Visiting Snowlandia Zakopane is a must-do activity if you’re visiting Zakopane Poland during the winter months. Whether you’re learning to ski in Zakopane or just there to enjoy the wintry landscape and the hearty Polish food, anyone of any age can enjoy this winter wonderland.
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What is Snowlandia?
Snowlandia is a winter wonderland where everything from the giant pyramid to the giant maze is made from snow and ice. The structures take around one month to build although adversely warm weather conditions can hamper construction.
Where is Snowlandia?
Snowlandia is situated about 2km to the south of the centre of town next to the world-famous Great Krokiew Ski jump. You might be lucky to catch some snow jumping action from the top of the Maze castle or the Pyramid.
When can you visit Snowlandia?
As everything is entirely made out of snow and ice, you are only able to visit Snowlandia during the winter months. It is generally open from December to March but this is entirely dependant on the weather. It closed on 11th March 2020 and you will need to check on the Snowlandia website for the opening dates for 2021.
How much are Snowlandia tickets?
This is a rough summary of the ticket prices for Snowlandia for 2020. For more detailed pricing, see the Snowlandia price list. You buy your tickets from the ticket kiosk at the main entrance.
ADULT CHILD (3 – 16)
Mini Zoo 10 PLN 8 PLN
Labyrinth 20 PLN 16 PLN
Pyramid 16 PLN 12 PLN
Igloo 20 PLN 16 PLN
All areas 53 PLN 42 PLN
Once you have your tickets, you will need to keep them handy to scan them at the entrance to each attraction.
What is there to see and do at Snowlandia?
We already mentioned that everything in Snowlandia is made from snow and ice (with the exception of the animals in the mini zoo)! Here is what you can see at Snowlandia.
Giant Ice Maze
The giant ice maze in Snowlandia is such an impressive feat of engineering. You enter via the castle at the beginning of the maze and the aim is to complete the maze to be able to climb the castle at the end for beautiful views over Zakopane and the Tatra Mountains. The walls are at least 12 ft tall and it’s quite hard to get your bearings once you’re in there so don’t go in there thinking it will be easy!
It took us a good 15 minutes of dead-end after dead-end before we made any headway. If you get stuck, there are usually some kind folk on the top of the castle who might shout out directions to you. It was really fun, but thank goodness for the kid’s red jackets that we could spot a way off as they turned each corner. You’ll probably want to keep little ones close to you as it would be easy to lose them!
Snowlandia Zakopane’s Ice Maze
Giant Pyramid
The giant pyramid is based on the Egyptian pyramids and inside you’re in for an Egyptian treat. There are cavernous rooms on two levels and each room contains very intricately carved Egyptian ice sculptures. The rooms are lit with lights that change colour on rotation. Sometimes it will be ice white, then green, then blue then purple. The kids loved this.
Again, you get great views across over Snowlandia and the Tatra Mountains when you step out onto the balcony on the second floor.
Giant Ice Pyramid at Snowlandia
Giant Igloo
The Igloo is very similar to the pyramid with lots of different rooms inside with ice carvings. This time though, expect characters from your favourite cartoons. There was an Asterix room, a Frozen room, a Snow White room and a Lion King room. The coloured lights really added to the experience.
Mini Zoo
The mini zoo was indeed mini. There’s a short walk to get there from the main area. There were a few animals in enclosures. A poor little polar fox looked a little sorry for himself all on his own, but there were also deer, Polish mountain sheep, goats and a few other small animals. The boys had a climb on some large rocks but we didn’t spend a great deal of time here because we prefer not to see animals in captivity.
Mini Zoo at Snowlandia Zakopane
Toboggan run
There’s a 200m long slope divided into smaller toboggan runs. Your ticket price includes the hire of the sledges. It’s probably best to do this at the end of your visit otherwise you may end up wandering around lost in the maze getting colder and colder as the snow you got in your snow boots or down the back of your neck melts!
Toboggan run at Snowlandia – Photo Credit Snowlandia
Tips for visiting Snowlandia
- Make sure to dress up warm. We were dressed in our ski gear and snow boots. We visited at 4 – 6 pm and as soon as the sun went down, the temperature dropped dramatically. The ski gear is also a good idea if you want to go tobogganing.
- Make sure to try the spiral fried potato snack that you’ll see sold everywhere. They are delicious!!! Once they’re fried, you can sprinkle over various flavoured toppings – salt, paprika, chilli etc. They also had them at the bottom of our Syzmoskowa ski slope and were a great way to grab a quick, warm and very cheap snack.
Polish Streetfood at Snowlandia
Accommodation near Snowlandia
There is a great choice of accommodation in the vicinity of the Great Krokiew ski jump and Snowlandia but it can get booked up well in advance. We love to find cosy self-catering chalets like these ones that give us the flexibility to make our own breakfast and snacks:
Or check the full selection of accommodation on Booking.com
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[…] Snowlandia is a winter wonderland located just to the south of the centre of town. There is a huge pyramid on two levels which you can enter and see Egyptian ice sculptures. Don’t underestimate the giant snow labyrinth with a castle at the centre with giant ice walls so you lose your sense of direction. There’s also a toboggan run, an igloo with ice sculptures of famous cartoon characters and a mini zoo. […]
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