Tatra Mountains Poland & Slovakia

A guidebook to walking in the Tatra mountains of Poland and Slovakia, featuring 50 of the best long and short day walks.

We cover a compact area in this guide (140km east-west, 65km north-south) encompassing two outstanding national parks in southernmost Poland: Pieniny and Tatra, and the best of neighbouring Slovakia’s mountains in four national parks: Tatra, Slovensky Raj (Slovak Paradise), Low Tatra and Mala Fatra.

We show trekking routes of varying difficulty, all of which are mapped in detail. Each of the national parks has a distinct identity – dramatic gorges, mountain lakes, narrow passes and broad ridges – and all paths are clearly waymarked.

This guide also includes 7 car tours, a fold-out touring map, plans of Zakopane, Kroscienko, Tatranska Lomnica, Stary Smokovec, and Strbske Pleso.

When to go: The best times to visit the two areas in Poland are from early May for the Pieniny mountains and from late May in the Tatras to the end of June, and during September and October.

In Slovakia, the season usually begins in Mala´ Fatra, the Low Tatras and Slovenský Raj in early May; in the High Tatras the walking season begins on 15 June (mountain paths are closed from 1 November until then).

In all four areas, autumn (September and October) is probably the best time for a visit. July and August are universally busy, and queues form along the most popular walking routes.