From Krakow: Zakopane Tour with Gubałówka Funicular and Cheese Tasting

Begin your day with a pickup from your hotel or apartment in Krakow and drive about 2 hours south into Podhale, the land of the Górale highlanders at the foot of the Tatra Mountains. Your first stop is Chochołów, one of the best-preserved highland villages in Poland, with wooden houses built from whole logs along the Czarny Dunajec river, many of them from the 19th century. Take a short walk through the village and see how highlanders lived for generations. Next, visit a traditional shepherd's hut (bacówka) and taste oscypek, the region's famous smoked sheep's cheese, with a shot of local vodka for adults. Continue to Zakopane and stop for photos at Wielka Krokiew, Poland's biggest ski jump, where World Cup competitions take place every winter. Then ride the funicular up Gubałówka Hill for one of the best panoramas of the Tatra range, and ride back down to town. Enjoy free time on Krupówki, Zakopane's lively main street, and at the market below Gubałówka, with highland restaurants for lunch, local crafts and souvenirs. In the afternoon, relax on the drive back to Krakow city centre. The whole day takes around 8 hours.