Poland is an Eastern European country characterized by a high level of development of tourism infrastructure. The country can offer travelers the most varied recreation, including winter sports. Despite the fact that most of Poland is flat, there are a number of excellent world-class ski resorts.
They are located in the south of the country, in the Tatra and Beskydy mountain systems. This area has a temperate climate without severe frosts, and at the same time, winters here are quite snowy. This allows the ski season to open earlier than in many other European countries , and end only in mid-spring. All this time, Polish ski resorts maintain a snow cover of sufficient thickness for comfortable skiing.
To the positive factors we should add a high level of service, good technical equipment of the trails and quite reasonable prices. All this makes winter holidays in Poland an excellent alternative to more “promoted” but also more expensive Western European resorts. Below we will look at several of the most popular Polish winter resorts among skiers.
Szczyrk
zczyrk, also known as Szczyrk, is a resort town in southern Poland, in the Zhilitsa Valley. It has been known as a natural balneological health resort for centuries thanks to the mineral springs flowing in its vicinity.
Szczyrk began to actively develop as a ski center in the second half of the twentieth century. A sports center was created here to train the Polish Olympic ski team.
Today the resort is open to everyone and is one of the most popular winter holiday destinations among Poles and foreign tourists. In total, in Szczyrk there are more than 40 km of downhill slopes on the slopes of two nearby mountains – Szkrzyczne (height 1.2 km) and Klimczok (1.1 km), where 4 separate skiing areas are equipped. All trails are equipped with mechanical lifts, and it is also possible to get from one peak to another using a cable car, without going down to their foot.
Most of the slopes are covered with an artificial snowmaking system, and there is evening illumination. Also in Szczyrk there are four ski jumps, running routes, and a skating center. In 2009, the resort hosted part of the competitions as part of the Youth Olympics, in particular, ski jumping competitions were held here.
Szczyrk has a developed resort infrastructure. Vacationers here have hotels of different price categories, inexpensive boarding houses, restaurants, cafes and nightclubs. There is a health center based on local mineral springs, there are two indoor swimming pools, and its own year-round water park is being built.
How to get there?
The resort is located in the Silesian Voivodeship, in the very south of the country. The nearest airport is in the city of Katowice, which is 77 km from Szczyrk. The easiest way to get from there to the ski center is with a pre-booked taxi transfer. There is also a regular bus and an electric train from Katowice to the city of Bielsko-Biala, located 20 km from Szczyrk. From the bus and railway stations of Bielsko-Biały, tourists can take a taxi, or get to Szczyrk by local bus.
Specifications:
- Height difference – 797 meters
- Resort height – 460 – 1257 meters
- The total length of the ski slopes is 40 km
- Number of tracks – 27
- “Blue” – 20 units, 28 km.
- “Reds” – 5 units, 8 km.
- “Black” – 2 pcs., 4 km.
- Number of lifts – 13 (2 chairlifts, 11 rope tows)
- Day ski pass for adults/children – 28€ / 20€
- Season duration : from December to March
Zakopane
At the foot of the northern slopes of the Tatras is the ancient town of Zakopane, and near it there is a ski resort of the same name. It was opened at the beginning of the twentieth century, and for several decades now it has been unofficially called the ski capital of Poland. In 1939, Zakopane hosted the 9th international alpine skiing championship, and in 2006 it was among the candidates to host the Winter Olympics.
Here, on the slopes of the Gubałówka ridge, there are nine separate skiing areas with 40 trails, differing in difficulty level and length. There are difficult slopes here that can give an adrenaline rush to even experienced extreme athletes. These include professional “black” slopes on the Kasprowy Wierch and Nosal mountains, which have the international certification of the FIS ski association. There are also gentle slopes in Zakopane, designed for beginners and perfect for family skiing with children. Most of the slopes are equipped with snowmakers and artificial lighting, which allows you to ski comfortably even during the spring thaw and after sunset.
The resort has a ski school where beginners can learn to ski confidently under the guidance of experienced instructors. The various ski areas are connected by ski buses running between the lowest points of the cable car stations. Conditions have been created in Zakopane for snowboarding and other winter sports. So, here is the Velika Krokiew ski jump, the largest in the whole country. Vacationers in Zakopane will also be able to go cross-country skiing – they have over 50 km of flat cross-country trails at their disposal. There is an ice skating rink, an indoor swimming pool, and routes for hiking and horseback riding in the picturesque surroundings.
Tourists will be able to visit the small cozy town of Zakopane with its ancient wooden architecture, and get acquainted with the life and culture of the Gural people living here. The central street of the city has been turned into a real tourist area with shops, restaurants, bars and a market where you can buy various souvenirs and products of the Gural folk crafts.
How to get there?
