Written in September 2026. Some dates for this season (the Christmas market, the New Year's Eve concert, holiday prices) are announced by the town and the attractions in November and December, and we will add them here then. Header photo: zakoplan.pl.
- Shops are closed from Thursday 24 to Sunday 27 December 2026. Do your shopping by Wednesday 23 December.
- Midnight mass (pasterka) at 24:00 in most churches, with earlier ones at 20:00, 21:00 and 22:00 in some.
- Christmas market on Plac Niepodległości at the bottom of Krupówki; last season it ran from 12 December to 11 January.
- New Year's Eve: last year a free outdoor concert on Równia Krupowa, from 19:00. No fireworks: they are banned in public places in Zakopane.
- Prices go up at ski slopes, thermal baths and sleigh rides from 18–26 December to early January.
- Mountain trails are closed from 22:00 to 5:00 in winter, which affects the famous midnight mass in the mountains.
What is closed when
Since 2025, Christmas Eve is a public holiday in Poland. In 2026 it falls on a Thursday, followed by two days of Christmas and a Sunday, when shops are closed anyway. That makes four days in a row without shopping:
| Day | What it means |
|---|---|
| Sunday 20 December | Last trading Sunday before Christmas (shops open) |
| Wednesday 23 December | Last normal shopping day. Supermarkets are packed. |
| Thursday 24 December | Christmas Eve, public holiday, shops closed all day. Midnight mass in the evening. |
| Friday 25 December | Christmas Day, shops closed |
| Saturday 26 December | Second day of Christmas, shops closed. Slopes and attractions usually in full swing. |
| Sunday 27 December | No-trading Sunday, shops closed |
| Monday 28 December | Shops open again |
| Friday 1 January 2027 | New Year's Day, shops closed |
| Wednesday 6 January 2027 | Epiphany, shops closed |
Petrol stations, pharmacies, small shops where the owner serves and shops at stations are exempt. Restaurants are allowed to open, but on Christmas Eve many close early or serve only guests who booked a Christmas Eve dinner. If you arrive on the 24th, bring food with you or shop on the way by Wednesday.
Christmas Eve, the Polish way
In Poland the main celebration is the evening of 24 December (Wigilia), not the 25th. Families traditionally sit down when the first star appears, share a Christmas wafer, and eat a meatless dinner of many dishes: beetroot soup with small dumplings, carp, pierogi with cabbage and mushrooms, and poppy-seed cake. Some restaurants in Zakopane serve a Christmas Eve dinner for visitors, always with a reservation. Ask early, because places are limited.
Midnight mass (pasterka)
Even if you are not religious, midnight mass in Zakopane is worth seeing: packed wooden churches, carols sung in the highland dialect, often a band in traditional dress. Most churches start at midnight, and a few hold earlier masses that suit families. Times from last year, which parishes usually repeat:
| Church | Mass on 24 December |
|---|---|
| Jesuit church "Na Górce" | 20:00, 22:00 and 24:00 |
| Church on the Bulwary (Salvatorians) | 21:00 and 24:00 |
| Holy Cross Church | 22:00 and 24:00 |
| Bernardine church in Bystre (closest to Willa Storczyk) | 24:00 |
| Holy Family Church on Krupówki | 24:00 |
| Old Church, ul. Kościeliska | 24:00 |
| Our Lady of Fatima sanctuary, Krzeptówki | 24:00 |
| Chapel on Gubałówka | 24:00 |
Christmas Eve also opens a carol festival: last season concerts in churches across town ran from 24 December to 2 February, free of charge.
The midnight mass at Wiktorówki, a small sanctuary in the forest, has long been famous. But it is inside the Tatra National Park, and since February 2026 park trails are closed from 22:00 to 5:00 in winter. Christmas 2026 is the first under this rule, so check before you go whether the time will change. The Gubałówka chapel is outside the park, but the funicular does not run at midnight, so you would walk up in the snow and the dark.
The Christmas market
Zakopane's Christmas market is on Plac Niepodległości, at the lower end of Krupówki. Last season it ran from 12 December to 11 January, with more than 20 stalls selling crafts, smoked cheese and Christmas food, a big tree, a lit-up carousel, illuminations and a stage with concerts and nativity plays. Entry is free. The town usually announces the dates in November.
