fee, and off we went, following the yellow trail into a forest. After a steady climb up rocky steps and getting used to climbing on snow, the view started to open up. Looking back at Zakopane from up high, I couldn't believe how gorgeous everything looked. At Dolina Gasienicowa, we were greeted with cute little wooden cabins with pointy snowy mountains as a backdrop. Another fairytale-like moment for me.
As you can see from the photos, the sun was already setting when we arrived at Dolina Gasienicowa. Watching the whole scene stained by a pale orange palette was incredible, but it also meant that we didn't have enough time to continue to Czarny Staw Gąsienicowy. It was a bit disappointing, but I'm not that into lakes anyway.
I was quite glad that we did this hike instead of going to Kasprowy Wierch or Moskie Oko, as these two sites tend to get extremely busy. For our hike here, we only bumped into two pairs of couples during our entire walk. The serenity and being directly in touch with nature felt like having the whole mountain to ourselves.
THE SLEIGH RIDE | Chochołowska
Another unique wintery thing to do in Zakopane was sleigh riding to Chochołowska Valley. The whole morning was exceptionally well organized by the lovely staff, from the moment we were picked up at our hostel to the ride in the national park. The view during the one-hour journey was quite similar to our walk-in Dolina Strążyska, but this time we got to sit back, relax, and soak in everything. Despite being provided with warm blankets, my hands were still freezing. So the warm apple pie and hot chocolate that were included were exactly what we needed when we arrived at the hut in the picturesque Chochołowska.
We had a decent time with them, but looking back now, I'd probably not do this just because of our limited time and repeated scenery. I'd probably want to reserve more time for the hikes instead. I would also like to know if the horses were treated well and ethically before recommending this tour to anyone else.
THE SUNSETS
Leaving the national park after our walk to Siklawica waterfall, we bumped into this drop-dead stunning sunset. It was like nothing I had ever seen. It was like God poured a bucket of pinkish-orange paint onto this originally white canvas, and I have no words to describe its beauty. Everything in front of our eyes was like a painting that warmed my heart. I'm such a sucker for vibrant sunsets haha.
THE FOOD
Karczma Zapiecek Restauracja Regionalna
I'm trying so hard to stop myself from describing everything on this list as "definitely my highlight of this trip" haha. But I really adore dining in the restaurants in Zakopane. First of all, everyone who knows me knows that music is a massive part of my life, and I'm obsessed with restaurants with live music. Here, most restaurants have quality traditional folk tunes playing all night long, usually featuring a double bass player, an accordionist, and a violinist. Again, love love love the whole wooden vibe for the interiors, and the food was also quite lovely here. We had a warm and delightful evening there.
(Also, the Polish love cooking meat with fruits. I enjoyed it, but Rob didn't.)
Karczma "Żabi Dwór"
This restaurant was located just next to where we were staying, so we gave it a try. The decorations were exquisite. (I love the atmosphere in Polish restaurants, so much comfier than the ones back home.) But what I wanna talk about is this dish that sounded unremarkable, but I loved it. Frankly speaking, I didn't expect I'd enjoy Polish food prior to this trip, but two of their dishes really grew on me. We ordered some soup just because we were quite cold. To our surprise, hidden inside the soup was ravioli filled with mushrooms. We went on trying more Polish soups in other restaurants and found that most of them had a lot of ingredients in them. They're definitely a dish here instead of a beverage.
Karczma Góralska Pasja
We had our first dinner in Zakopane in this restaurant without doing any research prior. It was a very random choice on the main street, Krupówki, but I didn't regret that at all. Same with live music and amazing interiors, but here I'd like to talk about my second favourite Polish dish. Pierogi, aka Polish dumplings, compared to Chinese dumplings, felt like they had more ingredients and variations and were also less moist. They were also more filling, more like a main dish than a side dish to me.
We kept seeing signs of "gofry" everywhere on the streets and thought it was a cute name, so we went to check it out. Turned out it meant waffles. Rob is a big fan of waffles, so we tried some at a chocolate shop on the main street. Wow, does all European chocolate taste like heaven?
THE NIGHTS
Obviously, the night sky here was in no way comparable to the ones in New Zealand. But sitting on the balcony looking at the stars just by ourselves felt just as magical. We didn't even have to get dressed to do astrophotography, and I loved the foreground that went with the sky. One more reason why I love this "Willa" so much.
Gubałówka
Did I mention how early the sunsets were in December there? We had a lot of time before heading to dinner after the hikes. Souvenir shops on Krupówki were great, but they also closed very early, leaving us not much to do while we wait for dinner. The funicular to Gubałówka was interestingly not closed yet, and knowing it's also a top-rated spot in Zakopane, we decided to give it a go.
Funny enough, this hill was the only place with festive decorations going on in the whole Zakopane during early December. The charming lights, together with snow everywhere, really completed the Christmas picture for me. We had a glimpse of the city of Zakopane lighting up in the dark. I bet the view up there during the daytime is even better. I think you could see the Tatras too on clear days.
So there you go, my list of romantic things to do in Zakopane, a hidden gem, in my opinion. We had a wonderful time celebrating our anniversary there. Here's to many more!
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