Giewont Mountain, Zakopane: Address, Phone Number, Giewont Mountain Reviews: 4.5/5
Giewont Mountain
Giewont Mountain
4.5
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
338 reviews
Excellent
234
Very good
79
Average
16
Poor
4
Terrible
5
Robert O
Rotterdam, The Netherlands3,128 contributions
Sep 2020
An altitude of 1894m. in the Tatras is high enough to earn the title of a real mountain. Moreover Giewont has a rocky summit and the last part (some 20m) you have to scramble over rocks adding to the experience of climbing a genuine peak. Still the overall hike to Giewont is very much doable for most people who are in good health and have a reasonable physical condition. Perhaps for this reason the hike up to Giewont is very popular.
The sign for the blue marked route to Giewont at Kuznice reads 3.15 (three hours and fifteen minutes). According to Google the distance of the trail is 5.7 km. Elevation difference just under 900m. I did the hike twice during bad weather when there were hardly any people. Both times I was alone on the summit, but the view was limited. To go down I would recommend the red marked trail through the beautiful Strazyska valley.
The sign for the blue marked route to Giewont at Kuznice reads 3.15 (three hours and fifteen minutes). According to Google the distance of the trail is 5.7 km. Elevation difference just under 900m. I did the hike twice during bad weather when there were hardly any people. Both times I was alone on the summit, but the view was limited. To go down I would recommend the red marked trail through the beautiful Strazyska valley.
Written October 19, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Nick W
Nottingham, UK127 contributions
Aug 2021 • Couples
Beautiful mountain with great views.
There are four routes to the area just below the summit and some are considered easier than others.
You will have to queue up the the summit however the wait is not too long and the queue moves along at a decent pace.
The queue down took longer and was made worse by people who clearly were too important to wait. But maybe that's just me being English :-)
We do love good queue etiquette!
A great day overall, and well worth the effort.
There are four routes to the area just below the summit and some are considered easier than others.
You will have to queue up the the summit however the wait is not too long and the queue moves along at a decent pace.
The queue down took longer and was made worse by people who clearly were too important to wait. But maybe that's just me being English :-)
We do love good queue etiquette!
A great day overall, and well worth the effort.
Written August 19, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
JustDiveIn
Miami, FL1,012 contributions
Sep 2018 • Couples
We started out our hike from Kuznice along the blue trail that leads to Giewont. The hike is not too hard, its appropriate for all ages. The hike to the top took us about 3 hours, you can make it to the top sooner but we were not rushing, we were enjoying the views. Along the way you will encounter water that is flowing out of a log, natural spring water, you can fill up your water bottle. The final 50 meters at the top are the most difficult part of the hike, "the area of the chains". The chains were placed to help hikers climb to the top, the granite rock at the top is very slippery, hold on to the chain at all times. I would not attempt if the rocks are wet or its raining. Once you climb to the top you will be directly under the Giewont cross, which is a 15-meter steel cross built in 1901. At the peak, you will be at 1,895 m (6,217 ft). Be very cautious at the top, there aren't any guard railings or fencing, one misstep or a shove from someone when the area is crowded and you can plunge to your death. If you get to the peak early you will not have to put up with the crowds and you can enjoy the views of Zakopane. Coming down from the peak, always hold on to the chains, it makes coming down a lot easier.
Luckily we were staying at Willa Lesna, which was around a 2.5k walk to the gondola station at Kuznice. There isn't any onsite parking, the only parking we saw in the area was on Mieczyslawa Karlowicza street and it is limited, there was one parking lot and the rest is street parking. Best option is to get here by bus.
Tips:
Make sure to wear hiking boots with all the rocks along the trail it is easy to twist an ankle.
Hiking poles are very helpful, when using them you put less stress on your knees.
Bring gloves, they save your hands while you're pulling yourself up on the chains near the top.
Keep an eye out on the weather while you are hiking it changes very quickly in the mountains.
If there is rain or thunderstorms in the forecast do not head to Giewont, the cross at the top frequently gets hit by lightning.
If you found this helpful feel free to hit the Thank button below. Happy Travels.
Luckily we were staying at Willa Lesna, which was around a 2.5k walk to the gondola station at Kuznice. There isn't any onsite parking, the only parking we saw in the area was on Mieczyslawa Karlowicza street and it is limited, there was one parking lot and the rest is street parking. Best option is to get here by bus.
Tips:
Make sure to wear hiking boots with all the rocks along the trail it is easy to twist an ankle.
Hiking poles are very helpful, when using them you put less stress on your knees.