The easiest way to get to Zakopane is from Krakow International Airport, which is located 110 km away. From here it is best to order a taxi transfer from your tour operator; the journey in this case will take about an hour and a half. You can also take a regular bus or train to the Zakopane railway station. In this case, the journey will take 2 hours. The other airport closest to the ski center is in neighboring Slovakia – Poprad, which is no more than 70 km away.
Specifications:
- Height difference – 1182 meters
- The height of the resort is 830-2012 meters
- Length of running tracks – 50 km
- The total length of the ski slopes is 80 km
- Number of tracks – 40
- “Green” – 10 pcs., 13 km
- “Blue” – 17 units, 48 km.
- “Reds” – 6 units, 13 km.
- “Black” – 7 units, 6 km.
- Number of lifts – 49 (1 gondola, 6 chairlifts, 42 rope tows)
- Day ski pass for adults/children – 28€ / 23€
- Season duration : from December to March
Krynica
The winter resort of Krynica is located in the southeast of the Beskydy mountain range. Since ancient times, this city has been known for its healing mineral waters, which is reflected in its name (in Polish “krynica” – “source”). Because of this, Krynica is often called the “Polish Karlovy Vary”. But the resort is known not only for its balneological sanatoriums and SPA complexes: the ski slopes located here have brought it no less fame.
Downhill ski slopes are located on the slopes of Mount Jaworzyna and have a total length of almost 30 km. They are perfect for vacationers of different skill levels – there are training slopes for beginners, and steep routes with a slope of up to 32% for athletes who love extreme sports. The longest of them, “Cherny Stream”, is almost 8 km long. An extensive system of cable cars, the most modern in the whole country, delivers skiers to the starting points. Among them there is also a rail funicular, the lower station of which is located right within the city limits of Krynica.
The resort provides tourists with a variety of après-ski recreational opportunities. Numerous health centers and spas are open here, and there is a pavilion for drinking medicinal water directly from a mineral spring. There is a large Winter Sports Palace, indoor swimming pools, saunas, and a Sankostrada toboggan run, which operates all year round. In the vicinity of the mountain there are long flat ski routes, and on the slope there is a fun park for snowboarders and freestylers.
How to get there?
Krynica is located in the Lesser Poland region, near the town of Nowy Sacz. There are several ways to get to the resort. The most convenient way for foreign travelers is to fly to Krakow International Airport, located 130 km from Krynica, and from there order a taxi transfer. You can also get to the resort center from Krakow by rail or by regular bus. The journey by electric train will take about 5 hours, and by bus a little more than 3 hours.
Specifications:
- Height difference – 465 meters
- Resort height – 649 – 1114 meters
- The total length of the ski slopes is 28 km
- Number of tracks – 34
- “Green” – 2 pcs., 0.5 km.
- “Blues” – 9 units, 20.4 km.
- “Reds” – 21 units, 5.5 km.
- “Black” – 2 pcs., 1.6 km.
- Number of lifts – 38 (1 gondola, 9 chairlifts, 28 rope tows)
- Day ski pass for adults/children – 26€ / 20€
- Season duration : from December to March
Vistula
Wisla is a small town located in the Beskydy Mountains at the source of the river of the same name. For the beauty of the surrounding landscapes, combining snow-capped mountains and picturesque coniferous forests, this resort is often called the “Pearl of the Beskids”. The development of winter sports in this region is facilitated by favorable climatic conditions: winters here are snowy, and the thermometer rarely drops below -3°C.
The resort has a developed tourist infrastructure: there are about three dozen downhill slopes of varying complexity, a system of mechanical lifts and artificial snowmaking of slopes. Most of the Vistula trails are designed for intermediate-level enthusiasts, but there are also educational gentle slopes and dangerous routes for experienced extreme sports enthusiasts. Some of them have international certification from the FIS ski association. A free ski bus runs between individual ski areas of the resort.
Among other entertainments that Wisla can offer to vacationers, we should mention the Gołębiewski Hotel, which has a year-round water park and night discos. Tourists will also be able to go hiking or skiing in the surrounding area and see the sources of the Vistula, Poland’s largest river. Near the ski center there is a large selection of options for overnight accommodation, since the total capacity of local hotels and hostels exceeds 9 thousand guests.
How to get there?
There are several options to get to the Vistula. The resort is located 382 km from Warsaw, and you can get from the capital to the ski center by bus or by train from Warszawa Centralna station. In both cases, the journey will take about 5 hours, and the Vistula railway station is located just a kilometer from the ski slopes. You can also rent a car in Warsaw and get to the resort on your own, moving in a southwestern direction along the S-8 and DK-1 highways. You can also get to Wisła from Katowice Airport by bus or train. In both cases, the easiest way for tourists is to order a transfer directly to the door of the booked hotel.
