Zakopane is so crowded during summer! And only 25 km near Zakopane is Nowy Targ and Gorce mountains.
Nowy Targ is a picturesque small town with a population of approximately 30,000. It is situated 80 kilometres south of Krakow and 25 kilometres north of Zakopane. It is the capital of the Podhale region, the centre of the Polish highland culture and a perfect base for trips to the Gorce, Pieniny and Tatra Mountains. It offers a lot of tourist attractions, delicious food and a rich, lively folk culture. A place worth visiting in the town is the wooden St. Anna’s Church. Another place to see is the nearby peat bog nature reserve ‘Bór nad Czerwonem’. There is also a hiking trail along which you can visit wooden shepherds huts called ‘bacówka’ where the famous tasty traditional sheep’s cheese ‘oscypek’ is made. In Nowy Targ you can have the best ice cream in southern Poland at the Żarnecki family cake shop.
Aneta
Right, avoid Zakopane and stay in the neighboring places if you don't like too much crowd and traffic (especially during holidays). Nowy Targ is good for shopping, I guess most Zakopianians go there for good shopping deals.
