Whoever has not heard of Zawoja, is seriously missing out. The longest and largest village in Poland lies at the foot of Babia Góra, decorated with green fir trees, and is only 70 km away from Kraków and Zakopane. Don't expect cows, combine harvesters and villages in the middle of nowhere here. Instead, there is a lively resort with brilliant ski slopes, singletracks for fans of two wheels and taverns with high-calorie food. There are also confused postmen because although Zawoja is a huge and extensive village, there are no street names here, and house numbers are given in the order they are built, so mixups are guaranteed.
On the hill, away from the centre of events, you will find two painted houses, one large and one small. The houses smell of wood and meadows, and the terraces are such that the mulled wine is poured and brought in by itself, just to take a look at the surroundings. The tiled fireplaces make an electrifying impression, there's snow up to your armpits in the winter, and flower-covered glades in the summer.
This is a place for sports fans and just in time for an interesting crime story while heating your back by the fireplace. Walks, skis, sledges, bicycles and mountain tours, regional taverns and tea with a splash of something stronger, in the evening sauna and jacuzzi. Nothing is missing except your presence.
In the longest and largest village in Poland, which, apart from the most beautiful ones, is simply the most beautiful. On a hill overlooking the Beskids, forests and fields, there are two wooden houses full of coziness.
The larger, thatched house (100 m2) has 2 floors, is designed for 6 people and captivates with its décor inspired by local folklore. On the ground floor, which is full of sun, rays penetrate through the glazed living room, which warms the room even on cold winter days. After ski madness and sledding antics, your red noses and frozen hands will be warmed by an unusual stove-fireplace, combined with a tiled kitchen and a stove in the corridor. Slow coffee and an absorbing book are on the fold-out sofa next to it. From here, you can also stare at Babia Góra, which is different at any time of the year. By the window overlooking the world, you can relax at the table on two comfortable armchairs. On the ground floor there is also a fully equipped kitchen with a dining area for 6 people. Of course, there is also a large bathroom with a shower cabin. The biggest unbeatable advantage is the roofed observation deck, where there are garden furniture and a jacuzzi (open from May to January) standing right next to it. On the first floor there are three separate bedrooms, equipped with double beds and a Finnish sauna.
- wood for the fireplace,
- for children: high chair, baby bath, gate on the stairs, cot
- barbecue in the garden with a wooden bench,
- Jacuzzi in the garden gazebo (open from May to January),
In a smaller 50m2 cottage for up to 4 people there is some magic and warmth flowing from the fireplace. Life goes on on the ground floor, and the green tiled stove-fireplace is the center of all home events. In the warmth of a living fire, there is a fold-out sofa, which provides one couple with an unusually atmospheric place to sleep. In the living room there is a fully equipped open kitchen with a dining area for 4 people. Lunch can therefore be eaten with the windows open to the panorama of Babia Góra or on a large wooden terrace. There is also a bathroom with a shower on the ground floor. Up the stairs, unpack your suitcases in the spacious bedroom with two viewing windows and one double bed. For children, it is possible to add a baby cot.
- wood for the fireplace,
- TV with Internet access,
- for children: high chair, baby bath, gate on the stairs, cot
- grill with a wooden bench,
- Jacuzzi in the garden open from May to New Year's Eve
It is possible to rent bicycles and ski equipment.
We know very well that you can not eat at all, but you cannot eat badly, so the heart of every house is the kitchen. Fully equipped with all utensils needed for cooking, kitchen utensils and tableware. In the kitchen you will find a fridge-freezer, induction hob, microwave, electric kettle, coffee machine with grinder, toaster, wood-fired tiled kitchen.
You can eat really tasty in the area:
Dzika Chata is a place that got a new life after Magda Gessler's revolutions. The restaurant deals mainly with venison, you can eat a very good boar goulash with dumplings, wild boar cutlet and highlander pancakes. We also recommend soups - garlic and sour soup.
