Krupówki is the town's main promenade, and honestly the easiest way to get your bearings in Zakopane. It runs in a long, gentle curve lined with wooden facades, souvenir stalls, cafés and the odd fast food chain squeezed between them. Street musicians in traditional dress play near the middle stretch most evenings, and the smell of grilled oscypek follows you the whole way. Walk it once from end to end before deciding where to eat or sit, because the mood shifts a lot along its length. The lower end near the church is busiest and loudest, full of tourist shops and ice cream queues, while the upper part near the Gubałówka funicular is calmer, with older buildings and a more local feel. In the evening the lights come on and the street becomes something else entirely, less about shopping and more about strolling with a beer or a coffee. It works equally well for a quick hour of people watching or an entire evening of wandering, eating and window shopping, and it suits families, couples and solo travellers just the same.

An hour, or a whole evening if you let it happen

Best prices, booked directSkip the platform commission and save 20 to 30 percent with Discover Cracow.See prices