Attractions
What to do in Zawoja and the area
We measure everything from the hotel door: what you have on site, how far you get on foot, where the mountains begin and what is worth the drive.
How we have grouped it
Four areas, one starting point
Zawoja covers more ground than any other village in Poland, so ‘nearby’ means something different here than it does in a town. That is why we split what there is into areas: what you have in the building, what you reach on foot around Wilczna, the mountains around the valley and the trips you need to set half a day aside for.
Area 1
On site
Bowling, wellness, the rental, the stream, the playground.
Area 2
Wilczna on foot
The John Paul II memorial room, a gallery of local crafts, a patchwork studio.
Area 3
The mountains
Three ranges, a chairlift, singletrack, ski slopes in winter.
Area 4
Further afield
Open-air museums, alpacas, toy-making workshops, thermal baths and amusement parks.
Area 1 · Without going out
A whole day inside the building
Most of it is included in the price of your stay. It usually saves a wet afternoon, and the second day after a long climb, when your legs say ‘not today’.
For a rainy day Bowling alley and club
You play bowling or billiards, with the bar and a shelf of board games next to you. Level -1, daily from 16:00.
See All year Equipment rental
You can hire a mountain or an electric bike, a Segway and trekking poles, and in winter skis and snowshoes.
See
Included in your stay Gym
You train indoors or outside, above the Jaworzyna stream – to the sound of water instead of music from a speaker.
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Included in your stay Wellness area
A pool, 2 hot tubs and four kinds of sauna. The indoor pool and hot tub 6:00–22:00, the outdoor hot tub and the sauna area from 15:00.
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Outdoors Streamside area
You lie down in the hammock above the water, the children run for the trampoline, in the evening you light the barbecue in the shelter. Just behind the building.
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All year Barbecue shelter
You light a campfire in front of the shelter or the barbecue inside, and sit at the benches above the water. 80 m² under a roof, with heating.
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For families For children
A playground with a trampoline, a playroom with table football and a slide, the paddling pool, a bookshelf by reception.
SeeArea 2 · On foot
Wilczna, our own neighbourhood
The hamlet the hotel stands in. Three stops within an hour’s walk – no car, no planning. Good for an afternoon when you do not want to go up into the mountains but it seems a shame to stay indoors.
On foot · a few minutes
John Paul II memorial room
A small exhibition run together with the tourist information office. Entry is free – and this is where you ask about current conditions on the trails.
SeeOn foot · a few minutes
Na Uciechę gallery
Crafts from the Beskids, sheep’s cheese, honey and ice cream. A good stop when you want a small thing to take home, or something sweet after a walk.
SeeOn foot · a few minutes
Cacane Patchworki
A patchwork studio with workshops for visitors – PLN 30–35 per person, open 10:00–18:00. Something to fill an afternoon, with a child as well.
SeeArea 3 · Three ranges
Babia for the trophy.
Jałowiec and Polica for the quiet
The Zawoja valley lies between three ranges. The Babia Góra range, with Diablak at 1725 m, is the summit people travel a long way for – and you can tell on the trail in July and August. The Polica and Jałowiec ranges are far quieter: there the views are usually yours alone.
- Babia Góra range: Babia Góra 1725 m, Cyl 1517 m, Sokolica 1367 m
- Polica range: Polica 1369 m, Okrąglica 1239 m
- Jałowiec range: Jałowiec 1111 m, Lachów Groń 1045 m
Area 4 · By car
What is worth taking the car for
The first two are still in Zawoja. For the rest you have to leave the valley – half a day is enough for an open-air museum or a workshop, Zator takes a whole one. Plan the trip so that you are back before dinner – we serve it until 20:00.
We count the kilometres and the times from our car park, not from the centre of Zawoja – the difference can be as much as twenty kilometres. Prices and opening hours are those of the 2026 season; it is worth checking them at source before you set off.
4.9 km · about 10 min by car
Church of St Clement
A wooden church from 1888 in the centre of Zawoja – the oldest landmark in the valley. Six altars, painted decoration, free entry.
SeeZawoja Markowa
Józef Żak open-air museum
Three farmsteads at Markowe Rówienki – what life below Babia Góra was like. A forge, a chapel and the Stopiak cottage of 1802, whose chimneyless stove was lit until 1987. Tickets PLN 3.
