Zakopane from Krakow: Which Day Tour with Cable Car and Thermal Baths?
Updated October 13, 2026 · 6 min read
For most visitors, book the Krakow–Zakopane tour with cable car, Chochołów baths, cheese and vodka, from €21.89. It is the most reviewed Zakopane trip, 11,200 reviews at 4.8, and the listing spells out the stops and what the ticket covers. Choose a shorter trip without the baths only if you do not want to spend three hours in a pool after a long drive.
Four decisions, in order
Before comparing tours, settle the points that actually separate them:
- Baths or no baths. The baths add three hours to the day and are the reason most trips run 11 hours rather than 9.
- How much time in Zakopane itself. The listings give between two and two and a half hours of free time.
- Hotel pickup or meeting point. Several of these offer both; check the option you book.
- Price. Three of the main trips cost the same, €21.89. One costs €16.67 and one €18.06.
The trips compared
| Tour | Reviews | Duration | Baths | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cable car, Chochołów baths, cheese and vodka | 11,200 | 11 hours | 3 hours | €21.89 |
| Zakopane, thermal springs, cable car, tasting | 5,766 | 7–11 hours | 3 hours | €21.89 |
| Cable car, hot springs, cheese and vodka | 4,587 | 11 hours | 3 hours | €21.89 |
| Cable car, vodka, cheese and hot springs | 2,305 | 11 hours | Terma Bania | €16.67 |
| Zakopane, Tatra Mountains and Gubałówka day trip | 1,745 | 9 hours | None | €18.06 |
What the day actually contains
The tour titles say cable car; the booking pages describe the ride as the Gubałówka funicular, so it is one and the same thing. The most reviewed trip lists its schedule stop by stop. Pickup is from one of six points in central Krakow or a meeting point, then a coach ride of about 1.5 hours. The first stop is Chochołów, a village known for its wooden houses: a 20-minute walk, then 30 minutes for cheese and spirits tasting. Then roughly two hours in Zakopane, including an optional 45-minute lunch on Krupówki Street that is not in the price. The Gubałówka funicular follows, with about 30 minutes at the top, then a half-hour ride to the Chochołów thermal baths for three hours, and 1.5 hours back to Krakow.
The ticket for the funicular and the three-hour bath admission are included. Food and drinks are not, apart from the tasting. Pack swimwear and a towel. If you travel in late October, note that three of the listings say the Chochołów baths close for maintenance (19–30 or 20–31 October, depending on the listing), and the tour then goes to Terma Bania or, in one listing, Gorący Potok.
Another operator’s listing for the same kind of trip gives the drive to Zakopane as 1.5 to 2 hours depending on road conditions, and 2.5 hours free in Zakopane. That is the real trade-off between otherwise identical trips: Zakopane time against bath time.
Without the baths
The Tatra Mountains and Gubałówka trip is the answer if you would rather have more stops than a pool. It costs €18.06, lasts 9 hours, and has pickup included. It adds the Wielka Krokiew ski jump and the Jaszczurówka chapel, gives two hours in Zakopane and an hour at the top of Gubałówka. The listing says the return coach ride is two hours.
What the day costs you
Be realistic about the length. The most reviewed trip spends about 3.75 hours on the coach and three hours in the water, so the time left for Zakopane and the mountain view is under three hours. Anyone expecting the high Tatras on foot will be disappointed: these are a village, a funicular to a viewpoint, a main street and a spa. The funicular is also weather dependent. The 9-hour listing itself says that the view of the peaks depends on the weather.
Spirits tasting is part of most of these trips. Check the booking page if anyone in your group does not drink or is not of age.
Who should choose what
- Families with children and anyone who wants the baths: the most reviewed trip. The listing mentions water slides and children’s zones at the baths.
- Anyone short of time or not interested in swimming: the 9-hour trip above.
- Price-conscious: the €16.67 option has a similar day, but it ends at the Terma Bania sulphur springs rather than the Chochołów baths, and its inclusions list a 2.5-hour bath ticket where the schedule says 3 hours. It also has fewer reviews, so read its booking page before choosing it over the main trip.
You can also compare more options on the Zakopane and Tatra day trips page or step back to the day trips from Krakow. If you are weighing this against Auschwitz or the salt mine, see how they compare in the guide to Auschwitz and Wieliczka in one day.
