High Tatras - Poland - Slovakia Border

I wanted to go hiking this summer, and it's crazy hot in Israel. So my friend and I found a cheap ticket to Krakow, from which is it very easy to get to the High Tatras on the border of Poland and Slovakia.

*I travelled in August. I don't recommend August - too crowded. Weather was perfect though. Below are explanations how to plan a trip to Zakopane and the surrounding mountains. However, overall, I don't really recommend this area.

You can take a bus from the Krakow MVA central bus station called Flixbus (I bought tickets online in advance), and the drive to Zakpane is 2 hours. But sometimes there is traffic near Zakopane, because the road is narrow, so it takes longer. It is a popular summer retreat.

The interesting hike we did was a hike up to the 5 lakes. You take the shuttle in the morning from the Zakopane main station to Morskie Oko, the super popular lake, but instead of visiting that lake, you turn up onto the 5 lakes trail, which is way more difficult and far less crowded. Still there were more people than I expected. I read after I got back that if you want to be alone - better to rent a car and drive into the Slovakian Tatras that are farther away from a resort town.

The hike was super long. We hiked from about 10 am to 8:30 pm, with a stop for lunch at the top of the mountain. It's quite impressive that Europeans have mountain huts in the middle of nowhere that serve food - and the food was tasty, homey, and local. We had good traditional soups, lemonade, and a yummy apple pie. And many people drink beer also.

Shuttles return back to the town till 9 pm.

Stay:

In Zakopane we stayed at Szarotka, a cute cottage from before the war. And in Krakow we stayed at Hotel Perfect in the Jewish quarter, and it was very comfortable.

What's my honest review?

The mountains and the lakes are pretty, but not as much as the Dolomites. August is too crowded and Zakopane is too popular. If I were to go again i would rent a car and find more remote trails in Slovakia. Also, I was not impressed by Krakow.