Zakopane in April

Hi,

I am over in April-May 2010 and just wanted some advice.

I am planning on riding from Krakow-Myślenice-Zakopane (will probably catch the train back the following day after spending a night in Myślenice and a night in Zakopane).

1) How hilly is the ride from Myślenice -> Zakopane and for what portion (ie just the last 10kms or the entire 60kms)

2) What sort of weather can I expect? Obviously if it was still snowing I would have to call it off, but the last time I was in Krakow in April the weather was gorgeous, just wondering if that was an exception to the rule, or April is usually nice?

I will be coming around the middle of April in all likelihood

Assuming you mean a motorbike, you will find the roads will get progressively steeper and more winding. Myslewice is just over 300m above sea level and Zakopane is 715metres however Zakopane is lower than the mountains you will passing through.

Weather-wise - there is still a possibility of snow on the ground. This year for instance, the snow started melting beginning of April in Zakopane, but higher there was still snow. Temperature was around 10 degrees C.

As the area is mountainous the snow keeps longer than further inland

Hello mateinone,


It is mountainous, the difficulty with answering a question like that is, I don't know what you are used to.
Myslenice is in the Beskid mountains, they are great for cycling and the closer you get to the Tatras the more mountainous it becomes.
I will put it another way, you'll be able to cycle it, it is very beautiful too.


yes, it'll be good for cycling, as mid summer is too hot for comfort.

I would recommend cycling to Myslenice and going on one of the many bike routes through the forest and over the mountains to Zakopane.
There are trekking huts where you can stay the night along the way.
The motorway would not be as nice as going through the mountains but I would give myself 3 days for that.

Let me know if there is any further information you would like.

can be quite chilly with rain or even snow (also in May - cold streaks with wet weather can happen as late as the begining of June)

That is a fair point, if it is a particularly long winter, there can indeed be snow.
And coming from winter to spring is not as accurate as we would like to believe some times.
But for the most part you should be okay for April in this neck of the woods.
I live in Myslenice and it is very beautiful around here.

and I mean really cold (for late May or early June) - not freezing but sure below 10 degrees (in the middle of a day)- combined with wet weather if you get soaked and you're out in the mountains it's hardly pleasant

this year April in Poland was sort of tropical - some 40 days of constant sunny weather well into May with temperatures up to 30 degrees - but it can be very different

You say April/May - I think you will be fine weather wise, especially as the roads are usually kept well anyway, even during the cold and snowy times of winter - the road is not so "hilly" more a gentle steady climb - not a problem if you are a serious biker! Enjoy!