Four nights split between Kraków and the Tatra foothills turns a Warsaw Marathon trip into a proper tour of southern Poland, with enough slack built in to keep the mountain half of the plan realistic on post-marathon legs.
Getting There
Fast trains, including Pendolino services, run from Warszawa Centralna to Kraków Główny in around two and a half hours, sometimes closer to two hours twenty on the quickest departures. Frequent services run throughout the day.
Kraków: Days 1-3
Kraków's Old Town survived the war largely intact, giving a very different texture from Warsaw's rebuilt streets: genuinely old stone, not reconstructed brick. Wawel Castle and Cathedral sit above the Vistula on their own hill, the historic seat of Polish kings. Kazimierz, the former Jewish quarter, mixes synagogues, cafés and a nightlife scene that has grown up around its historic streets. Three days is enough for the castle, the main square, Kazimierz and at least one slower day for museums or simply sitting in a café on the Rynek Główny.
Zakopane and the Tatras: Day 4
Zakopane, roughly two hours south of Kraków by bus or train, is the gateway to the Tatra Mountains. Runners tempted to add serious hiking should be realistic about what post-marathon legs can handle: the high mountain routes involve real elevation gain and rough terrain, not a good idea days after 42.195 km. The Kościelisko Valley offers a flatter, gentler alternative: a wide valley walk with mountain views but none of the technical climbing of the high routes.
Getting Back
Return options run either back through Kraków to Warsaw by fast train, or onward from Kraków's airport for travellers not returning north. Either way, keep the Tatra day to valley walking rather than summit routes.