What to do over Christmas
- Skiing: slopes with snowmaking usually open by mid-December; Kasprowy Wierch depends on natural snow. Christmas to early January is the most expensive period of the season: last year a day pass on the shared Tatry Super Ski pass cost 185 PLN instead of 150 PLN before Christmas. See Zakopane in winter.
- Thermal baths: holiday prices start between 17 and 25 December, and the big complexes limit entries, so buy online. Opening hours for 24 and 25 December are published in December. See the thermal baths guide.
- A sleigh ride evening (kulig): the most popular evening activity over the holidays, about 20 PLN dearer than usual between 26 December and 6 January. Some organisers do not run on 24 and 25 December. Book as early as you can.
- Cable cars: Gubałówka runs all year. Kasprowy Wierch runs in winter, weather permitting; the winter price list comes out in December. See Kasprowy Wierch.
- A short walk: in December the sun sets before 16:00. Valley walks, such as Kościeliska, are best in the late morning.
New Year's Eve
For years Zakopane hosted a big televised New Year's Eve show. Since 2025 the town organises a smaller, free outdoor concert instead. Last year it was on Górna Równia Krupowa, the meadow between Krupówki and the station, co-organised with a national radio station, with a highland folk theme. Gates opened at 18:00 and the music started at 19:00. Details for 31 December 2026 are usually announced in December.
- No fireworks. Setting off fireworks and firecrackers in public places in Zakopane has been banned by the town since 2019, with fines for breaking the rule, and there is no official fireworks display. The midnight sky is quieter than in most Polish cities.
- Traffic: last year ul. Kościuszki was closed to cars in the evening, two central car parks were closed and several bus lines were rerouted from 18:00. Walk if you can.
- Restaurants often hold ticketed New Year's Eve parties (bal sylwestrowy) with dinner and music. They sell out early.
- Mountain trails are closed from 22:00 to 5:00, so no midnight hikes to watch the new year from a summit.
Epiphany, 6 January
Epiphany is a public holiday, with shops closed. In Zakopane it is marked by a procession of the Three Kings (Orszak Trzech Króli) through the town with local folk groups. It also closes the Christmas price period at the slopes and baths. Prices ease a little after that, but the Polish winter school holidays keep them high again from mid-January.
Booking tips
- Book accommodation early for 27 December to 2 January. It is one of the busiest weeks of the year in Zakopane.
- The days just before Christmas (roughly 14 to 22 December) are quiet and cheaper, with the market already open and often the first real snow.
- Getting here: trains and buses from Krakow run over the holidays, but with holiday timetables on the 24th, 25th and 1st. Check before you travel. See Krakow to Zakopane.
- Shopping: plan meals for the 24th to the 27th in advance. See also our practical tips on Sundays and holidays.
Questions we often get
Are shops open in Zakopane at Christmas 2026?
No. Shops are closed from Thursday 24 to Sunday 27 December 2026. The last normal shopping day is Wednesday 23 December. Petrol stations, pharmacies and some small owner-run shops stay open.
What time is midnight mass in Zakopane?
Most churches hold it at 24:00 on 24 December. The Jesuit church also has masses at 20:00 and 22:00, the Salvatorian church at 21:00 and Holy Cross Church at 22:00, based on last year's times.
When is the Christmas market in Zakopane?
Last season it ran from 12 December to 11 January on Plac Niepodległości, at the lower end of Krupówki, with free entry. The town announces this season's dates in November.
Is there a New Year's Eve party in Zakopane?
Last year the town held a free outdoor concert on Górna Równia Krupowa from 19:00. Details for 2026 are announced in December. There is no fireworks display, and fireworks are banned in public places.
Can I go to the midnight mass at Wiktorówki?
Wiktorówki is inside the Tatra National Park, where trails are closed from 22:00 to 5:00 in winter since February 2026. Check with the sanctuary and the park whether the time or the rules will change for Christmas 2026.
Willa Storczyk · Zakopane
Christmas in a wooden highland house
Family-run rooms from 100 PLN (about 23 EUR) per person per night, a few minutes' walk from the Bernardine church, with free parking. Holiday dates go first, so write to us early.
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