Gubałówka
The ridge above town, the funicular that climbs it, and the view that ends up in everyone's photos.
Gubałówka is the long green ridge on the north side of Zakopane, rising just enough above the rooftops to change everything about the view. It faces the Tatras directly, which is why the whole range lines up in front of you from the top like a single wide photograph: Giewont's distinctive cross-topped summit off to one side, the higher rocky peaks further along, and the town spread out below in a patchwork of red roofs and green gardens. On a clear day it is genuinely one of the best panoramas in the country, and it is accessible enough that almost anyone can reach it.
Getting up there
- The funicular from the lower station near the top of Krupówki, short, steep, and the classic way most visitors go up.
- On foot up the hillside path, which takes well under an hour at a steady pace and gives you a slower, quieter version of the same climb.
- The chairlift at Butorowy Wierch, at the quieter western end of the ridge, useful if the main funicular queue looks discouraging.
Worth knowing
The top is a ridge, not a single summit point, so you can walk along it for as long as you like once you arrive. It gets noticeably emptier the further you wander from the funicular station, and the quieter stretches often have the best unobstructed views of the range.
Gubałówka
This ridge above town delivers the classic panorama of the whole Tatra range in one sweep.
Gubałówka Funicular
This short, steep little railway hauls you from the town centre straight up onto the ridge in a few minutes.
Butorowy Wierch
This is the quieter end of the Gubałówka ridge, offering the same panorama with noticeably fewer people.
Did you know?
The funicular has been carrying people up this hillside since the 1930s, which makes it one of the oldest continuously running mountain railways of its kind in the region.
See prices