Bring gloves, they save your hands while you're pulling yourself up on the chains near the top.
Keep an eye out on the weather while you are hiking it changes very quickly in the mountains.
If there is rain or thunderstorms in the forecast do not head to Giewont, the cross at the top frequently gets hit by lightning.
If you found this helpful feel free to hit the Thank button below. Happy Travels.
Written April 30, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
oliverd
Sydney, Australia626 contributions
Oct 2018 • Solo
Apparently, Giewont can gery VERY busy... I went off-season (October) on a weekday, and it was not busy. There was a school group just ahead of me on the last steep section of the summit, but otherwise I did not see many other people. I would agree with other comments - go very early or choose a different walk during busy periods.
Rather than just going up Giemont and back the same way, I woud recommend doing a circuit from Kuźnice to the Giemont summit, then continuing up the ridge to Kopa Kondracka and across to Kasprowsky Wierch. From here, you can walk back down to Kuźnice. Or you can take the cable-car down. (You could, of course, do the hike in reverse and catch the cable car up, which would make it an easier walk.)
This circular walk also means if there is a queue to the Giemont summit you can skip the peak, and you'll get equally good views from the high elevations as you ascend from the saddle below Giemont to Kopa Kondracka.
Rather than just going up Giemont and back the same way, I woud recommend doing a circuit from Kuźnice to the Giemont summit, then continuing up the ridge to Kopa Kondracka and across to Kasprowsky Wierch. From here, you can walk back down to Kuźnice. Or you can take the cable-car down. (You could, of course, do the hike in reverse and catch the cable car up, which would make it an easier walk.)
This circular walk also means if there is a queue to the Giemont summit you can skip the peak, and you'll get equally good views from the high elevations as you ascend from the saddle below Giemont to Kopa Kondracka.
Written November 24, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
andrewT3625DL
Warsaw, Poland55 contributions
Jul 2017 • Solo
Although I've been to the Tatra Mountains many times, during my last visit I climbed Giewont for the first time. Perhaps it's because I visit mountains to find tranquility and I often look for places that are not popular. Giewont is extremely popular and in a way iconic. The mighty silhouette of Giewont stands out in the landscape of the Tatra Mountains that can be seen from Zakopane.
As Giewont is pretty close to Zakopane the hike takes about 6-7 hours and it is not much. Many hikes in the High Tatras take 10 hours or more and are far more strenuous.
I started my hike near the train station in Zakopane at 8 am. It really makes sense to start earlier (even at 6am) to avoid crowds. It took me about half an hour to get on foot to the National Park's entrance gate where the red trail starts. I chose the red trail that leads through the Strazyska Valley to ascend the mountain, then the blue trail to climb the peak of the mountain and finally the yellow trail that leads through "Dolina Malej Laki" valley to descend. Hiking through the valleys is very relaxing. Spruce forest provides shadow and has an intense and fresh scent. I enjoyed the sight and sound of mountain creeks. Above the forest were meadows blooming with purple flowers and green grass.
The peak of Giewont is rocky and steep. There are iron chains to help people to climb. Because of the queues the climb to the rocky peak and descent took me over one hour. If there had been no queues, it would have taken about 30 minutes.
Unfortunately, one woman got injured by a falling rock. She was evacuated by a mountain rescue helicopter. The difficulty of the trail near the peak is three stars in five star scale (Five stars have few of the most difficult hiking trails in Tatra mountains ), so climbing Giewont isn't a walk in the park. At the peak of Giewont you will see a huge iron cross and stunning view reaching far beyond Zakopane.
This hike was very interesting and varied in spite of short duration.
As Giewont is pretty close to Zakopane the hike takes about 6-7 hours and it is not much. Many hikes in the High Tatras take 10 hours or more and are far more strenuous.
I started my hike near the train station in Zakopane at 8 am. It really makes sense to start earlier (even at 6am) to avoid crowds. It took me about half an hour to get on foot to the National Park's entrance gate where the red trail starts. I chose the red trail that leads through the Strazyska Valley to ascend the mountain, then the blue trail to climb the peak of the mountain and finally the yellow trail that leads through "Dolina Malej Laki" valley to descend. Hiking through the valleys is very relaxing. Spruce forest provides shadow and has an intense and fresh scent. I enjoyed the sight and sound of mountain creeks. Above the forest were meadows blooming with purple flowers and green grass.
The peak of Giewont is rocky and steep. There are iron chains to help people to climb. Because of the queues the climb to the rocky peak and descent took me over one hour. If there had been no queues, it would have taken about 30 minutes.
