Thematic
Where to Go in Poland in Winter: Snow, Spas and Cities
Winter in Poland splits into three trips: snow in the Tatras, hot pools at their foot and city breaks built around Christmas markets and warm museums.
By ViewPoland Editorial
6 min read
Updated October 2026
The short answer
For snow, go to Zakopane and the Tatras, where most trails stay open all winter. For warmth, the thermal pools at Chochołów in Podhale are open late every day. For a city break, Kraków and Wrocław combine Christmas markets with museums, and in November 2026 Wawel offers free tickets to some exhibitions.
Poland's winter runs roughly from December to February, and the country does not offer one winter but several. The mountains in the far south get more reliable snow than the cities, the cities sit around freezing with short, grey days, and the Christmas season fills the market squares from late November. This guide sorts the options by what you want from the trip, and points to our detailed guides for each.
Where is there snow in Poland in winter?
In the mountains, above all the Tatras around Zakopane. The lowland cities get snow less reliably: in Kraków, for example, IMGW, the national weather service, records snow on the ground on about 12 days in December, 18 in January and 14 in February on average over 1991 to 2020. In the Tatras altitude does the work, as our guide to whether there is snow in Zakopane explains month by month.
Skiers have a choice of resorts, compared in skiing in Poland, and if you are weighing the Tatras against the Karkonosze, see Zakopane or Karpacz. Getting there from Kraków is covered in how to get to Zakopane.
Can you hike in the Tatras in winter?
Yes, but on your own judgement. A guide by an experienced TOPR rescuer, published on the Tatra National Park website, says the park does not close trails in winter, with a few exceptions, and that each walker decides for themselves whether their knowledge, skills and equipment are enough. From 1 December to 15 May the park closes three trails for nature protection: Morskie Oko to the Valley of the Five Polish Ponds via Świstówka, the Czerwone Wierchy trail from Dolina Tomanowa to Chuda Przełączka, and the Giewont trail between Przełęcz w Grzybowcu and Przełęcz Kondracka Wyżnia. It can close others when conditions require. The same guide warns that every trail above the mountain huts needs winter experience, crampons and an ice axe you know how to use, and avalanche gear (a transceiver, a probe and a shovel), and that you should not go alone.
Poland uses a five-level avalanche danger scale, and the guide advises checking the day's level, the forecast and trail conditions before setting out, and carrying a charged phone with the TOPR mountain rescue number, 601 100 300. For a first winter walk the author suggests routes such as Wierch Poroniec to Rusinowa Polana and Wiktorówki, or Jaszczurówka through Dolina Olczyska to Kopieniec, and says most winter walkers head for the mountain huts rather than the peaks.
Where can you soak in hot pools in winter?
At the foot of the Tatras. Chochołowskie Termy, in Chochołów in Podhale, describes itself as the largest thermal pool complex in Podhale, with almost 4,500 square metres of water surface in 52 pools, and its pools open from 9 am to 10 pm from Sunday to Thursday and to 11 pm on Fridays and Saturdays. It is easy to pair with a day in the mountains. The other thermal baths, in Podhale and beyond, are compared in thermal baths in Poland.
Which Polish cities are worth a winter visit?
Kraków combines a compact old town, a Christmas market on the Main Market Square, the szopki crib contest on the first Thursday of December and, in November 2026, free tickets to parts of Wawel Castle. Everything a winter visitor needs to know is in Krakow in winter.
Wrocław's Christmas market starts, according to the Polish Tourist Organisation, with the arrival of a dwarf called Prezentuś on the Market Square, a fitting mascot for a city famous for its small bronze dwarfs. Describing a season that ran into January 2023, the same organisation noted that the Gdańsk market closed before Christmas and that Warsaw's spread around the Old Town, so check each city's dates for the current year. Which market suits which kind of trip is compared in Christmas markets in Poland, and the local customs behind them in Christmas in Poland. For the cities themselves, start with the Wrocław, Gdańsk and Warsaw travel guides.
Which Polish castles and museums are open in winter?
Many stay open on shorter winter hours, so check each one. At Malbork Castle, the brick fortress of the Teutonic Order, the autumn and winter season runs to 25 April 2027: the historical route opens from Tuesday to Sunday at 9 am with last entry at 12:45 pm, interiors close at 3 pm, and on Mondays only the free castle grounds route is open; our page on Malbork Castle covers what to see. At Wawel in Kraków, the Dragon's Den closes for the season at the end of October, while the castle exhibitions stay open, with free tickets to some of them in November.
Underground sights are indifferent to the weather, which makes the Wieliczka Salt Mine a sound choice on a sleety day. For the far east of the country, Białowieża is the place to look for European bison in their forest.
What should you know before travelling in Poland in winter?
Plan around the light and the holidays. Days are short and often overcast: Kraków averages just 36 hours of sunshine in the whole of December, according to IMGW, so put outdoor sights early in the day. Public holidays close most shops, including Christmas Eve since 2025, and also 25 and 26 December, 1 January and 6 January; the dates and exceptions are in public holidays in Poland.
Pack for temperatures around freezing and for slush, as set out in how cold Polish winters are, and leave time for travel between cities, which getting around Poland explains. If you are still choosing a season, when to visit Poland compares all four, and in autumn our guide to where to go in Poland in autumn is the companion to this one.
Sources
Tatra National Park, the Tatras in winter for trail closures, avalanche information, suggested routes and the rescue number. Chochołowskie Termy for the pools and opening hours. Malbork Castle Museum, opening hours for the autumn and winter season and holiday closures. Polish Tourist Organisation, Christmas attractions for the markets. IMGW-PIB, monthly synoptic data for Kraków, averaged by us over 1991 to 2020. Cover photo: Kasprowy Wierch in the Tatras in winter, Jakub Hałun / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Written by ViewPoland Editorial for ViewPoland, an independent English-language guide to Poland. Published 25 October 2026. Last updated 25 October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
The mountains in the far south, above all the Tatras around Zakopane, as our guide to snow in Zakopane explains. The lowland cities get snow less reliably; Kraków averages snow cover on about 18 days in January.
No. Tatra National Park closes the Giewont trail between Przełęcz w Grzybowcu and Przełęcz Kondracka Wyżnia from 1 December to 15 May.
Some are and some are not. In the 2022 to 2023 season, the Polish Tourist Organisation noted, the Gdańsk market closed before Christmas, so check each city's dates for the current year.
Yes, on shorter hours. Until 25 April 2027 the historical route runs from Tuesday to Sunday from 9 am, with last entry at 12:45 pm, and on Mondays only the free castle grounds route is open. The museum is closed on 1 November and on 24 and 25 December.
TOPR, the Tatra mountain rescue service, can be reached on 601 100 300, the number that the winter guide on the Tatra National Park website tells walkers to save in their phones.