See15 km · about 20 min by car
Orawa Ethnographic Park
An open-air museum on the far side of the Krowiarki pass: 60 buildings on 12 hectares, the Moniak manor house and a working forge. Tickets PLN 25, free entry on Mondays.
See15 km · about 25 min by car
Beskid Wooden Toy Centre
Toy making from Stryszawa, on the national list of intangible heritage. Eight workshops to choose from – your child leaves with a wooden bird they painted themselves. All under a roof.
See23 km · about 35 min by car
Sucha Beskidzka castle
A Renaissance residence known as the Little Wawel, with a museum of history and ethnography. On the road from Kraków and from Zawoja. Tickets PLN 15, free entry on Tuesdays.
See24 km · about 40 min by car
Happy Alpaca
Six huacaya alpacas in Lachowice. Feeding and stroking – PLN 70 for a group of up to six. An hour’s walk through the meadows from PLN 120. By prior booking only.
See43 km · about 55 min by car
Rabkoland in Rabka-Zdrój
Thirty-four rides on the market square in Rabka – from a carousel a two-year-old can ride to roller coasters. One ticket at PLN 99–109 covers them all. Open from late April to September, in warmer years into October.
See49 km · about an hour by car
Chochołowskie Termy
Thermal pools on the far side of Orawa. A plan for a day when the mountains sit in cloud – though you have a pool, a hot tub and saunas here on site as well.
See57 km · about 1 h 15 min by car
Zatorland – the dinosaur park
Four parks on one ticket: over a hundred moving dinosaurs, mythology, insects and a funfair. It suits children from about 2 to 15.
See60 km · about 1 h 20 min by car
Energylandia amusement park
The largest amusement park in Poland: 133 rides across seven zones, from Bajkolandia for the youngest to the Water Park. A trip for the whole day.
SeeThe full guide
We run the full guide to Zawoja at zawoja-atrakcje.pl
A calendar of events, things to do when it rains, route descriptions, practical information about the district – all in one place. It is our own site and we have run it for years.
A good location – you can head up into the mountains, or rest with a book by the stream. A big pool and plenty of saunas in the spa area, perfect after a whole day of sightseeing.
Practical
Frequently asked questions
Not sure what to plan? Call before you arrive – +48 33 877 51 98. Reception is open around the clock and knows the current conditions on the trails.
What is there to do in Zawoja when it rains?
At the hotel: the indoor pool and hot tub (6:00–22:00), four kinds of sauna and the outdoor hot tub from 15:00, bowling and billiards in the club on level -1 from 16:00, the playroom, board games and a bookshelf by reception. Outside the hotel: a workshop at Cacane Patchworki in Wilczna, or a trip to the Chochołowskie Termy thermal baths, 49 km away.
How far from the hotel do the trails start?
The trail towards Babia Góra starts right by the hotel. Guests walk to the boundary of Babia Góra National Park in about 40 minutes. For the standard climb to Diablak you have to drive up to the Krowiarki pass.
Do you pay extra for the attractions at the hotel?
The pool, the hot tubs, the saunas, the gym, the playground, the playroom, the board games and the shelter by the stream are included in the price of your stay. You pay separately for the bowling lane (PLN 70 per hour, shoe hire PLN 4), spa treatments and equipment hire.
What is there to do with children around Zawoja?
The nearest is the Beskid Wooden Toy Centre in Stryszawa – 15 km from the hotel, eight kinds of workshop, entry PLN 15, a workshop PLN 30, all under a roof. Fifteen kilometres the other way, over the Krowiarki pass, lies the Orawa Ethnographic Park in Zubrzyca Górna: 60 buildings on 12 ha, tickets PLN 25, workshops for children from the age of 5. In Lachowice, 24 km away, you can meet six alpacas at Happy Alpaca – from PLN 70 for a group, by prior booking only. For a whole day: Rabkoland in Rabka-Zdrój (43 km, 34 rides), Zatorland (57 km, dinosaurs and a funfair) or Energylandia (60 km).
Where can I find a full guide to Zawoja?
We run the full guide to Zawoja – a calendar of events, things to do, practical tips – at zawoja-atrakcje.pl. Here we describe what matters from a hotel guest’s point of view: how far it is, how to get there and what waits for you when you come back.
There’s no rush here
Book direct and you always get the best price – and we will put together a plan for each day with you once you are here.
