Located in southern Poland's Tatra Mountains, this market town has a central square with 19th-century buildings, local cheese markets, and access to mountain trails for hiking and skiing.
Nowy Targ, a mountain town in southern Poland, sits at the foot of the Gorce Mountains where the Biały and Czarny Dunajec rivers meet. In the medieval market square, local vendors have gathered every Thursday and Saturday since 1487 to sell fresh produce, regional cheese, and handmade crafts. You can walk through the baroque interior of the 14th-century St. Catherine's Church, try the locally made ice cream that locals line up for, or hike the marked trails in the surrounding Gorce Mountains.
Getting to Nowy Targ
Take a bus or train from Kraków to reach Nowy Targ in about two hours. The town's bus station lies a 5-minute walk from the center, while the train station is 15 minutes away on foot. Local buses and taxis run throughout the town, though you can walk to most areas in 20-30 minutes.
Climate and Seasons
Nowy Targ experiences some of Poland's lowest temperatures, similar to Suwałki and Zakopane. Snow covers the ground for 90-110 days each year, from late November to early April. The mountain climate creates four distinct seasons, making it popular with cross-country skiers in winter and mountain hikers from June to September.
The Market Square
The medieval market square covers 1.5 hectares, with a 19th-century town hall in its center. Every Thursday and Saturday, vendors fill the square with stalls of regional foods, clothing, and crafts. During the annual Podhale Fair, additional merchants come to sell mountain products like oscypek cheese and items made from local wool.
Mountain Nature Areas
In the Bor na Czerwonem nature reserve near town, you can spot rare plants including the Drosera rotundifolia (sundew) and Mountain Pine. Black Grouse live in the reserve year-round. When hiking in the nearby Gorce National Park, you might see some of its 130 bird species, deer, otters, and boars. Look for the Fire Salamander - the park's symbol - on damp forest paths after rain.
Religious Buildings
King Casimir the Great commissioned St. Catherine's Church in 1346, making it the oldest church in the Podhale region. Despite fires and military attacks through the centuries, you can still see original baroque elements in its altar and side chapels. The St. Anna Church, dating to the 15th century, retains its gothic foundations while showing later architectural modifications.
Local Food Scene
Ice cream makers in Nowy Targ create their products using recipes passed down through generations - you'll often see lines forming outside the shops in summer. At the market and in local restaurants, you can taste regional Podhale dishes and specialties like oscypek, a smoked sheep's milk cheese made by shepherds in the nearby Tatra Mountains.
