Krakow to Zakopane - public transport

Hi,

I'll be living in Krakow for amonth in feb 2008. How easy is it to get to Zakopane (or other ski resorts) for a skkiing weekend? Can you recommend any other resorts too as I know Zak gets pretty busy, especially at weekends?

In fact anyone down there who wants to go for a weekend in feb, let me know! YOu can laugh at my skiing and poor polish... ;-)

Tim

It is really easy to get to Zakopane by bus. There are two private companies with regular bus services leaving the bus station in Krakow (Trans Frej and Szwagropol) as well as the state run buses, PKS. It should take about 2 hours, except at peak times.
Normally, you can just show up, find the departure gate for the bus on the electronic board and pay the driver as you get on. It may be worth booking ahead only for peak departure times (e.g Friday evening), as those with pre-booked tickets will get on first and buses can fill up quickly. If you are planning to return from Zakopane at a peak time as well, it's a good idea to buy your return ticket when you arrive so you won't be stuck.
The website for the bus station in Krakow has a list of all departures throughout the day, rda.krakow.pl/pl/odjazdy.php. Odjazdy meaning departures - click on "wczesniej" for earlier departures or "pozniej" for later departures.