{"id":31368,"date":"2019-01-23T05:57:28","date_gmt":"2019-01-23T13:57:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wearetravelgirls.com\/?p=30899"},"modified":"2025-08-19T17:55:56","modified_gmt":"2025-08-20T00:55:56","slug":"poland-3-days-krakow-zakopane","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wearetravelgirls.com\/poland-3-days-krakow-zakopane\/","title":{"rendered":"POLAND: A GUIDE TO 5 DAYS IN KRAKOW & ZAKOPANE"},"content":{"rendered":"

Poland is a lesser visited gem of a country that everyone should put on their travel list, and you can see a good amount in a quick five day itinerary. After being in England over the holidays and craving a nearby winter trip, I used the handy ‘everywhere’ feature of Skyscanner and looked for the cheapest flights.<\/p>\n

I found round trip flights for around GBP 50 from Bournemouth to Krakow, and after a quick bit of research and Pinterest exploration (my favourite way to plan travel!), I discovered that Poland has a lot to offer its visitors and is a great winter destination.<\/p>\n

In addition, Poland is one of the cheaper European country when you get there, making it a great budget destination as well!<\/p>\n

In this article I share a few interesting facts about Poland, our exact itinerary of what to do with just three days and four nights in Poland, how to get around the country easily and cheaply, where to stay in Krakow and Zakopane, my favourite spots to eat and of course the best things to do in the country.<\/p>\n

\"POLAND:<\/p>\n

Some Interesting Facts About Poland<\/h2>\n

Once I started my research, I discovered lots of interesting facts about Poland. It is the 9th<\/sup> largest country in Europe; they have an additional 6 letters in their alphabet; it\u2019s home to the largest castle in the world; it has a diverse landscape to discover including desert, mountains, lakes, beaches and forests; you can eat at the oldest restaurant Europe called Piwnica Swidnicka and located in Wroc\u0142aw; the name Poland derives from the word Polska “people living in open fields”; Poland is the world’s largest exporter of amber; mushrooming – going to the forests and picking mushrooms is a popular activity in the summer months; the fun trivia facts go on! <\/p>\n

There is so much history to learn about Poland and so many interesting facts about the country to discover so take some time to read up about the country before your visit!<\/p>\n

\"Architecture<\/p>\n

4 Night \/ 5 Day Poland Itinerary<\/h2>\n

First things first this guide and itinerary is called a 3 day guide, even though in fact it\u2019s a 5 day itinerary with four nights in the country. This is because two of the days are assigned as travel days, so it’s a full 3 days of sightseeing.<\/p>\n

On the final day 5 depending on your flight time you may have extra time to explore in the morning and afternoon before your departure. What I cover includes these travel days, as well as what to do on the three full days that you have in the country. At the end of the guide i also share a few ideas on other things to do in Poland if you have more time.<\/p>\n

\"Architecture<\/p>\n

Day 1: Travel Day To Krakow And Onwards To Zakopane<\/em><\/h3>\n

We took a morning flight from Bournemouth, England direct to Krakow with Ryanair which takes around 2 hrs 20 minutes. Flights from the UK are relatively cheap and you can get airfare for as low as GBP 15 each way. Our flight arrived in Krakow at 3.30pm in the afternoon, and since this seemed like a bit of a dead day we decided to go straight from the airport to Zakopane in the south of Poland.<\/p>\n

After a bit of research, we found that buses run from the airport to Zakopane with Flixbus<\/a> and are as little as GBP 4 per person! Timing this will really depend on where you are travelling from.<\/p>\n

For us this meant a few hours waiting at the airport at a Costa Coffee, but this was a better than staying the night in Krakow and travelling the next day losing one of the few days we had in Poland. The journey to Zakopane is around two and half hours and you can pre-book your exact seats with Flixbus.<\/p>\n

\"Vendor<\/p>\n

Day 2-3: Zakopane<\/h3>\n

If you follow my itinerary you will arrive late in the evening to Zakopane on Day 1 of your trip. The bus station is around a 5-8 minute drive to the center of the town and Google Maps told us a 10 minute walk – however, it definitely looked to be more like a 20-25 minute walk especially in the snow.<\/p>\n

Getting a taxi from here is pure luck, so if you can arrange a driver to pick you up from your hotel I would highly recommend that.<\/p>\n

We arrived at our accommodation<\/a> at around 9.30pm which allowed us to go out for a quick bite to eat before the restaurants closed for the evening – our first meal in Poland was at Zapiecek on Krup\u00f3wki Street complete with live music. If you don’t go here on night one, make sure that you go at least once during your time in Zakopane as both the food and atmosphere were great!<\/p>\n

Day 2: Explore Zakopane and the Tatra Mountains<\/em><\/h3>\n

After arriving late in the evening on Day 1 to Zakopane, you can get up bright and early to explore this magical little city. There is plenty to do to keep you occupied in Zakopane and I have highlighted my favourites and must-do\u2019s when visiting Zakopane a little further down this article.<\/p>\n

There is also the option to go right out to the Tatra Mountains which create a natural border between Poland and Slovakia and visit the stunning Lake Morskie Oko.<\/p>\n

Day 3: Travel from Zakopane to Krakow<\/em><\/h3>\n

On Day 3 it’s time to tear yourself away from beautiful Zakopane and take an early bus from Zakopane back to Krakow. Again I recommend booking the Flixbus. Before travelling I wanted to book a set with the best views, but honestly it looked like the views were beautiful from both the left and right hand side of the bus so you can pick either side.<\/p>\n

It is worth noting that the seats you book may not always be honored, on our return journey we pre-booked seated so we didn’t rush to be on the bus first like some other passengers did. when we got to the front we were told there was no assigned seating today and to take any seat, so my advice would be to get to the front of the queue just in case seat reservations are not honored on that day. <\/p>\n

If you have taken the earlier bus you will have some time to explore Krakow and get your bearings. We spent the afternoon heading to the main market square where St Mary’s Basilica is located. Along the way we admired the pretty streets of the old town, other beautiful and ornate buildings and stopped for some sweet treats and donuts along the way. <\/p>\n

Day 4: Full day exploring Krakow<\/em><\/h3>\n

On Day 4 you will have the whole day to explore historical Krakow. Get out your Google Maps and pin all the spots on my things to do in Krakow list below and then you can determine the more efficient route to create your own walking tour around the city. My absolute highlights in Krakow were walking along the river, crossing the bridges and watching life go by as locals went on runs, walked their dogs or sat on benches along this pretty part of the city and St Joseph’s Church which was magical and felt like we stepped onto a movie set or episode of Game of Thrones!<\/p>\n

Day 5: Travel back to your home country, or onward destination<\/em><\/h3>\n

On the final day of your trip you will be heading home, if like us you have an afternoon flight then you can use the morning to explore Wawel castle and the cathedral. You only need to a few hours to walk the full perimeter of the castle and go inside the main cathedral so it is a perfect morning activity. For more ideas on things to do in Krakow on your final day see my list below. <\/p>\n

\"Woman<\/p>\n

Pay Less, Travel More eBook<\/h2>

Subscribe to get our FREE eBook with tips on saving money when you travel!<\/p>\n\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/form>\n\t\t<\/div><\/div><\/span><\/h6>\n

Things To Do In Zakopane<\/h2>\n