Tatra Mountain your next Holiday destination?
The Tatra mountain range borders southern Poland and Slovakia and is an amazing ski resort and mountain range.
Tatra Mountains, Known as 'Polish Alps', and the Town of Zakopane, Poland's Ultimate Mountain Resort.
Alps-like Tatra Mountains, or the Tatras (Polish Tatry), is the highest range of the Carpathian Mountains and lie along Poland's border with Slovakia. Two hour's drive from Krakow one finds stunning views and pristine nature as well as the best skiing in winter and hiking, rock climbing, cave exploration, cycling, paragliding, etc. through the rest of the year. As tourism has been the area's main business for over a century, visitors are thoroughly catered to. Annually some three million of them turn up in the Polish alps, mostly getting along well with wildlife preservation which is paramount seeing that twin national parks cover the whole of the Tatras both sides of the national border.
Photo: Wikipedia Creative Commons and Slovkaiauncovered
Tatra Mountains, Known as 'Polish Alps', and the Town of Zakopane, Poland's Ultimate Mountain Resort.
Alps-like Tatra Mountains, or the Tatras (Polish Tatry), is the highest range of the Carpathian Mountains and lie along Poland's border with Slovakia. Two hour's drive from Krakow one finds stunning views and pristine nature as well as the best skiing in winter and hiking, rock climbing, cave exploration, cycling, paragliding, etc. through the rest of the year. As tourism has been the area's main business for over a century, visitors are thoroughly catered to. Annually some three million of them turn up in the Polish alps, mostly getting along well with wildlife preservation which is paramount seeing that twin national parks cover the whole of the Tatras both sides of the national border.
Photo: Wikipedia Creative Commons and Slovkaiauncovered
The Tatra Mountains location
The Tatra Mountains rise to the greatest elevation in the entire northern half of Europe, with the 2655-meters (8711 ft) Gerlachovsky Stit in Slovakia and the 2499-meters (8198ft) Rysy peak in Poland. The range is 53 km long and takes up 785 sq km, the bulk on the Slovak territory. Three distinct parts make up the Tatra Mountains - the High Tatras, the Western Tatras, and the Bielskie Tatras. The High Tatras, with their dramatic vistas, steep peaks, sharp rocks, deep glens, and crystal lakes are the most attractive. At the same time the Western Tatras' lower slopes clad in pine forests offer wider horizons, diverse wildlife, and somewhat less demanding tracks. Tips for visitors to the region
Skiing December through May, and hiking May through September.
Book well in advance if you want to come on Christmas, New Year, Easter, Polish national holidays, during school recesses, or on any weekend December through September. Allow for slow traffic on the afternoon before and on the last one.
Those who shun crowded resorts may well give up Zakopane hotel and opt for quieter-and cheaper- lodgings in any of the region's villages. There are also resorts on the Slovak side.
Be extremely careful on mountain tracks, notably in winter.
The Tatras' local snack is oscypek, a piece of smoked sheep cheese.
Skiing on the Tatra's
Tatra Video
powered by Youtube
The Town of Zakopane.
Visitors to the Tatras largely head for Zakopane, the biggest mountain resort in Europe north of the Alps. The town of 28,000 receives about three million holiday-makers a year. Due to its central location on the verge of both the High Tatras and the Western Tatras, and its accessibility, Zakopane is the best gateway to the whole area. The town also abounds in varied hotels, inns, and boarding-houses, restaurants and cafes, shops and art galleries, sport facilities and nightclubs. Zakopane is a major center of winter sports of all sorts.The townsfolk take pride in their own brand of the traditional Polish highlander culture - Poland's highlanders are as emblematic to other Poles as Scotland's to the British, albeit more colorful by far.
Noteworthy is the region's old wooden architecture.
Weather in Zakopane and in the Tatra Mountains.
The Tatras' mountainous climate is cold due to high altitude, with much precipitation. What might produce superb ski conditions for many months-most of the year, actually, on some elevated slopes-proves unwelcome to non-skiers. Anyway, even in foothill Zakopane allow for a drop in temperature of 2C to 5C vis-a-vis lowlands, and the higher the colder. Fierce rainstorms or snowstorms all of a sudden are common, as gales.Wildlife in the Tatry Mountains.
Besides species common also elsewhere in Poland, such as deer, roe, fox and badger, the Tatras boast rare animals-lynx, brown bear, eagle, heath-cock, and alpine chamois and marmot.
Follow Our Story
Have your say!
Would you consider a winter holiday
No sun and sand all the way for me
Yes i love the adventure and dramatic scenery
MarisaAngelis says:
Wonderful Lens ! As long as I am warm ;)
KonaGirl says:
This looks like a beautiful place to spend a winter holiday! I am more of a sun & surf kind of person, but I love the mountains and the snow too. It looks like an awesome place to camp.
Tatra mountain essentials
My Top Lens
Essential Tatra reading material
Tatra Mountains Facebook Fan Box
Facebook Fan box widget may not always appear in the Workshop. Please preview or publish your lens to see the widget.
Guestbook Comments
-
-
MarisaAngelis
Feb 4, 2012 @ 8:47 am | delete
- Wonderful Lens ! Best Wishes :)
-
-
-
KonaGirl
Jan 9, 2012 @ 8:20 am | delete
- You have really convinced me that this would be a great place for a winter vacation. Nicely done. *Squid Angel Blessed* This lens has also been added to My Squid Angel Blessings 2012 to the "Holidays & Celebrations » Christmas » Happy Snowman Magazine" neighborhood.
-
Tatra Mountain Photos
Tatra News
- A devoted shepherd for Poland
- ... bus tours in the country, all of which have included visits to the historic cities of Krakow and Warsaw, as well as Zakopane, a skiing, hiking and vacation resort in the picturesque Tatra Mountains that border Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
- Natural partners
- By Nick Holdsworth Film official Aleksandra Szczerbak sees Poland's "unique nature and authenticity" as an asset, exemplified by the Tatra Mountains. International producers looking to lens in Poland should find the process much easier with the launch ...
- Euro 2012, Poland: Krakow, a Polish feast for players and Wags
- Further afield they may venture south to the picturesque town of Zakopane, a gateway to the peaks of the Tatra Mountains and popular with skiers in winter and hikers in the summer. Krakow itself will not be hosting any of the Euro 2012 matches being ...
- Euro 2012 boycott talk grows
- Klaus had met with his Slovak and Polish counterparts at a resort in Slovakia's Tatra mountains May 6. "We cannot avoid an open dialogue with Kyiv," Slovak President Ivan Ga?parovi? said. "This open dialogue may not be pleasant for Ukraine.
This Happy Snowman page written by
greenlungsofpoland
Stephen is a freelance writer, social media entrepreneur and website designer.
Want a great lens building with full color backgrounds and links to...
more »
Seasons Greetings from the Wonderland
Connect with Happy Snowman
This author recommends...
-
Ruthenia
I became interested in the country of Ruthenia and the history behind it's terri... -
Kirkwood Mountain Resort Guide
K irkwood Resort at Lake Tahoe is located at a base elevation of 7800 feet, high... -
Why I Chose New Zealand to Live - My Story by Pukeko (Rhonda Albom)
Born and raised in Chicago, I never dreamed I would find myself in New Zealand t... -
Travel Colorado With Your Map of Things To Do
When I climbed Pikes Peak and honeymooned at Green Mountain Falls, near Colorado... -
Visit Eastern Europe
Are you an armchair traveler or are you planning a trip to Eastern Europe? East... -
Snohomish County: Far From Ordinary!
Snohomish (sno-HOH'-mish) County is located in northwest Washington State, n...
