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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Travel
Annabelle Thorpe

Sleigh rides, spas and snowshoeing: 10 of the best winter holidays in Europe

A horse pulls a sleigh with three people in it on a broad snowy track past a forest in the Tatras
Dashing through the snow … a sleigh ride in the Tatra mountains of southern Poland. Photograph: Gregory Wrona/Alamy

Sleigh rides in Zakopane, Poland

Saddle up for sleigh rides, strap in for a 220-metre illuminated toboggan run, and prepare to get lost in an ice-carved maze at the Snowland theme park in Zakopane, as Poland’s winter capital sparkles up for the season. Pair a snowy walk through the Chochołowska valley with a visit to the Chochołowskie thermal baths, with outdoor pools, sauna, balneotherapy and massage treatments. Stay at the Hotel Aries, which mixes classic Alpine design with Zakopane touches (local wine and traditional dishes in the Halka restaurant, furniture and rugs by local craftspeople), and don’t miss the world’s largest snow maze and the Palace of the Snow Queen in the Snowlandia theme park, which has individual chambers sculpted from snow and ice by local artists.
Doubles at Hotel Aries from £165 B&B. Zakopane is around two hours from Krakow by bus; the hotel is a 1km taxi ride from the station

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