Zawoja

Sucha County · Lesser Poland Voivodeship · Poland
Zawoja — photo 1 Zawoja — photo 2 Zawoja — photo 3 Zawoja — photo 4 Zawoja — photo 5 6

Photos: Artur Kozioł, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons); Oscar Arky, CC BY 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons); Jerzy Opioła, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons); Jerzy Opioła, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons); *fiedler*, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons); Adam Kindur, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)

Zawoja is a village in Poland, located in the Zawoja commune of Sucha County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship. The settlement lies in a picturesque valley of the Skawica river, at the foot of the Babia Góra massif, near the borders of Podhale, Orava, and the Żywiec Beskids. Zawoja is one of the largest and longest villages in Poland, stretching for about 18–19 km, and serves as the seat of the commune and the Babia Góra National Park headquarters.

The first records of Zawoja date back to 1646, when it was mentioned as a newly established settlement exempt from serfdom. Zawoja became a separate locality in 1836. In the 19th century, an iron forge, a match factory, and a steam sawmill operated here. In 1954, the Babia Góra National Park was established, with its initial administration in Zawoja Markowa.

Zawoja is known as a popular mountain resort with rich wooden architecture and the folk traditions of the Babia Góra Gorals. The headquarters of Babia Góra National Park is located here. The village is a starting point for hikes to Babia Góra, the Polica and Jałowiec ranges. Notable sights include the Church of St. Clement (1888), the chapel of St. John the Baptist, an old inn, forester’s buildings, and a wooden architecture complex at Markowe Rówienki.

Visitors can explore over 20 hiking trails in and around Zawoja, such as Gaiki – Sucha Beskidzka, Zawoja Widły – Markowe Szczawiny – Babia Góra, and Zawoja Podryżowane – PTTK shelter at Markowe Szczawiny. Peaks to climb include Babia Góra, Jałowiec, Czerniawa Sucha, Sokolicy, and Kiczorka. Attractions include the permanent exhibition of Babia Góra National Park, the waterfall on Mosorny Stream, and Markowe Szczawiny. For accommodation, there are shelters at Markowe Szczawiny and Adamy.

Getting there from Ukraine

Lviv – Żywiec ≈412 km, ≈5 h 30 min without queues or tolls: M-10 → Krakovets – Korczowa → A4 to Kraków (≈249 km) → DK52 via Wadowice → DW781 and DW946 to Żywiec. ≈333 km, ≈4 h from the border. Alternative via the tolled A4 Kraków – Katowice and the S1 via Tychy and Bielsko-Biała: ≈457 km, ≈5 h 25 min.

Sources: Wikipedia, Wikidata, OpenStreetMap, Karpaty.rocks data. More on Wikipedia

Trails nearby

All trails
Sidzina – JabłonkaHardMulti-dayMarkedSidzina JabłonkaElevation profile507–1 723 m74.1 kmascent 3 189 munder 1 km from the centreTrail of Prof. Marian WnukModerateOne-dayMarkedTrail of Prof. Marian WnukElevation profile347–776 m11.3 kmascent 477 m≈ 4 h walkingunder 1 km from the centreZawoja Mosorne – Nad KiczorkąEasyOne-dayMarkedZawoja Mosorne Nad KiczorkąElevation profile575–1 076 m5.3 kmascent 23 m≈ 1.5 h walking2.1 km from the centreWodospad Sopotnia – Above Przełęcz PrzysłopHardMulti-dayMarkedWodospad Sopotnia Above Przełęcz PrzysłopElevation profile490–1 111 m31.5 kmascent 1 619 m≈ 11 h walking2.3 km from the centreZawoja – LachowiceModerateOne-dayMarkedZawoja LachowiceElevation profile447–1 111 m12.3 kmascent 587 m≈ 4 h walking3 km from the centreZawoja Wełcza – Zawoja Małe widełkiEasyOne-dayMarkedZawoja Wełcza Zawoja Małe widełkiElevation profile629–829 m4.7 kmascent 198 m≈ 1.5 h walking3.4 km from the centre