Specifications:
- Height difference – 580 meters
- Resort altitude – 640 – 1220 meters
- The total length of the ski slopes is 25 km
- Number of tracks – 29
- “Green” – 6 pcs., 5 km.
- “Blues” – 13 units, 12.5 km.
- “Reds” – 7 units, 6 km.
- “Black” – 3 pcs., 1.5 km.
- Number of lifts – (gondola, chairlifts, rope tow)
- Day ski pass for adults/children – 23€ / 19€
- Season duration : from December to March
Karpacz
Karpacz is a small town located at the foot of the highest mountain of the Sudetenland, Snezki (1.6 km) in the Lomnicka Valley. This area began to develop as a climatic resort back in the 19th century, and since the 1920s it began to actively develop as a ski center. By the 1940s, Karpacz, which was located in Germany at that time , was already one of the most popular places for active winter recreation in Europe. There were ski slopes, a bobsleigh track, ski jumps, ice skating rinks, and cross-country trails equipped here.
To this day, Karpacz has retained the glory of a popular ski resort, one of the most visited in all of Poland. During the winter season, the number of tourists here is many times greater than the population of the town itself. Not without reason, there is a large selection of housing: only officially operating hotels and hostels are ready to accommodate over 11 thousand vacationers, not counting the private sector.
Ski slopes in Karpacz are laid on the slopes of Mount Snezka. Their total length exceeds 16 km, and the difficulty level corresponds to the “blue” and “red” levels. There are also two toboggan slopes, 800 and 1065 meters long, which operate year-round, even in the summer. A separate slope is reserved for freestyle skiing and snowboarding, and at the foot there is a running track “Khomatova”.
In addition to skiing fans, connoisseurs of natural beauty come to Karpacz. The healing mountain air has a beneficial effect on people with problems with the respiratory system. In February, the resort hosts a fun festival, accompanied by competitions in driving down the mountain using just about anything. The town of Karpacz itself, with its ancient architecture, is of considerable interest to travelers. Of particular note among the local attractions is the Wang Church, which is over 9 centuries old.
How to get there?
Karpacz is located in southwestern Poland, in the Karkonian region. You can get here through the international airports of Wroclaw and Czech Prague. From Wroclaw, which is 130 km from the resort center, you can take a regular bus or train to Jelenia Góra station, which is 15 km from Karpacz. In Wroclaw, the bus station is located next to the railway station, and the train to Jelenia Góra runs every 2 hours. The easiest option for foreign tourists is to pre-book a taxi transfer from the airport directly to the resort center.
Specifications:
- Height difference – 530 meters
- Resort altitude – 820 – 1350 meters
- The total length of the ski slopes is 16 km
- Number of tracks – 6
- “Blue” – 4 units, 11 km.
- “Reds” – 2 units, 5 km.
- Number of lifts – 24 (2 chairlifts, 22 rope tows)
- Day ski pass for adults/children – 22€ / 17€
- Season duration : from December to March
Szklarska Poreba
Szklarska Poreba is a ski resort located in Lower Silesia, famous for its long snowy winters. Thanks to favorable climatic conditions, the winter season here lasts longer than in other ski resorts in the country – from late November to mid-April.
Most of the trails laid here are intended for amateurs of average skill level, but there are several slopes for extra-class masters. The most extreme among them is a 2-kilometer route called “The Wall”, with a slope of up to 50%. The longest local track is Lolobrigida, named after the famous Italian actress, and is 4.4 km long. All slopes in Szklarska Poreba are prepared in accordance with alpine standards adopted in Switzerland and Austria.
All slopes are equipped with a system of modern funiculars, snow generators and, partly, night lighting. The largest cable car in Szklarska Poreba, the Karkonosze Express, transports up to 1,400 athletes every hour from the foot of Mount Szrenica to the top starting point in literally a matter of minutes.
Next to the ski slopes there is a large sports center with a flat ski track over 100 km long. In addition to active sports, vacationers will be able to visit city museums, ride horses, and stroll to picturesque waterfalls.
How to get there?
You can get to Szklarska Poreba from the airports of Wroclaw and Czech Prague by ordering a transfer from your travel agent. The resort is located 134 km from the capital of the Czech Republic, and 140 km from Wroclaw. The nearest train station is located in Jelenia Góra, which is 18 km from Szklarska Poreba, and from there there are regular buses and taxis to the resort.
Specifications:
- Height difference – 655 meters
- Resort height – 707 – 1362 meters
- The length of the flat ski track is 43 km
- The total length of the ski slopes is 15 km
- Number of tracks – 7
- “Blue” – 1 pc.
- “Red” – 5 pcs.
- “Black” – 1 pc.
- Number of lifts – 8 (3 chair lifts, 5 rope tows)
- Day ski pass for adults/children – 26€ / 16€
- Season duration : November to April