Zakopane is where Poland goes to feel like it lives in the mountains. It lies at the foot of the High Tatras, the only truly alpine range in the country, and it has been a resort since the late nineteenth century, when writers, painters and doctors found the thin air and the clear light. The town grew around the culture of the górale, the highlanders of Podhale, whose wooden houses, sheepskin waistcoats, fiddle music and dialect still define the place. Look at the carved timber villas and you are seeing the so-called Zakopane style, an architecture invented here in the 1890s by Stanisław Witkiewicz as an attempt at a national style.
Food is why you are stopping, and the menu is hearty without apology. The cheese to try is oscypek, smoked sheep's milk cheese pressed into spindle shapes, often grilled and served with cranberry jam. Kwaśnica, a sour cabbage soup with pork, will warm you if the day has turned cold. The better places are the ones tucked up side streets or at the edge of town, in timbered rooms with a stove and a menu that does not need translating into six languages. Krupówki, the main pedestrian street, is lively, loud and a bit kitsch, worth a stroll but not the best table.
The ride in from Kraków follows the foothills through Rabka and Nowy Targ, and the final run on the main road is famous for its traffic. At weekends and in holiday seasons the road to Zakopane clogs badly, so an early start or a late arrival makes a real difference. Once you pass Nowy Targ, the Tatras begin to appear on the skyline, a serrated grey wall that makes you forget the slow lorries in front.
Zakopane is a big town of over twenty-seven thousand people, so fuel, parking and repairs are no problem. The practical challenge is parking a motorcycle in the centre. Look for side streets slightly away from Krupówki, and do not leave luggage on the bike. In summer evenings the town buzzes until late. In autumn and winter it is quieter and cheaper, and the stove-heated rooms come into their own.
If the weather turns, mountain storms can arrive quickly. Check the sky over the Tatras before you head out, and keep a rain layer handy.