Peaks nearby

All peaks
Kiczorka (Cyl Hali Śmietanowej)PeakKiczorka (Cyl Hali Śmietanowej)Zawojaaltitude 1 298 m4.8 km from the centreKiczorka (in guidebooks and on maps Cyl Hali Śmietanowej) is a 1298 m summit in the western part of the Polica Range, west of Polica itself.Jałowiec (Jałowiec Range)PeakJałowiec (Jałowiec Range)Koszarawaaltitude 1 111 m5.8 km from the centreJałowiec is a 1,111 m summit, the highest of the Jałowiec Range north of the Babia Góra massif in Poland.PolicaPeakPolicaSidzinaaltitude 1 369 m6 km from the centrePolica (formerly Police) is a 1,369 m summit, the highest of the Polica range north-east of Krowiarki Pass.Czerniawa SuchaPeakCzerniawa SuchaZawojaaltitude 1 062 m6.7 km from the centreCzerniawa Sucha (also Suchy Groń or Sucha Góra) is a 1,062 m summit on the main ridge of the Jałowiec Range, north of the Babia Góra massif.CzernicPeakCzernicZubrzyca Górnaaltitude 1 317 m7.2 km from the centreCzernic (on hiking maps also Czyrniec) is a 1317 m summit in the Polica Range in southern Poland. In Jerzy Kondracki's classic physical-geographic division the range...Sokolica (Babia Góra)PeakSokolica (Babia Góra)Zawojaaltitude 1 367 m8.4 km from the centre1 trail to the topSokolica is a 1,367 m viewpoint on the north-eastern ridge of the Babia Góra massif in the Żywiec Beskids, in Poland close to the Slovak border.

What to visit

All
Waterfall on the Mosorny PotokWaterfallWaterfall on the Mosorny PotokZawoja3.1 km from the centreThe waterfall on the Mosorny Potok (Wodospad na Mosornym Potoku), also called Mosorczyk, is one of the highest natural waterfalls of the Polish Beskids.Babia Góra National Park Permanent Exhibition, ZawojaMuseumBabia Góra National Park Permanent Exhibition, ZawojaZawoja6.1 km from the centreThe permanent exhibition of the Babia Góra National Park (Wystawa Stała Babiogórskiego Parku Narodowego) is housed in the park's headquarters in Zawoja, in the part of...Hala KrupowaMountain meadowHala KrupowaSidzinaaltitude 1 152 m7.3 km from the centreHala Krupowa is a former pasture in the Polica Range (Pasmo Policy) of the Żywiec Beskids (in the newer regionalisation, the Żywiec-Orawa Beskids), above the village...Markowe SzczawinyMountain meadowMarkowe SzczawinyZawojaaltitude 1 180 m8.6 km from the centreMarkowe Szczawiny is a small meadow on the northern slopes of Babia Góra at about 1,180 m, in the commune of Zawoja in Sucha County, within Babia Góra National Park ...Sucha Beskidzka Castle (Little Wawel)CastleSucha Beskidzka Castle (Little Wawel)Sucha Beskidzka10 km from the centreSucha Castle in the town of Sucha Beskidzka is a Renaissance magnate residence at the foot of Mount Jasień, near the point where the Stryszawka flows into the Skawa.Lake Mucharz (Jezioro Mucharskie)LakeLake Mucharz (Jezioro Mucharskie)Świnna Poręba18 km from the centreLake Mucharz (Jezioro Mucharskie) is the youngest large reservoir of the Polish Carpathians. It lies on the Skawa river among the hills of the Beskid Mały, in the...

