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On the one hand Zakopane is a relatively small provincial town, on the other it’s Poland’s premier mountain resort. As such you can find the good, the bad and the ugly when it comes to exploring Zakopane’s nightlife. Take a wrong turn and you could end up in a dive bar listening to commercial tracks blasting out of inadequate speakers - and studiously avoiding the gaze of heavies in tight tops; take a right turn and you could end up in one of Poland’s best clubs listening to tunes mixed by an international giant of the decks and fighting off the attention of supermodels (hey, we’re a pretty good-looking bunch at Zakopane Life!).
Krupowki street makes an obvious start to any night out in Zako. It is the heart of the town, full of vendors, hawkers, clothes shops, restaurants and yes, bars and clubs. Most of them fall into the irredeemably naff category, however the dimunitive Nietota is a good bet for beer, whilst Café Piano is arguably the coolest watering hole in town and Jagoda spacious and well-designed. Very slightly off the beaten track, on Generala Galicy, the Zakopane branch of Paparazzi offers a more upbeat, party atmosphere, with DJs entering the fray at weekends.
When it comes to clubs, Zakopane can’t claim to spoil you for choice – but it can claim to spoil you. Ampstrong is not only the best club in Zakopane but amongst the best in the whole of Poland. There’s almost always something going on here, from the White Nights festival when they throw a party everyday in the time between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, to nu-jazz extravaganzas, ragga concerts and the regular bookings of quality house, breaks and drum’n’bass DJs from around the world. This eclectic programme brings people from as far as way as Warsaw (really!) and nearby Krakow to mash it up on the dancefloor, or to take it easy in the Arabian nights themed backrooms, where cushions and shisha pipes are the order of the day.
If you’re in town just keep an eye out for posters with the famous fish logo to be sure of turning up to a quality night.
However good it might be, Ampstrong’s status as Zakopane’s only credible club was thankfully broken in late 2005 by the arrival of new player Va Va Voom. A smart looking venue on two floors the management have already managed to attract some big names to the decks, such as Aquasky, Slope and Glyn “Bigga” Bush. Definitely worth a gander if you’re an alternative dance boffin, Va Va Voom is a very welcome threat to Ampstrong’s hegemony of Zakopane’s nightlife!
And the best of the rest? Well Rockus represents a surprisingly good night out for those who hate dance music, and organises occasional live concerts too; whilst meat markets Morskie Oko (on Krupowki street) and Genesis (Plac Niepodleglosci) have all the lasers and girls in short skirts a lagerboy could wish for...
One last thing to bear in mind about partying in Zako is the choice of venue isn’t the only factor that will affect your night: Zakopane’s nightlife is, like the life of the town in general, based on the seasons. Winter is peak tourist time as Poles and foreigners alike descend in their thousands for a spot of skiing and snowboarding. Come early Spring and the town quietens down, until May when the summer crowds arrive for some fresh mountain air. Similarly the Autumn can be pretty quiet as the academic year begins and the wait for snow begins. During the high season expect throngs of holidaymakers to pack out the pubs and clubs - but during the low seasons you might find yourself partying with the locals alone!
