SeasonMapZakopane weather by month
Poland
The best time to visit Zakopane is December to February — 86/100 in January, 2°C and 13 rainy days. The best season is winter, December to February (81/100 on average).
The worst month is September at 11/100 — nice, rainy, clean air. See September →
Updated September 2026 · climate normals from ERA5 reanalysis
Planning the wider trip? Best time to visit Poland →
Zakopane, month by month
Comfort score out of 100 for the kind of trip Zakopane is best for, the average high, rainy days and hours of sun a day from the climate normals, and how busy it tends to be.
| Month | Score | Tier | High | Rain | Sun | Crowds | On |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JanJanuary | 86 | A | 2°C | 13 d | 5 h | Peak | 6 |
| FebFebruary | 78 | B | 4°C | 14 d | 6 h | Peak | 4 |
| MarMarch | 69 | C | 7°C | 13 d | 8 h | Busy | 3 |
| AprApril | 49 | F | 12°C | 15 d | 9 h | Shoulder | 1 |
| MayMay | 25 | F | 16°C | 18 d | 10 h | Shoulder | — |
| JunJune | 18 | F | 22°C | 17 d | 12 h | Busy | 1 |
| JulJuly | 14 | F | 22°C | 18 d | 11 h | Busy | 1 |
| AugAugust | 16 | F | 23°C | 17 d | 11 h | Busy | 1 |
| SepSeptember | 11 | F | 18°C | 13 d | 8 h | Quiet | 1 |
| OctOctober | 35 | F | 13°C | 13 d | 6 h | Shoulder | 2 |
| NovNovember | 63 | C | 8°C | 11 d | 5 h | Shoulder | 2 |
| DecDecember | 80 | A | 3°C | 14 d | 4 h | Peak | 4 |
What's on in Zakopane through the year
Festivals, natural spectacles, holidays and the seasons to watch out for — curated and sourced. The month pages carry the detail.
- January
- Ski jumping World Cup12–28 Jan (usually)Festival
- Polish winter school holidays15 Jan – 28 Feb (usually)Holiday
- June
- Tatra trail season15 Jun – 15 Oct (usually)Season
- October
- Halny wind1 Oct – 30 Apr (usually)Season
- November
- Winter smog15 Nov – 15 Mar (usually)Hazard
- December
- Christmas and New Year crush22 Dec – 4 Jan (usually)Holiday
- Ski season15 Dec – 31 Mar (usually)Season
Crowds in Zakopane in January
How busy the place itself is — school and mass holidays, the months an editor tagged, and how sought-after the weather makes them. Never part of the comfort score.
Peak crowdsSki jumping World Cup, Polish winter school holidays, school holidays in 7 of the markets that fill it(estimated)
Peak crowdsBusyShoulder seasonQuiet
Good to know before you go to Zakopane
Real experiences from travellers' own write-ups, quoted with a link to the original.
Visas & entry
A hiking guide to the Tatra Mountains from Zakopane is direct about a common mistake: every trail in Tatra National Park is rated moderate or hard, with no genuinely beginner-friendly options, so first-time hikers should plan for a real workout even on shorter routes to spots like Morskie Oko. Their practical advice: budget more time than the posted trail duration suggests, since the terrain slows most people down more than expected, and climbing sticks are worth bringing even on routes that don't look technical on paper.