Train stations in Zakopane

Zakopane has one railway station, the end of the line, and it stands beside the bus station on ulica Chramcówki. The fastest train from Kraków takes 1 hour 57 minutes.

Arriving at Zakopane station

The station is at Chramcówki 35, at the roundabout where the railway and coach stations stand together, and the tourist information office is next door at Chramcówki 35a. Krupówki, the pedestrian main street and about 1 km long, lies south-west of the station. The lower station of the Gubałówka funicular is near its foot.

City buses 10, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 18 leave from the bus station stands next to the railway station and reach the Krupówki (Pomnik Zamoyskiego) stop, in the upper part of the street, in about 3 minutes. Line 10 continues to Kuźnice, the lower station of the Kasprowy Wierch cable car, in about 13 minutes. A single bus ticket costs PLN 6, a 60-minute ticket valid for changing lines PLN 8 and a 24-hour ticket PLN 12. Ticket machines stand at the bus station and on board the buses, the moBILET app sells them too, and the driver takes exact change only. Validate a paper ticket as soon as you board: travelling without a valid ticket costs PLN 300.

Trains to Zakopane

PKP Intercity runs the long-distance trains. The Pendolino (Express InterCity Premium) reaches Kraków in 1 hour 57 minutes, Warsaw in about four and a half hours and Gdańsk in just over seven hours, and goes on to Gdynia. Express InterCity trains also link Zakopane with Warsaw (Tatry) and with Gdańsk and Gdynia (Kaszub, about 7 hours 25 minutes to Gdańsk Główny). Intercity and TLK trains run to Poznań, Łódź, Szczecin and Wrocław, and the night train Podhalanin runs to Świnoujście through Kraków. About nine PKP Intercity trains a day run each way between Zakopane and Kraków Główny.

Koleje Małopolskie runs the Luxtorpeda on Saturdays, Sundays and 11 November: it leaves Kraków Główny at 06:16 and reaches Zakopane at 08:48, and returns from Zakopane at 19:22 to arrive in Kraków Główny at 21:57. Polregio runs about six through regional trains a day each way between Kraków Główny and Zakopane (one each way on weekdays only), stopping at Skawina, Sucha Beskidzka, Chabówka and Nowy Targ; they take about 3 hours 25 minutes to just over 4 hours. Polregio's Podhale trains also link Zakopane with Nowy Targ, Chabówka and Rabka roughly every hour or two from early morning to about 23:30. The times on this page apply from 25 October to 12 December 2026; a new annual timetable starts on 13 December.

Trains run over the whole line from Kraków to Zakopane, with no replacement buses planned before 12 December 2026.

Train or bus from Kraków

Many travellers take the bus. FlixBus runs about 15 departures a day from Kraków's MDA bus station, from 03:10 to 21:10. The fastest take 1 hour 44 minutes, tickets start at PLN 25.99, and the bus stops at the Zakopane bus station next to the railway station. The Pendolino is close behind at 1 hour 57 minutes and arrives at the same spot. The regional trains take about twice as long as the fastest bus.

Gubałówka and Kasprowy Wierch

Two lifts start in town. The Gubałówka funicular climbs a 1,301 m route in 3.5 minutes from its lower station at Na Gubałówkę 4. The Kasprowy Wierch cable car leaves from Kuźnice 14 and covers 4,291.59 m, ending 26 m below the summit. It is closed for maintenance from 19 October to 6 November 2026, and the ride takes about 20 minutes with one change at Myślenickie Turnie.

Tickets

A PKP Intercity ticket always includes a seat reservation, and the reservation is compulsory. Buy at intercity.pl, in the PKP Intercity app or at a ticket office, and buy a Pendolino ticket before you board. Koleje Małopolskie and Polregio sell their own tickets, so buy the one for the operator whose train you board; a regional fare from Kraków costs PLN 26.50 on either. Polregio's Podhale fare between Nowy Targ and Zakopane is PLN 11.50 for 90 minutes and also covers the city buses in Zakopane or Nowy Targ, while the rail-only mountain fare is PLN 8.70 (prices from 1 March 2026).

Rail passes and reservations

As of October 2026, an Interrail pass holder needs a compulsory reservation on the Pendolino, which costs PLN 43 when bought in Poland. On other PKP Intercity trains a reservation costs PLN 3. It is compulsory on selected Intercity trains marked R in the timetable and recommended on Express InterCity and TLK trains such as the Tatry and Kaszub. Koleje Małopolskie and Polregio regional trains need no reservation, and Interrail covers them.