Zakopane
About Zakopane
Set at the foot of the Tatra Mountains, Zakopane is an outdoorsy city. It's a great spot for hiking in the summer, and skiing is so popular once snow falls that Zakopane is sometimes called Poland's winter capital. Strolling around, you'll find unique wooden villas with rounded windows and ornate decoration, inspired by traditional Goral culture. If you're lucky, you might see lively folk dances or locals in brightly coloured embroidered costumes.
In Zakopane, you can immerse yourself in nature at a cabin in the forest, relax at a 1930s-style house with mountain views or stay in city centre lodgings with rustic décor. Some Zakopane hostels offer a hearty free breakfast, and you can expect basics such as free Wi-Fi. If you're staying during summer, look for a Zakopane hostel with barbecue facilities so you can make the most of the sunshine. Many hostels have common rooms and shared garden spaces where you can mingle with other travellers.
The heart of Zakopane's city centre is Krupówki Street (also known as "Walking Street"), which has street performers, independent shops and restaurants where you can try local specialties such as oscypek, a smoked sheep's milk cheese. Outside the city, the small town of Kuźnice is the starting point for a cable car ride to the top of Kasprowy Wierch mountain, which straddles Poland and Slovakia. Alternatively, if you're feeling energetic, you could hike up to Czarny Staw GÄ…sienicowy, the Emerald Lake.
You can enjoy some natural beauty at Termy Bukowina, which has steaming hot springs, and the Tatras mountain range, which has Poland's tallest peak. If you want to learn more about local history, geology and natural science, head to the Tatra Museum in town. Stanisław Witkiewicz, the Polish painter who created the Zakopane style of architecture, is buried at the Old Church and Cemetery. This 19th-century wooden church is worth a visit for its striking design and ornately carved wooden headstones.
If you're flying into Kraków John Paul II International Airport, you can use the twice-daily bus service to Zakopane, which takes about three hours. From the centre of Kraków, it's a two-hour bus ride or a three-hour train journey to Zakopane. If you're coming from Hungary, a direct shuttle runs from Budapest (taking six hours). Once you're in town, the easiest way to get around is on foot. For longer trips, you can catch scheduled local buses or private minibuses.
Accommodation in Zakopane
There are many different options for arranging student accommodation in Poland. They vary depending on the city and higher education institution you choose. Many Polish HEIs have their own dormitories, which are usually the cheapest option available. However, most Polish students prefer to rent a room in a private apartment.
Student houses and dormitories
The pricing of the student houses depends on the particular HEI. Usually the cost of accommodation in a dormitory ranges is around EUR 60-80 monthly for a shared room and between EUR 100-150 for a single room. However, the standard of the dormitories may differ greatly even between various student houses of the same HEI, so it’s good to do some research before the final decision. What doesn’t differ is the friendly and helpful atmosphere in the student houses.
Private housing
It is quite common in Poland to rent a room in a bigger apartment. Most of the out-of-town students share flats in this way. The cost varies between cities and it depends greatly on the location of the apartment as well as the size and quality of the room. The monthly rent is usually between EUR 150 and 200. Some landlords may require a deposit of a similar amount. Don’t worry if you don’t have friends to live with. Sharing a flat with locals is an amazing opportunity: you can pay for the accommodation and get great friends for free! And if you really don’t like to share, you can find an independent apartment. The rent for the smallest, one-room apartment starts from about EUR 300 (in Warsaw).
Visa and residence card costs
This applies only to those students who come from the countries whose nationals are obliged to get a visa before coming to Poland. If you come from the European Union, you can skip visa fee charges. For those requiring it - there is no uniform fee, but it should not exceed EUR 70. When applying for a visa, please remember about other costs which are not stated directly - you need to have health insurance of at least EUR 30,000 and be in possession of sufficient funds to cover your entry, stay and departure - which is minimum PLN 543 for each month of studies and PLN 200, 300 or 2,500 for securing a return journey for people from neighbouring countries, EU countries or non-EU countries respectively.
Even if you do not need a visa to come to Poland, bear in mind that every foreigner staying in Poland for a period longer than 3 months has to apply for a temporary residence permit, so for visa holders it is also the next step to plan in their budget. The cost of issuing a temporary residence permit for students is PLN 390 in total.