The Tabakowy Chodnik inn is known throughout Zawoja and the surrounding area. The repertoire, of course, includes mountain trout. Large portions are served here, and the menu includes Kozak zrazy, garlic soup for 5+, very tasty dumplings with meat, delicious mulled wine, sausage baked with cabbage and desserts that will supplement the calories lost on the slope.
Karczma Zbójnicka is an atmospheric restaurant with a really beautiful interior. Food satisfies every hungry skier, cyclist and walker. There is a checkbox for good morning, and the menu includes a delicious potato pancake, a specific sour rye soup, and sensational cauldrons.
On the way to Babia Góra, you can have a meal at the PTTK Markowe Szczawiny shelter. There is good apple pie and horseradish soup, baked beans, cold beer and warm tea, which is all you need halfway to the top.
It is a pity to sit at home or rest in an armchair, there will always be time for that. It is better to go outside and open up to the captivating view of Babia Góra, which is beautiful at any time of the year, bicycle routes that will pamper cyclists, walking routes with a medal, ski slopes for winter madmen, open-air museums, wooden churches and the surrounding villages and towns worth exploring .
Zawoja can boast of several ski slopes, including one really cool, quite steep and for rather advanced players - Mosorny Groń. This mighty mountain offers fantastic views of Babia Góra, and with good visibility also of the Tatra Mountains. For beginners and intermediate skiers, there is the Wojtek and Baca slope, where you can hire an instructor and learn to ride without too much stress.
After skiing, tobogganing, a walk uphill or cycling, a jacuzzi in the gazebo and a sauna in a larger cottage await you.
When the snow melts and crocuses and snowdrops appear on the surface, it is worth going to the top of Babia Góra with a lonely island of alpine halls.
If, like us, you love sport in any form, we have a real treat for you. "Babia GóraTrails" is a network of over 20 kilometers of mountain bike routes, the so-called singletrack. On the Polish side, there are kilometers of uphill and downhill routes around Mosorny Groń, with varying degrees of difficulty. Take kids, pads and helmets, and you can rent bikes from us.
Where is it worth being, what is worth seeing:
- Multimedia Mountain Center Korona Ziemi - an interesting museum of mountains and himalaism.
- The Babiogórska Jesień Festival, held in September in Zawoja, is a celebration of the tradition and heritage of the Babia Góra Highlanders. During the celebration, you will be able to "touch" and "taste" the Babia Góra culture and learn about the highlander customs of other parts of the Carpathians.
- Open-air museum PTTK Zawoja Markowe - presents the traditional architecture of Babiogórców.
- Museum - Orawa Ethnographic Park in Zubrzyca Górna - an open-air museum opened in 1955 presenting the history, architecture and culture of the Upper Orava region. Among others, Janosik and with Fire and Sword.
- Skansen Bystra - Sidzina, where the exhibition "Easter palms" takes place in spring.
- Museum - Nadwiślański Ethnographic Park in Wygiełzów and Lipowiec Castle, whose history dates back to the Middle Ages.
- The Wooden Architecture Trail in Małopolska, i.e. 255 most valuable and interesting historic wooden buildings.
- Stajnia pod Babią Góra "Dyzma" - for fans of holidays in the saddle.
- Lanckorona, where you can easily go back and imagine what Poland used to be like.
- Kalwaria Zebrzydowska - Kalwaria Zebrzydowska is located just an hour by bike from the settlement, a place with a charming landscape and special for Lesser Poland, where John Paul II made a pilgrimage many times. While in Kalwaria, try delicious scoop ice cream.
- Just an hour by car from Zawoja, you can move into the Tatra landscape and go to Rusinowa Polana.
What’s there for children?
Looking at our kids, we know that children in the Beskids are simply not bored. In winter, when snowmen are sticking to their armpits, they have an appetite for skis and sledges, and later for a whole pot of sour soup. In summer, they climb smaller and larger peaks, discover the charms of cycling on the hills, learn about Babia Góra folklore and culture, eat oscypek and swim in Lake Orawskie. They look for the wind in the field and the stars in the sky, and listen to stories about Janosik and Rumcajs for bedtime.
