The first mountain hostel in this place was built in 1906, thanks to Hugon Zapałowicz. In 1966, upon the initiative of Edward Moskała, the Museum of Mountain Tourism was erected in Markowe Szczawiny, a tiny house in the shape of the first hostel, filled to the brim with exhibits. Nearby, on the former grave of a killed partisan, a cross was erected with an in-built Madonna figure, the same one that H. Zapałowicz placed in 1906 in the bay of the hostel veranda. In 2006, celebrations marking the 100th anniversary of the Markowe Szczawiny Mountain Hostel took place, during which the cornerstone of a new hostel was laid. Unfortunately, the old one was not suitable for renovation. In 2010, the new facility welcomed its first tourists.

In the building next to the Mountain Hostel, there is the Babia Góra History Centre of Mountain Tourism in Markowe Szczawiny, which used to be the Volunteer Mountain Rescue Service (GOPR) duty station.

The Hostel has an unforgettable climate and excellent conditions for relaxation. The accommodation base consists of cosy rooms of varying standards. There are 40 beds available in 2, 3, 4, 6, 8 and more bedded rooms, and double and triple rooms have separate bathrooms. When there are no free places, sleeping "on the ground" is possible. The Hostel is fully accessible for disabled people.

Hungry tourists will find a buffet to buy drinks, sweets, maps, souvenirs and hot meals. There is a large selection of bar and lunch dishes on offer. It is worth trying the sour soup or kwaśnica with ribs, as well as the phenomenal apple pie for dessert. There is a tourist kitchen with free boiling water 24 hours a day, a microwave oven and a place to prepare your own meals.

There is also a guitar available for hire for more musical hikers, which will ideally fill the evening with music and singing by the campfire or within the Hostel walls. For those who would like to show off their photos from the trail or watch an exciting film, a projector and multimedia equipment are available (speakers, a laptop). The Hostel also offers various board games, cards and puzzles, not only for younger visitors. Everyone will find something for themselves on the shelf with magazines covering every subject.

The Hostel offers guiding services or training for groups on first aid in the mountains, summer and winter tourism (use of equipment, moving in the mountains in specific conditions, risk assessment) and mountain rescue (the work of rescuers, duties, equipment, the most interesting rescue operations). For those interested, there is the possibility to participate in photography workshops.

There is a winter equipment hire service in winter, necessary for carrying out a safe expedition in snow conditions. You can use snowshoes, crampons, sticks and avalanche ABC (avalanche probe, shovel and avalanche detector). 

Numerous tourist trails lead to the Mountain Hostel. The easiest way to get there is from Zawoja. Two trails lead from here - yellow and green. A good orientation point is the PTTK Tourist House Hanka. The green trail leads there in an hour and a half, passing by the strict protection area in the Babia Góra National Park. The yellow trail is a bit longer, leading past a natural monument - Fat Fir Tree - over 600 years old. You can also reach the blue trail from the Lipnicka Pass in an hour and a half. There is a yellow or red trail leading to the top of Babia Góra, and the hike takes about an hour and a half.

The trails leading to the PTTK Markowe Szczawiny Mountain Hostel: 

The Markowe Szczawniki Mountain Hostel from Mount Babia along the Academic Path (yellow trail)
Babia Góra from the Markowe Szczawniki Mountain Hostel along the Main Beskids Mountain Trail (red trail)

The trails leading from the PTTK Markowe Szczawiny Mountain Hostel:

Babia Góra from the Markowe Szczawiny Mountain Hostel along the Academic Path (yellow trail)
Babia Góra from the Markowe Szczawiny Mountain Hostel along the Main Beskids Mountain Trail (red trail) 

List of all direct trails:

1. Babia Góra (1,725 m asl) – PTTK Markowe Szczawiny Mountain Hostel (1,180 m asl) - yellow trail
2. Hala Czarnego (1,115 m) – PTTK Markowe Szczawiny Mountain Hostel (1,180 m) - red trail
3) Markowa (718 m) – PTTK Markowe Szczawiny Mountain Hostel (1,180 m) - black trail
4. Brona Pass (1,408 m) – PTTK Markowe Szczawiny Mountain Hostel (1,180 m) - red trail
5. Sulowa Cyrhla (880 m) - PTTK Markowe Szczawiny Mountain Hostel (1,180 m) - black trail
6. Szkolnicze Rozstaje (1,089 m) - PTTK Markowe Szczawiny Mountain Hostel (1,180 m) - blue trail
7. PTTK Markowe Szczawiny Mountain Hostel (1180 m) - Babia Góra (1,725 m) - yellow trail
8. PTTK Markowe Szczawiny Mountain Hostel (1180 m) - Hala Czarnego (1,115 m) - red trail
9. PTTK Markowe Szczawiny Mountain Hostel (1180 m) - Markowa (718 m) - black trail
10. PTTK Markowe Szczawiny Mountain Hostel (1180 m) - Brona Pass (1,408 m) - red trail
11. PTTK Markowe Szczawiny Mountain Hostel (1180 m) - Sulowa Cyrhla (880 m) - black trail
12. PTTK Markowe Szczawiny Mountain Hostel (1,180 m) - Szkolnik Rozstaje (1089 m) - blue trail

Babia Góra is known for its frequent changes in weather. It is worth knowing the weather forecast before setting off to the mountains. The latest information can be found here:

GOPR the Beskids - conditions on the trails 
Babia Góra National Park - weather for today 
Numerical weather forecast - check the weather