Unfortunately, one woman got injured by a falling rock. She was evacuated by a mountain rescue helicopter. The difficulty of the trail near the peak is three stars in five star scale (Five stars have few of the most difficult hiking trails in Tatra mountains ), so climbing Giewont isn't a walk in the park. At the peak of Giewont you will see a huge iron cross and stunning view reaching far beyond Zakopane.
This hike was very interesting and varied in spite of short duration.
Written August 9, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
BanatiBarna
Budapest, Hungary365 contributions
Jun 2018 • Couples
Definitely not the easiest trips you'll ever have, but it gets gradually harder as you get closer to the top, and gets you pumped for the amazing view awaiting you at the peak. DO NOT try the last part in rain, or thunderstorm, because the stones you need to grab onto are really slippery, also thunders like to struck this mountain top in specific.
Also, make sure you wear strong tour boots, because some stones can be be really sharp and can damage your feet.
Also, make sure you wear strong tour boots, because some stones can be be really sharp and can damage your feet.
Written June 23, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Manvsfoodie
Cheshire, UK108 contributions
Mar 2017 • Couples
This is the one you must climb! if your only going to climb one during your stay! It’s steep an has a rocky part at the top with chains as long as treated with respect it’s a great climb, always a queue coming down from the top, first time we went my brother in law had to carry a young woman down on this back ( he’s a fireman ) as she froze and refused to move coming down creating a massive queue.
Just bear in mind that the cross on top that’s the symbol for zacopane isn’t that of religious significance, it was up there as a symbol of respect to the people who lost there lives climbing it.
We have done it 4 times an my wife is scared of hights an she managed it twice.
Well recommended
Get climbing
Just bear in mind that the cross on top that’s the symbol for zacopane isn’t that of religious significance, it was up there as a symbol of respect to the people who lost there lives climbing it.
We have done it 4 times an my wife is scared of hights an she managed it twice.
Well recommended
Get climbing
Written October 5, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
jaaandy
London, UK15 contributions
Aug 2017 • Friends
This mountain is by far the busiest climb (except the walk to M.Oko) in the Polish Tatras - there are literally queues of people waiting to climb, and there are much nicer climbs in the area! Unless you're planning to begin hiking before sunrise (and even then there will be rubbish lying around) you should avoid this.
Written August 9, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Kevin K
England, UK189 contributions
Jul 2016 • Family
All I can is what a wonderful place every stunning views, great food, and great value at 5.6 zloty to the pound.. a secret place that gets missed out on. Don't be fooled by what you read or hear about poland it's a stunning country.
Written August 1, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Headcammer
Edinburgh, UK6 contributions
Jun 2016 • Couples
The climb to Giewont from Kusnice is similar to a Munroing expedition in Scotland in terms of distance and height climbed, but the path is engineered every step of the way, it is likely to be as busy as the Ben Nevis donkey path and, hey, there are 2 pubs en route. Watch out for the black quartz which I believe is named after Giewont. Boulders of this rock are very slippy, especially those near the summit where they have been polished to a shine. Since Giewont is quite precipitous at the summit, care is needed. Fabulous views in all directions (Zakopane to north, Tatras on other 3 sides).
Written July 4, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Hello, how long does it take to hike from zakopane to Giewont and back again?
Czy bd możliwość wejścia teraz na początku stycznia tu bądź na gubalowke dla ambitnego laika czy jest to wykluczone?
tur07_13
Lodz, Poland1,450 contributions
Zdecydowanie zalecam Gubałówkę. Giewont do zbyt poważna góra dla laików.
Maria M
3 contributions
Hi there, I was wondering if it would be possible to hike up to Giewont from Krusznic then from there hike to Kasprowy Weich and take the cable car back down ? And roughly how long would it take ? Or does anyone else have any other ideas in mind after getting to the top of Giewont as I don't want to follow the same path down I walked up.
teddipan
Krakow, Poland1,681 contributions
Yes, it's a very nice hike, the hilltops trail towards Kasprowy is very scenic. How long would it take, it always varies up to factor of 2 times depending on the person, see the statistics on mapa-turystyczna.pl/route?q=49.269507,19.98051;49.250958,19.934097;49.232368,19.981652 and determine how long it'll take you. (this map also displays the "official" time as you'll see on the signpost, but you should not assume you'll make it depending on your experience, plus it excludes any break times). Recall that in September the cable car operates till 6:30 pm. so you need to start early to be sure you'll make it (although walk down is easy 2h hike, so it's not any extreme problem if you miss the cable car. Have a headlight anyway). Just be warned not to hike Giewont in the weekend - it gets unbelievably crowded which will take all the joy out.
