Zakopane is a city in the most southern Polish mountains. Bordering on Slovakia it's the end of Poland, as there is no road through the mountains. Zakopane is a winter sport paradise in the winter, and a magnificent basecamp for hiking in the summer.
Zakopane will look familier to anyone who's ever been to an average location for winter sports. The town is filled with hotels, motels, hostels, restaurants, bars and shops.
For a 'western' tourist it's an excellent low cost location to spend your vacation. You can shop till you drop in expensive brands. You'll get the real stuff, no fakes, but the prices are aimed at the Polish market.
The surroundings are beautiful with tall mountains, green hills and streaming rivers. The air is also very clean, and even though the town is a tourist trap, you'll hardly hear anyone speak anything but Polish. Luckily, the english is good enough to get around.
Favourite spots:
Ampstrong Club - A very nice club, with a young and hip audience. Features aything from indoor beach parties, to full blown rock shows. This is also where you might meet young travellers from e.g. Italy or the US.
What's really great:
When travelling through Poland for weeks, I experienced Zakopane as a relief. It's a very clean and bright place, and poverty and crime is not as obvious as in the rest of Poland. It's a lovely little get away when touring through the new EU countries. The people are friendly, and the surrounding nature offers everything you need for recreational purposes.
Accommodations:
The hostels here have very high standards. A room is mostly fit for 2-3 people. Bathroom is mostly shared, but clean. Costs are low.
Other recommendations:
I'm sorry that I can not illustrate the tekst with images. I was filming my stay there, so I didn't take any pictures. Silly me.
Restaurants:
Right outside Zakopane there are a few restaurants/cafe's along the road. A lot of these are well worth a visit, because it's like entering another world. The setting is very traditional and the clients are 99% locals.
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