Zakopane is one of the best-known tourist towns in Poland. Zakopane, which was "discovered" as a tourist attraction in the second half of the XIX century, is not coming out of fashion, but on the contrary, it attracts more and more tourists every year, who are so happy with their stay at the foot of the Tatra Mountains that they hope to come back here. Zakopane owes its popularity to various facilities it offers its visitors. In winter, there are numerous ski lifts and perfect weather conditions for skiing for both experienced skiers and beginners. In summer, there are difficult rock climbs on precipitous trails in the Wysokie (High) Tatras as well as easy ones available for everyone, which lead along the picturesque valleys and the ridges of the hills surrounding Zakopane. Visitors are attracted to the town's unique atmosphere, which combines two factors: the authentic folk culture of the highlanders of the Podhale region and the very sophisticated repertoire of the "Witkacy" Theatre and Szymanowski's music. They are also attracted to what "lies between" these two factors - the charm of the cafes, jazz and rock concerts in the cellars, a glance at the mountains, lazy colourful crowd in Krupówki Street.

Zakopane is also famous because of the excellent conditions for skiing. This sport has been popular here for over a hundred years - that is why the town is considered the birthplace of Polish skiing and the Winter Capital of Poland.

It offers numerous skiing sites - from flat and easy ones for learning to steep and difficult ski runs. Every winter, skiers can use about 50 ski lifts and this number is constantly growing.

Zakopane is also a centre of professional sports. In 1910, it hosted the first ski competition, which had 150 competitors from several countries. At the same time, it organized the first ski jump competition, and actually the Nordic skiing made Zakopane popular worldwide. Through the years, the town has been visited by professional skiers from all over the world.

So far, Zakopane has hosted: three FIS World Ski Championships (1929, 1939,1962), three Winter Universiades (1956, 1993, 2001), Biathlon World Championship, several Ski Jump World Cups, and several Nordic Combined, Nordic and Alpine European Cups. It hosts different international competitions almost every year.