Tui adds ‘fairytale’ Polish town to Lakes & Mountains programme
tui has added Zakopane in southern Poland to its Lakes & Mountains programme for 2026, describing the destination as “one of Europe’s most spectacular yet little‑known mountain towns, but without the price tag of the Alps. ” The operator says packages will run from May to September and flights take about two-and-a-half hours from the UK.
Tui flights and partners
Packages to Zakopane will be offered for summer 2026 and available from May to September, with departures from 16 airports across the UK on tui’s partner airlines, easyJet and Ryanair. The firm notes the flight time from the UK is just two-and-a-half hours and that Kraków is less than two hours away by train, allowing holidaymakers to add a day trip to the city.
What the town offers
Zakopane is described as a “fairytale lake town” surrounded by the Tatra Mountains and promoted for its lakes, wooden chalets, wildflower meadows, markets, beer halls and thermal baths. The town’s Krupówki Street is packed with markets, beer halls and local craft shops, horse-drawn carriages wind through the lively streets, and thermal baths feature expansive pools filled with naturally heated, mineral-rich water framed by mountain panoramas.
Trails, peaks and sights
Visitors are being pointed to mountain trails for every ability, including the crystal-clear turquoise lake Morskie Oko, the Giewont peak—said by locals to resemble a sleeping knight—and the Five Lakes Valley for gentler walks. For easier high ground views there is the Kasprowy Wierch cable car and the Gubałówka funicular. Wildlife on the mountainsides can include marmots, chamois, golden eagles and even brown bears.
Price, dates and a sample holiday
A seven-night tui holiday to Zakopane, staying at the 3T Apartamenty ApartArt Zakopane on a room-only basis, is priced from £616 per person. That example is based on two adults sharing a one-bedroom apartment and departing from Luton on May 26 with hand luggage only. The operator also highlighted local affordability, adding that a pint and a pizza cost less than £10.
TUI Care Foundation and Mozambique
Separately, the TUI Care Foundation has launched TUI Forest Mozambique, a conservation initiative that restores degraded mangrove habitat and supports sustainable development for communities living adjacent to Maputo National Park, a globally important biodiversity area of more than 1, 700 square kilometres in southern Mozambique. The project will restore more than 150 hectares through the planting of over 500, 000 mangrove trees.
The project brings together the TUI Care Foundation, local communities and Peace Parks Foundation to guide restoration and sustainability efforts. It aims to strengthen environmental education and expand nature-based tourism opportunities: teachers and environmental club leaders from schools in the park’s buffer zone will receive training and resources at the Community Training Centre in the Park, and upgrades to school facilities in one of the most marginalised communities in the southwest buffer zone will improve learning environments and broaden access to environmental learning for young people.
TUI Forest Mozambique will also create four community-based enterprises in the coastal areas of Santa Maria and Ponta do Ouro to diversify income and encourage stewardship of surrounding ecosystems. Planned tourism infrastructure improvements include the installation of a 200-metre mangrove walkway with interpretive signage and visitor facilities. The initiative forms part of the TUI Forests programme, which has already helped plant five million trees globally and supports community-driven forest restoration.
The project is supported by the Tourism for Development Fund, launched by the TUI Care Foundation in collaboration with UN Tourism to support sustainable development of tourism in Least Developed Countries. The Fund is mobilising at least €10 million by 2030 and targets countries including Cambodia, Laos, Rwanda, Senegal, The Gambia, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. The TUI Care Foundation’s ‘Forest February’ is a month of activities dedicated to reforestation.
Operator comment and closing
Chris Logan, Tui UK & Ireland commercial director, said: “As experts in lakes and mountains holidays, we know a good thing when we see one, and Zakopane ticks every box. It’s a fresh alternative to the Alps, offering the same dramatic scenery but in a less expensive and discovered setting. ”
Chris Logan added: “With emerald lakes, Tatra peaks, wooden chalets and vibrant Goral culture, it brings something genuinely new to our programme. Because we work with a wide range of trusted airline and hotel partners, we can offer complete flexibility from short four‑night breaks to longer 10-night stays. ”
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Bookings run from May to September and the new routes and conservation work form part of the operator’s wider Lakes & Mountains and TUI Forests programmes for 2026.