Jak dojechać z Zakopanego na Giewont?
kocur13
Poland43 contributions
Hej, musisz kierować się na Kuźnice i z kuźnic niebieskim szlakiem na Giewont ; )
Travis R
Bristol, UK4 contributions
Do you have to pay any sort of concession fee to go up Giewont? And also what's the best way to get to it from Zakopane?
teddipan
Krakow, Poland1,681 contributions
There is no fee for Giewont specifically, at the beginning of the route you'll pay the standardized fee for entering the trails (5 pln). There are two (three) trails to Giewont, see the map mapa-turystyczna . pl/node/giewont . Blue and red go from Zakopane - both are fine, best use one going up and another down to avoid returning the same way. Keep in mind that Giewont is the most popular peak for mass tourism - if you come in the summer it's best to start this hike super super early to be at the top before most tourists come, otherwise you will find the queue forming at the hardest scrambling sections with chains.
If you are in good shape, you can consider a longer option: hiking up Giewont by one of the trails mentioned, and the continuing by yellow-then-red route to Kasprowy Wierch and down to Zakopane. It's arguably the most interesting option but needs certain amount of fitness to fit in the day.
Liav
Tel Aviv, Israel192 contributions
Summer lifts with trails in the Tatras on a map - is something like this available anywhere online? I have been trying to plan our hikes towards an upcoming vacation to hike with a six year old so it is essential we do one direction with a cable cars/lift/horse and carriage and the other by foot. And I cannot a single map joining together these two pieces of info. - trails and lifts. I even downloaded the pttk app. No lifts are marked. Any help would b much appreciated.
Thanks.
teddipan
Krakow, Poland1,681 contributions
Here are some maps, you will see the legend in English at the bottom to see how cable cars are marked.
mapytatr . net/PRODUKTY/MAPY_TAT/WYSOKIE/SLICES/wys_ii . htm (High Tatras)
mapytatr . net/PRODUKTY/MAPY_TAT/ZACHODNI/SLICES/zach_i . html (Western Tatras)
Alexander G
7 contributions
Hello, is it easy to find the way until Giewont from Zakopane ? Google map dont find a way. Thanks
AgnesJosie
Szczecin, Poland36 contributions
Hello, the best idea is to buy a map of Tatra Mountains routes or ask about it in Info Centre in Zakopane. The most popular route is the blue route, which starts in Kuźnice (a part of Zakopane, you can go there with minibuses). You go then through Polana Kalatowki and Hala Kondratowa {(nice views) to Giewont . You can also search in the internet the routes in Tatra Mountains.
Matej Tyc
Prague, Czech Republic
Hello,
just want to ask if it is real to climb the Giewont Mountain with a dog.
Thanks everyone for the answer! :)
AgnesJosie
Szczecin, Poland36 contributions
Hello. Unfortunately you can't walk with the dog to the Tatra Mountains. It is forbidden to go there with dogs.
VovaD
Caesarea, Israel109 contributions
Hi. What are the "there are some even better climbs" instead of Giewont?
monikabharmal
England, UK56 contributions
There are a lot of beautiful climbs! You could try:
Dolina Pięciu Stawów Polski and then Morskie Oko. Park your car at Palenica Białczańska Car Park. Then go to Dolina Pięciu Stawów ( on your way there you could visit Waterfall Siklawa, just follow the signs). The view of the lakes is just amazing. When you get there you can stop for something to eat at the hostel and then follow the route to get to Morskie Oko.
Very busy in the season! Lots of walking involved!
Frequently Asked Questions about Giewont Mountain
- Hotels near Giewont Mountain:
- (0.03 mi) Willa Pod Bandera
- (0.04 mi) Villa Vista Apartamenty & Sauna
- (0.09 mi) Magnat Inn
- (0.05 mi) Lesny Dworek Apartments
- (0.04 mi) Willa Widokowa
- Restaurants near Giewont Mountain:
- (0.50 mi) Restauracja Zakopianskie Smaki
- (0.74 mi) STRH Bistro Art Cafe
- (0.29 mi) Piwniczka
- (0.64 mi) PaPaj Pizza
- (0.98 mi) Drukarnia Smaku Cristina
- Attractions near Giewont Mountain:
- (0.00 mi) Kozi Wierch, 2291 M N.P.M
- (0.00 mi) Czarny Staw Gąsienicowy
- (0.57 mi) GO!Ski Zakopane
- (0.91 mi) Muzeum Oscypka Zakopane
- (0.75 mi) Cmentarz Zasluzonych na Peksowym Brzyzku