The country attracts travelers with both comfort levels and very affordable vacation prices. Poland’s ski resorts are popular among tourists of all age groups. The leaders in terms of the length of the slopes are Zakopane (80 km), Szczyrk (32 km), Jaworzyna Krynicka (28 km). The greatest height differences on the slopes are observed in these resort areas and Szklarska Poręba.
Those who prefer higher mountains should choose the aforementioned places for their holidays. However, even where the mountains are lower, there are plenty of activities for winter sports enthusiasts. An important advantage of all Polish resorts is that unique wellness programs are offered everywhere to vacationers. The country is highly developed in hydrotherapy, phytotherapy, aromatherapy, honey treatment, lithotherapy, and salt therapy.
Białka Tatrzańska
A small picturesque village (called a town by the Poles) is known not only for its ski blue and red slopes, comfortable conditions for tourists with different financial capabilities. This place has thermal baths. An important nuance: they are very conveniently located: near the ski slopes.
Białka Tatrzańska is great for both winter and summer vacations. In the warm season, it is loved by eco-tourism enthusiasts. The town has a ski school. It is noteworthy that many sports facilities here are named after the baths. Therefore, it is better to clarify with the hotel staff, locals, and vacationers what exactly is being referred to in each case: a thermal spring or a ski slope.
There are 20 lifts (15 drag lifts and 5 chair lifts), 14 sports equipment rental points, pharmacies, shops, snack bars, and restaurants serving national Polish cuisine. There is a professional snow park, water park, and one of the best SPA centers in the country.
Zakopane
The largest resort city in the country operates year-round. It is a very atmospheric place where everything breathes history. Skiing in Zakopane can be perfectly combined with exploring historical and architectural monuments, bathing in thermal springs, walking in national parks, and training in the famous Nosal ski school, located at an altitude of 1206 meters above sea level.
There are green, red, blue, and black ski slopes, water parks with super comfortable conditions for adults and children. The total number of lifts in the resort is 50. Most of them are drag lifts.
A tip for those who crave spectacles: be sure to visit professional sports competitions in Zakopane (for example, the world championships in ski jumping). These are large-scale, bright super shows. A pleasant bonus: you will not freeze while watching professionals, skiing, sledding, or snowboarding, as the air temperature at the resort rarely drops below -10°C. Another important nuance: the prices for day tickets on the slopes vary significantly.
The lowest ones are at Nosal and Gubałówka. The latter has a special route for cross-country skiing. Therefore, those who love to save money do not necessarily have to choose the Kasprowy Wierch slopes, where tickets are more expensive and the tracks are similar in terms of their equipment.
Zieleniec
The resort village is located almost on the border of the state with the Czech Republic. It is more often chosen by family tourists and those traveling with children. There are only green, blue, and red slopes (no black ones!).
The number of lifts in the village reaches 30, but there are no gondola lifts among them. Zieleniec has a snow park and night descent slopes. Despite the influx of vacationers, the atmosphere in the village is very peaceful, and nightlife is not bustling. This is also a huge plus.
Zieleniec is often chosen by gourmet tourism enthusiasts, as Polish dishes are prepared in this area according to old recipes. It is very convenient for those who like to combine sports activities with sightseeing. Local hotels and travel agencies offer inexpensive individual and group excursions to Prague, Warsaw, the Aquapark “Water World” and the Salt Cave (Kudowa-Zdrój), and the Table Mountains.
One of the most popular excursion routes among Zieleniec guests (both foreigners and Poles) is a visit to the mansion of composer, pianist, and musical romanticism genius Fryderyk Chopin.
Karpacz
Foreigners often confuse it with Mount Śnieżka, at the foot of which the eponymous ski complex is located. The main highlight of Karpacz is the height differences in the skiing areas. These indicators here reach and even exceed 500 meters.
Śnieżka has blue, red, and black slopes with a total length of 17 km (including night slopes). It is a paradise for bobsleigh, snowboarding, and cross-country skiing enthusiasts. The resort has 22 drag lifts and 3 chair lifts.
This place is loved by gourmets, as on the cable car stations (in bars and buffets) you can taste dishes of Polish, German, and Czech national cuisines. Karpacz is worth choosing for those who are in love with the romance of antiquity. Once there was a surge of treasure hunters here, fatal passions flared up, as there was not enough yellow metal for everyone.
The main value of this amazing place is not gold, but its air. It is saturated with phytoncides, so air baths in Karpacz are a real salvation for those suffering from respiratory diseases, allergies, and pathologies related to blood composition. The resort is also called the “museum Mecca”. Here you can see antique dolls, sports rarities, unique gemstones, rare LEGO constructors, and video game collections.
Krynica-Zdrój
The ski season here lasts from November to mid-April, but the flow of those wishing to relax does not dry up at other times. What is the secret? It’s very simple: Krynica-Zdrój is famous for its mineral waters.
