Craco'Ski Winter Camp - Krakow and Zakopane

Craco'Ski pairs a central European city with a mountain resort in a single week, which is unusual for a winter camp at this length. The camp takes young people aged twelve to seventeen and runs in two identical departures, so families can pick the week that fits their school holidays. The first half of the stay is in Krakow. The group is based in a youth hostel on the main city-centre promenade, about ten minutes from the railway station, and explores the city on foot: Wawel castle above the Vistula, the coloured facades of the old town, and Kazimierz, the former Jewish quarter that is now one of the liveliest parts of the city. Two excursions leave the centre. The first goes underground into the Wieliczka salt mines, where galleries and chambers have been carved out of rock salt over centuries. The second is the memorial at Auschwitz-Birkenau. Zigotours publishes this visit as part of the programme rather than as an option, and parents should expect their child to come back from it with questions; the group is accompanied throughout by its leaders. The second half moves about two hours by train to Zakopane, Poland's ski capital, where the hostel sits roughly seven hundred and fifty metres from the Gubalowka lift. A full day of alpine skiing is offered when snow and weather allow. The operator is explicit that this is conditional and publishes the alternatives in advance: snowshoe walks or sledging. Either way the week finishes with three hours at the Chocholowskie thermal baths, outdoor pools looking out on the snow-covered Tatras. Accommodation is in youth hostels throughout. Dormitories are not mixed and hold four to ten beds, finished in wood; showers are shared or in the room depending on the hostel, and each hostel has a shared kitchen and a common room used for activities. Meals follow the same informal pattern: breakfast at the hostel, a packed lunch during the day, and an evening meal either in a small local restaurant or cooked by the group. Families expecting hotel rooms and restaurant dinners should read that carefully before booking; families who want their child travelling rather than being catered for will recognise it as the point. Groups run from twelve to sixteen participants with a director and qualified activity leaders, at one adult for every eight young people. Travel is by scheduled flight with a stopover, leaving from and returning to Paris. Zigotours also offers pre-travel connections from a long list of French cities as a paid supplement; those supplements are listed individually under extras on this page, so the full cost of a departure outside Paris is visible before enquiring. Availability, dates and prices may change quickly. Please always confirm details directly with the camp provider before making travel arrangements.