7 Days in Poland: Kraków & the Tatra Mountains

Fly into and out of Kraków. In between: Kraków (3 nights) → Zakopane (2 nights) → Kraków (1 night), with one two-hour drive south and one two-hour drive back. This 7 day Poland itinerary stays in the south on purpose. Poland is a big country, and Warsaw, Gdańsk and Wrocław are each a long way from Kraków. Seven days in the south gives you a medieval city, a world-famous salt mine and real mountains without spending the week on trains.

The one repeat is Kraków, which is also the airport. Spending the last night there means a short, easy drive on departure morning rather than a mountain road after a hike.

Kraków's Old Town is one of the largest medieval market squares in Europe and was among the first sites on the UNESCO World Heritage list, in 1978. The city came through the Second World War largely undamaged, so the old streets are mostly original. The Main Market Square has the Cloth Hall, the two uneven towers of St. Mary's Basilica and, below ground, a museum built over the excavated medieval market stalls.

On day two, take a guide to Wawel Hill. The royal castle and cathedral were the seat of Polish kings for centuries, and the guide explains how a country that was erased from the map for 123 years kept its identity. On day three, go out to the Wieliczka Salt Mine, about 14 kilometers southeast of the center. It has been mined since the 13th century. The tourist route goes down about 135 meters through carved chambers, including a full chapel with chandeliers made of salt crystals. Wear a jacket, as it is cool underground all year. In the afternoon, drive into the Małopolska countryside to see one or two of the wooden churches that are on the UNESCO list.

Keep the evenings simple. Kraków has a strong food scene built on Polish classics: pierogi, żurek (sour rye soup), and obwarzanek, the ring-shaped bread sold from street carts. A table in one of the courtyard restaurants off the Market Square, or in a milk bar for a cheap lunch, tells you as much about the city as a museum does. The Old Town is also safe to walk at night, and the Planty park runs all the way round it.

Zakopane is about two hours south of Kraków, at around 800 meters at the foot of the Tatra Mountains. The Tatras are the highest part of the Carpathians, with granite peaks above 2,000 meters, and the border with Slovakia runs along the ridge. Zakopane became a mountain resort in the late 19th century, and the local wooden building style, with carved gables, is still all over town. Ride the funicular to Gubałówka for the long view of the whole range, then eat grilled oscypek, the smoked sheep's cheese, at a stall.

On day five, hike in the Tatra National Park. An easier option is the Dolina Strążyska valley, which has a gentle path through forest to a clearing with a small mountain hut. For stronger walkers, the trail to Morskie Oko, the largest lake in the Tatras, is a flat walk of about two hours each way from the road at Palenica Białczańska. A highland guide helps with the route and the weather. The mountain weather changes fast, even in summer, so bring layers.

Evenings in Zakopane are about food. The highland restaurants, called karczma, serve lamb, potato dumplings and kwaśnica, a sour cabbage soup, usually with live folk music. After a day outdoors, a hot thermal pool at Chochołów or Bukovina Tatrzańska, both within 30 minutes by car, is a good alternative to a restaurant night.

After a morning at the Zakopane market, where highland crafts and sheepskins are sold, drive back to Kraków. In the evening, walk through Kazimierz, the old Jewish quarter, now full of small restaurants and cafes. Kazimierz was home to a large Jewish community before the war, and a guide can add context. If you want something quieter, the Planty, the park ring that follows the line of the old city walls, is a good place for a last walk.

Kraków: in the Old Town or at the edge of Kazimierz, so that everything is on foot. Zakopane: a wooden guesthouse or small hotel a few minutes from Krupówki street, the main pedestrian road, which gets busy in the evening. For the last night, choose a different part of Kraków from the first, such as Kazimierz, so the city feels new.

June to September is best for hiking, and Morskie Oko is open. July and August are the busiest months in Zakopane. Late May and September are quieter. In winter, Kraków is cold and atmospheric, with Christmas markets in December, and Zakopane becomes a ski town, though the high trails close and the hiking day turns into a snow walk or a ski day. Spring can bring snow on the high routes until May.

If you want to see more of Poland, our 8-day Food and Culture tour spends its first four days in Kraków and then takes the train to Warsaw. With 6 days, the Kraków and Southern Poland tour drops the mountain nights and adds the painted village of Zalipie. With 9 days, our Best of Poland tour adds Warsaw and Gdańsk, and the 12-day Epic Poland tour keeps the Tatra Mountains and then continues through Warsaw and Toruń to the Baltic coast. A day trip to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum, about 70 kilometers west of Kraków, is possible from the Kraków days, but it takes a half day and needs to be booked ahead. It is a serious visit, and we plan it so that it does not sit next to a lighter day.

We build the week around your dates and how much walking you want to do. That means a private driver for the transfers, a historian in Kraków, a highland guide in the Tatras and tickets booked ahead for Wawel and the salt mine. One person on our team is your contact from the first email to the flight home.