Dom Oscypka, Krupówki, Zakopane: cheese-making workshop with a baca
Dom Oscypka ("House of Oscypek") is a workshop studio on Krupówki in the very centre of Zakopane, where you can see how highland cheese is made from milk and make some yourself. It was founded by restaurateur Artur Kinasz, a Slow Food member long connected with Podhale cuisine. The team stresses that it is "not another museum": there are no display cases, just a live fire, the smell of cheese and a conversation with a shepherd. Workshops are led by Jędrek, a baca who, according to the team, spends about six months a year on the mountain pasture without electricity and far from his family.
Oscypek is a hard smoked cheese with EU Protected Designation of Origin: it is made mainly from sheep's milk with a little cow's milk, pressed in carved wooden moulds, brined and smoked. Genuine oscypek is seasonal, made only while the sheep graze on the high pastures, so during the workshop participants shape smaller cheeses, such as redykołki, while the baca explains oscypek in detail.
Why go
It is the easiest way to see cheese being made if you have no time to hike up to a shepherd's hut. The session lasts about an hour. In front of the guests the baca warms the milk, adds rennet — "klag" in the highland dialect — shows how to gather the curd and shape it into figures, and then everyone makes their own cheese and takes it home. Along the way there are stories of life in the hut, jokes and highland songs, plus tips on telling real oscypek from imitations and on the EU rules that protect it.
The workshop suits children of all ages, school groups and families. For adults there are extra tastings: Podhale cheeses compared with cheeses from around the world (from oscypek to Roquefort and Parmesan) and five house liqueurs inspired by highland tradition (18+ only).
What to taste and do
- Workshop with the baca — from fresh milk to your own redykołka to take away.
- Cheese tasting — Podhale versus the world.
- Liqueur tasting — five recipes inspired by highland tradition (adults only).
- For groups — dedicated programmes and the option of booking the studio exclusively.
Practical information
Address: ul. Krupówki 34a, Zakopane — on the main pedestrian street, about 10 minutes' walk from the bus and railway stations. There is no parking on Krupówki; the nearest paid car parks are in the town centre.
Schedule: according to the website, Monday–Saturday, sessions at 10:00, 11:30 and 13:00 (as of October 2026). Tickets are sold online; in season it is best to book ahead.
Prices: groups of 10 or more from 35 zł per person. Individual ticket prices are shown in the website's booking system; a 2026 Bukowina guide quotes 59 zł standard and 39 zł for children aged 4–14.
Contacts: +48 512 018 386, [email protected].
Nearby
- Krupówki street — you are already on it.
- Market below Gubałówka — buy oscypki there in season.
- Biały Potok shepherd's hut in Witów — a real shepherd's hut with a workshop, about 8 km away.
Official website: domoscypka.pl
Photos: domoscypka.pl.
Getting there from Ukraine
Border crossings
- Krakovets – Korczowa — road, 24/7
- Shehyni – Medyka — road, 24/7 Pedestrian crossing is not confirmed by the Ukrainian border service — check dpsu.gov.ua before the trip.
- Smilnytsia – Krościenko — road, 24/7
- Hrushiv – Budomierz — road, 24/7
- Mostyska – Przemyśl (rail) — rail, 24/7
By car
Lviv – Zakopane ≈421 km, ≈5 h 10 min without border queues. Route: M-10 Lviv – Krakovets → Krakovets – Korczowa checkpoint → A4 motorway (Rzeszów – Tarnów – Kraków) → Kraków southern bypass → S7/DK7 → DK47 ('Zakopianka') via Nowy Targ → Zakopane. The A4 Katowice – Kraków section (Balice and Mysłowice toll plazas) is tolled, but this route does not use it. In summer and at weekends the DK47 near Zakopane is often congested.
Checked 23.10.2026; border crossing hours and timetables change — check before you travel.
Location on the map
Comments
Trails nearby
All trails
EasyOne-dayMarkedZakopane DzianiszElevation profile822–1 132 m9.2 kmascent 277 m≈ 3 h walkingunder 1 km from Dom Oscypka, Krupówki, Zakopane: cheese-making workshop with a baca
ModerateOne-dayMarkedAntałówka Gubałówka, upper funicular stationElevation profile729–1 123 m16.4 kmascent 443 m≈ 5 h walkingunder 1 km from Dom Oscypka, Krupówki, Zakopane: cheese-making workshop with a baca
ModerateOne-dayMarkedZakopane WitówElevation profile820–1 179 m11.5 kmascent 405 m≈ 3.5 h walkingunder 1 km from Dom Oscypka, Krupówki, Zakopane: cheese-making workshop with a bacaNearby attractions
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