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 | | "Looks like there's fun to be had! CUthere!" | Sam
United Kingdom
Mar.30.2010
rates this page 5/5 |
| | "Looking forward to checkin out some of these clubs!" | Stan
United States
Feb.26.2010
rates this page 5/5 |
| | "If anyone would like clubing in Zakopane must go to "Finlandia", that's the best place i have been in January, new bartenders are serving the best drinks, have fun" | Margaret
United Kingdom
Feb.11.2010
rates this page 3/5 |
| | "Looking forward to partying with the lads in Zakopane. We're on our way!" | Steve
United Kingdom
Jan.27.2010
rates this page 5/5 |
| | "Will be there with the lads for some mash up. Are we ravin' or behavin'? What do you thionk?! " | Gary
United Kingdom
Jul.27.2009
rates this page 3/5 |
| | "Am lookin forward to checkin out the clubs in Zakopane! I heard the girls are cute" | Stan
United States
May.27.2009
rates this page 4/5 |
| | "when l was in zakopane my 2 year old son daniel hasnt stopped saying zakopane. l loved it l am going again l am proud to have the zakopane blood from my dad and grandad" | karl schiele
United Kingdom
Feb.27.2009
rates this page 5/5 |
| | "i didnt like it very much" | nuno
Slovak Republic
Feb.18.2009
rates this page 2/5 |
| | "l was in zakopane l got to see my grandads tadeusz schiele grave. and he is buried along with his father kazimierz. l never meet him as he died when l was young. l am glad that l got to see where he lived in zakopane. zakopane is the most beautiful countrys in the world." | karl schiele
United Kingdom
Jan.30.2009
rates this page 5/5 |
| | "thank you aneta. l enjoyed it.it was beautiful there l am going back again." | karl schiele
United Kingdom
Dec.04.2008
rates this page 3/5 |
| | "enjoj!!!!!" | Aneta
United Kingdom
Oct.02.2008
rates this page 5/5 |
| | " sorry l live in london not in amercia
" | karl schiele
United Kingdom
Jun.13.2008
rates this page 3/5 |
| | "l am going to zakopane in augest look forward to it as its my first time." | karl schiele
United Kingdom
Jun.13.2008
rates this page 3/5 |
| | "l am going to zakopane in augest look forward to it as its my first time." |
United Kingdom
Jun.13.2008
rates this page 3/5
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| | "zakopane is home of my father and grandfather
" | karl schiele
United Kingdom
Jun.13.2008
rates this page 3/5 |
| | "Sorry my last comments. Have too much hash." | KARL SCHIELE
United States
May.06.2008
rates this page 5/5 |
| | "Introduced to Zakopane by my wife. She grew up in a nearby town before moving to Canada. Myself, I lived near Banff, Alberta,one of Canada's premier resort towns and Zakopane is always the highlight of our annual trip throughout Europe.A definite must see!" | Blaine H
Canada
Jan.27.2008
rates this page 3/5 |
| | "WELL MY FATHER AND MY GRANDFATHER WHERE BORN IN ZAKOPANE. THERES A MOUNTAIN NAMED AFTER MY GRANDFATHER TADEUSZ SCHIELE IN ZAKOPANE. ZAKOPANE IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PLACE TO SPEND THE REST OF YOUR LIFE THERE . THE SCENERY THERE IS THE MOST AMAZING THING AND I AM SO GLAD THAT I AM APART OF ZAKOPANE BLOOD. MANT THANKS KARL SCHIELE. " | KARL SCHIELE
United Kingdom
Dec.06.2007
rates this page 5/5 |
| | "WELL MY FATHER AND MY GRANDFATHER WHERE BORN IN ZAKOPANE. THERES A MOUNTAIN NAMED AFTER MY GRANDFATHER TADEUSZ SCHIELE IN ZAKOPANE. ZAKOPANE IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PLACE TO SPEND THE REST OF YOUR LIFE THERE . THE SCENERY THERE IS THE MOST AMAZING THING AND I AM SO GLAD THAT I AM APART OF ZAKOPANE BLOOD. MANT THANKS KARL SCHIELE. " | KARL SCHIELE
United States
Dec.06.2007
rates this page 3/5 |
| | "My god, I'm just reading about Zakopane after my Polish friend recommended it and I'm just bursting to get there. Is it far from the airport and what about being child friendly. Have a five year old who shares his mothers desire to have a go at skiing. Bring it on! By the way, wonderful site. " | Avila
United Kingdom
Jan.24.2007
rates this page 3/5 |
| | "Ampstrong seems to be the place where it is all happening, as far as I could see. Check out the posters around town. Lots of smaller clubs and pubs on Krupowki as well (the main street) so no need to go too far for some serious apres-ski or party action!" | Keith Evans
United Kingdom
Dec.29.2006
rates this page 5/5 |
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