Here they treat diseases that traditional pharmaceutical means are powerless against or only partially help to cope with: from gastrointestinal pathologies, cardiovascular system, to diabetes, chronic fatigue syndrome, and gynecological diseases.
Krynica-Zdrój is perfect for strengthening the immune system and preventing metabolic disorders. Its water and air work wonders. There is also a large indoor rink, 2 skiing areas with slopes of varying difficulty, some of which are specially equipped for young travelers and complete beginners.
There is an excellent toboggan run. Note: night and day temperatures at the resort differ significantly. If you choose it, you will need warmer clothes for evening walks and outdoor entertainment at night.
Szklarska Poręba
If the budget does not allow for a vacation in Austria, it makes sense to go here and enjoy the premium level of comfort. The borders of the Czech Republic and Germany are nearby, so a vacation in the town is perfectly combined with excursions to neighboring countries and visits to famous Czech, German (and not only Polish!) Easter and Christmas sales.
Szklarska Poręba has 13 km of blue, 4 km of red, and 3 km of black slopes, 22 drag lifts, and 2 chair lifts. It is convenient to ski both in the first and last days of the season. The slopes are open from November to April. The reason for this is simple: snowmaking devices are installed here.
The ski resort was created thanks to Austrian investors. They invested in the creation of modern infrastructure, the construction of hotels, cafes, and restaurants, whose buildings locals and tourists jokingly and seriously compare to architectural monuments. The town has everything for a pleasant, carefree holiday.
Another pleasant nuance: the prices in many ski equipment rental points in Szklarska Poręba are lower than at other Polish resorts.
Szczyrk
Another cozy place on the country’s map for winter sports enthusiasts, where you can relax with less expense than in Switzerland, Austria, Andorra, the Leningrad Region of the Russian Federation, and get a boost of energy and health. There are all types of ski slopes here.
Strong winds are almost non-existent at the resort, so experienced travelers advise beginners and snowboarders to choose it. A pleasant bonus for gourmets: beer is served for free in many establishments.
An unpleasant minus: the internet in Szczyrk is also free, but works, to put it mildly, poorly. Poles invest a lot of money to fix the situation, but the problem remains. The room prices in the resort’s hotels are very democratic by European and Russian standards. Local restaurants and bars are famous for their drinks and dishes prepared according to old Polish recipes.
There is also a well-known ski school at the resort, where the prices (as well as in the ski equipment rental points) for lessons with professionals are very pleasant. The same can be said about the prices for sports souvenirs, so collectors love Szczyrk.
Wisła
The resort is called the second most significant in the country, but locals strongly disagree with this point of view. They consider their resort area the best in Europe and the world. The city of Wisła is an integral part of it. The resort borders the Czech Republic, and its climatic conditions are very similar to Zakopane.
In summer, the average air temperature is +15°C, and in winter it drops to -5°C. Traditionally, there is an influx of vacationers from December to April, but in summer, hiking enthusiasts come here. Wisła became a health center about 200 years ago, but the first settlements appeared earlier.
At different times, world celebrities rested in the city and its surroundings, and you can learn a lot of interesting things about them in local museums. Architectural monuments are found at every step here: temples, villas, palaces, residences.
The city has 4 main skiing areas and a huge water park. Among tourists, swimming in pools with heated sea water, to which Poles add medicinal plants, is particularly popular here.
Ustroń
The place is popular among medical tourism supporters. There are few hiking routes in this area, but they pass through very picturesque places. The resort loses to competitors in the number of slopes for skiers and snowboarders. However, they are excellently equipped and designed strictly for specific groups of vacationers: beginners, amateurs, and those who are halfway to the professional category.
The main attraction of the resort is a reserve with rare birds. The prices in hotels here are very democratic, and almost every such establishment has a luxurious pool. The balneological center is ideal for those who need to improve the condition of the cardiovascular, genitourinary, immune, respiratory, and musculoskeletal systems.
Local mud and thermal water cope with many diseases of the pelvis, can be prescribed for infertility treatment, CNS pathologies, and chronic fatigue syndrome.
Kudowa-Zdrój
One of the oldest European resorts on the border with the Czech Republic differs from similar places primarily in its unique elite atmosphere. Unique historical and architectural monuments on the territory harmoniously combine with ultra-modern balneological centers, entertainment venues, hotels, and inns.
The first inns for the health of nobles and merchants began to be built here 600 years ago, and in 1783, doctors decided to jointly buy the unique place and put health improvement on a scientific basis. It was a very ambitious project for its (and current) time. It succeeded 100%.
Kudowa-Zdrój has 8 mineral springs. This is a very respectable place where the heads of different states, including British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, rested at different times.
Among the favorite attractions of tourists at the resort, the park with its unique system of reservoirs occupies a special place. Foreigners and locals come here specifically to feed the ducks and swans. Another important nuance: the mineral water in all fountains and springs in Kudowa-Zdrój is paid, which greatly surprises regulars of other European resorts.
