Nowy Targ

Nowy Targ is a town in Małopolskie Province in southern Poland, 80 km south of Kraków. The main reason to visit is to explore the Gorce Mountains to the north, and Tatra Mountains to the south.

Officially granted city rights in 1346 by King Casimir III the Great, Nowy Targ translates literally to "New Market," a title that reflects its 700-year legacy as the primary trading node for the highlander (Góral) communities. Unlike its southern neighbor Zakopane, which focuses heavily on alpine ski tourism, Nowy Targ retains an authentic, industrious community character. The town is globally famous across Poland for its intensive leathercraft and fur-processing traditions, its unique local ice cream delicacies, and its strategic placement as the absolute gateway to three major mountain chains: the Tatras, the Gorce, and the Pieniny.

The popular "Zakopianka" highway connecting Kraków and Zakopane is the most convenient way to get to Nowy Targ. Be aware of traffic jams during weekends.

The 49.47358120.0155231 Railway Station is located on the outskirts of the town, but still on a walkable distance. Intercity from Kraków go to Nowy Targ in 2 hours 45 minutes and tickets cost 29 zł. Cheaper regional trains cost 20 zł and cover the distance in 3,5 hours. Coming from Zakopane, intercity trains arrive in Nowy Targ after 30 minutes while tickets cost 10 zł. Regional trains do the journey in 40 minutes and tickets cost 5,40 zł.

Express buses to Zakopane leaving Kraków make a stop in the 49.47807920.0230122 Bus Station.

The urban town centre is flat and straightforward to navigate on foot.

• Walking: The historic market square and surrounding commercial quarters are entirely pedestrian-friendly.
• Local minibuses: Private and municipal minibuses queue continuously near the rail and bus terminals, pliant fixed routes tracking to adjacent mountain hiking trails and village hubs for highly inexpensive fares.

• 49.48325320.02961 St. Catherine Church, Kościelna 1.  
• 49.48693920.026922 St. Anne Church, Zacisze 17.  

• Podhale Nowy Targ Ice Hockey Team (Podhale Nowy Targ), Parkowa 14 34-400 Nowy Targ, ☏ +48 533 997 141. Podhale Nowy Targ is a Polish ice hockey club based in Nowy Targ. They play in the Polska Hokej Liga. They have won 19 major championships and their biggest success came in the 2003/04 season when they won the European Interliga Championships. Being a major winter sports city, ice hockey is very big in Nowy Targ and matches can have up to 3,000 spectators on a regular basis. The city bid unsuccessfully for the 2022 Winter Olympics with Krakow. You can go see all the venues early yourself. from 5 zł.  (updated Jun 2018)
• Turbacz mountain. Hike the Turbacz mountain, the highest summit of the Gorce Mountains. The climb from Nowy Targ takes about 2.5 hours. (updated Jul 2021)

• 49.4846920.049171 Nowy Targ Market, Targowa (1 km NE of town centre). It is one of the biggest and oldest street markets in Europe. It's open Thursday and Saturday mornings, with Thursday also being a livestock market. You'll find a huge variety of goods from ball gowns to hunting goods, axe heads to babies clothes, fresh fruit, sweets, electrical gear, lighting and bedding. Just be mindful of your budget flight's baggage allowance, and how many more ball gowns and cattle do you honestly need?  
• Sheepskin Rug Nowy Targ (Skóry Owcze Nowy Targ), Waksmundzka 212A, ☏ +48 886 618 424. A traditional tannery producing sheepskins since 1995. (updated Jan 2024)

The culinary landscape in Nowy Targ provides a rich, hearty experience designed to fuel hikers, celebrating traditional highlander recipes alongside a famous local dessert.

• Traditional ice cream (Lody Nowotarskie): A legendary sweet staple. Local ice cream parlors surrounding the main square have prepared fresh, artisanal ice cream using secret, multi-generational family dairy recipes since the mid-20th century. It features a unique, creamy texture that draws visitors from across Poland.
• Kwaśnica: A rich, intensely savory highlander sauerkraut soup cooked heavily with smoked pork ribs, bacon, and served boiling hot with rustic rye bread.

• 49.482220.0311 Restauracja Absynt, Rynek 9 (on the main market square promenade), ☏ +48182640505. Daily 12:00-22:00. A highly popular, clean, and modern restaurant serving exceptional traditional Polish and highlander specialties alongside standard European dishes. Known for its generous portions of pierogi, sour soup (żurek), and excellent grilled meats. Moderate.  

• Hot mugs of traditional Grzaniec Galicyjski (mulled red wine spiced heavily with cloves, cinnamon, and orange rinds) or local highlander tea mixed with herbal spirits are widely consumed to ward off cold alpine breezes at evening pubs along the square.

• 49.47420720.0158561 ibis Styles Nowy Targ, ul. Kolejowa 165 (next to the train station), ☏ +48 885 808 780. Also swimming lessons.  (updated Jul 2022)

• Mobile networks: High-speed 4G and 5G network coverage for Orange, Play, T-Mobile, and Plus is exceptionally strong, stable, and fast across the entire urban municipal area, making data streaming and online navigation seamless.
• Complimentary high-speed Wi-Fi is a standard amenity provided across all prominent hotels and cafes surrounding the central market square.

• Mountain mindfulness: When setting off to hike the nearby trails of Gorce national park (Gorczański Park Narodowy), always monitor local weather advisories before ascending. Mountain weather can shift rapidly, bringing dense fog and dropping temperatures within minutes.
• Market crowd awareness: Due to the massive, dense crowds that gather during the heavy Thursday and Saturday open-air market days, remain mindful of your pockets and personal belongings to protect against opportunistic pickpocketing.

• Dębno – famous for its wooden church
• Rabka-Zdrój
• Niedzica
• Zakopane