Craft nearby

All craft places
Orawskie Ranczo Educational Farm, Harkabuz: animals and craft workshopsEco farmsOrawskie Ranczo Educational Farm, Harkabuz: animals and craft workshopsHarkabuz24 km from the centreOrawskie Ranczo is a small family educational farm (zagroda edukacyjna) in the village of Harkabuz near Raba Wyżna, where Orawa meets Podhale.Folk Art Fair in Żywiec during the Beskidy Week of CultureMarkets & fairsFolk Art Fair in Żywiec during the Beskidy Week of CultureŻywiec26 km from the centreThe Beskidy Highlanders' Week of Culture (Tydzień Kultury Beskidzkiej, TKB) is Poland's largest folklore festival: it was first held in Wisła in 1964, and today, at...PINTA Brewery, Wieprz near Żywiec: tours and taproomCraft beer & breweriesPINTA Brewery, Wieprz near Żywiec: tours and taproomWieprz28 km from the centrePINTA is the brewery that Poles associate with the start of the “beer revolution”; it calls itself the country's first craft brewery.Browar Zarzecze in the Żywiec Basin: craft brewery shopCraft beer & breweriesBrowar Zarzecze in the Żywiec Basin: craft brewery shopZarzecze29 km from the centreBrowar Zarzecze works in the village of Zarzecze near Pietrzykowice in the Żywiec Basin — a region where beer has been brewed since at least the 19th century and home...Rabka-Zdrój spa: brine graduation tower, pump rooms, treatmentsWater parks & thermal poolsRabka-Zdrój spa: brine graduation tower, pump rooms, treatmentsRabka-Zdrój29 km from the centreRabka-Zdrój is a spa in the Raba valley between the Gorce, the Beskid Wyspowy and the Beskid Makowski, halfway from Kraków to Zakopane.Aquapark Leśna (Żywiec)Water parks & thermal poolsAquapark Leśna (Żywiec)Leśna30 km from the centreAquapark Leśna (also called Aquapark Żywiec) is a swimming-pool complex in the village of Leśna, a few kilometres from Żywiec, in the Żywiec Basin, surrounded by the...

Spas and thermal pools nearby

Rabka-Zdrój spa: brine graduation tower, pump rooms, treatmentsWater parks & thermal poolsRabka-Zdrój spa: brine graduation tower, pump rooms, treatmentsRabka-Zdrój29 km from the centreRabka-Zdrój is a spa in the Raba valley between the Gorce, the Beskid Wyspowy and the Beskid Makowski, halfway from Kraków to Zakopane.Aquapark Leśna (Żywiec)Water parks & thermal poolsAquapark Leśna (Żywiec)Leśna30 km from the centreAquapark Leśna (also called Aquapark Żywiec) is a swimming-pool complex in the village of Leśna, a few kilometres from Żywiec, in the Żywiec Basin, surrounded by the...

Huts, shelters and springs nearby

696 mMountain shelterAdamy ShelterMaków Beskids · PolandStanding50 m from a trailSleeps up to 40Staffed
Hala Krupowa Hut1 152 mMountain shelterHala Krupowa HutBabia Góra · PolandStandingOn a trailSleeps up to 38Meals served
1 190 mSpringSpring below BrożkiBabia Góra · PolandNot verified320 m from a trail
1 304 mSpringSpring below PolicaBabia Góra · PolandNot verified180 m from a trail
1 315 mHutHut below PolicaBabia Góra · PolandNot verified180 m from a trail
797 mMountain shelterChatka Stracona PolanaBabia Góra · PolandStanding110 m from a trailStaffedPaid overnight stay

All springs of the CarpathiansAll Carpathian huts

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 – Żywiec ≈412 km, ≈5 h 30 min without queues or tolls: M-10 → Krakovets – Korczowa → A4 to Kraków (≈249 km) → DK52 via Wadowice → DW781 and DW946 to Żywiec. ≈333 km, ≈4 h from the border. Alternative via the tolled A4 Kraków – Katowice and the S1 via Tychy and Bielsko-Biała: ≈457 km, ≈5 h 25 min.

Checked 23.10.2026; border crossing hours and timetables change — check before you travel.

What's nearby