Two towns on the other side of the border
Poprad and Kežmarok come up on every map of the Slovak Tatras for the same reason: they sit in the lower ground below the high peaks, on the road and rail network that everything else in the region runs through. They are named alongside Štrbské Pleso, Tatranská Lomnica and Ždiar as reference points of that side of the border — not because either town holds a lake, a cable car or a treetop walk of its own, but because a trip into the Slovak Tatras from Zakopane tends to pass near one or both of them.
That distinction matters for how to plan around them. This guide will not manufacture a museum, a market square or a landmark church for Poprad or Kežmarok that has not been checked — plenty of travel pages do exactly that, listing a town’s “old town charm” without anything specific behind it. What can be said with confidence is simpler and more useful: what these two towns are for, how they fit into a Slovak Tatras day or multi-day trip, and when it makes sense to route through them rather than around them.
What Poprad actually is
Poprad is the transport hub of the Slovak Tatras side. It has the region’s rail and bus connections, which is why it turns up as a stop or a starting point on itineraries that go further — toward Štrbské Pleso, toward Tatranská Lomnica, or south toward Levoča and Spiš Castle. A private tour from Poprad to Levoča exists precisely because Poprad is the practical jumping-off point for that route:
a private tour that runs from Poprad to Levoča covers that connection without needing your own car.
For a traveller based in Zakopane, Poprad is rarely the reason to cross the border on a given day. It is the place a bus changes, a train departs from, or a road passes through on the way to somewhere with an actual sight to see — a lake, a cable car, a castle. Building a day trip around Poprad itself, expecting a comparable draw to Krupówki or Krakow’s old town, sets up a disappointing afternoon. Building a day trip that uses Poprad as a hinge point between two or three Slovak Tatras stops is a different, much more workable plan.
What Kežmarok actually is
Kežmarok appears in the same regional list as Poprad, Štrbské Pleso, Tatranská Lomnica and Ždiar — a Slovak Tatras place name, positioned on the northern side of the range roughly toward Ždiar and the Bachledka treetop walk and the Belianska cave area. Beyond that positioning, this guide is not going to describe a specific monument, a museum or a market for Kežmarok, because the underlying research behind this site does not verify one for this page. That absence is worth stating plainly rather than papering over with generic “charming old town” language that could apply to any small Central European town.
What that means practically: treat Kežmarok as a possible short stop on a drive between Poprad and the Ždiar-Belianska cave area, not as a planned destination with a specific sight attached. If a future visit turns up a verified, checkable landmark worth sending readers to, it belongs in an update — not invented here to fill space.
How Poprad and Kežmarok fit into a Slovak Tatras trip
The honest way to use both towns is as connective tissue, not as a plan’s centrepiece. A day that starts in Zakopane and crosses into Slovakia usually has one or two real destinations in mind — the lake at Štrbské Pleso, the cable car toward Lomnický štít from Tatranská Lomnica, the treetop walk near Ždiar, or Orava castle further west. Poprad and Kežmarok sit on the roads between those points, which is exactly why they are named alongside them as regional reference points rather than as attractions in their own right.
| Stop | What it actually offers | Typical role in a day |
|---|---|---|
| Poprad | Rail and bus hub, road junction | Transit point, gateway to Levoča and Spiš Castle |
| Kežmarok | Town on the route north toward Ždiar | Short stop on a longer drive, not verified as a sight |
| Štrbské Pleso | A high-altitude lake | The actual destination of a Slovak Tatras day |
| Tatranská Lomnica | Cable car base | The actual destination of a Slovak Tatras day |
If Spiš Castle and Levoča are on the list, Poprad is the practical anchor for that leg, and a two-day structure gives it room to breathe rather than being squeezed after a morning in the mountains:
a two-day High Tatras and Spiš Castle tour is built around exactly that combination — the high peaks on one day, the castle and the historic towns on the other, with Poprad functioning as the connecting point rather than the headline.
For a shorter, single-day version that still uses the same gateway logic, a trip combining a treetop walk with Štrbské Pleso shows the same pattern on a smaller scale — one clear destination, reached via the towns and roads that sit below it:
a day trip combining the treetop walk with a stop at Štrbské Pleso leaves from the Zakopane side and treats the lower towns as passage, not as the point of the day.
Getting there from Zakopane
There is no dedicated tourist shuttle that markets “Poprad” or “Kežmarok” as a destination in the way Zakopane-based operators sell Morskie Oko or the Kasprowy Wierch cable car. Reaching either town from Zakopane means one of three approaches:
- By car: the most flexible option, crossing the open Schengen border with no checkpoint but still requiring a valid ID or passport. Mountain roads on both sides mean the drive takes longer than the straight-line distance suggests — budget 2 to 3 hours each way rather than judging by kilometres alone.
- By public transport: buses and trains connect through Poprad specifically because it is the region’s transport hub; this is slower than driving and usually means at least one change, but it removes the need for a rental car and mountain driving.
- On an organised tour: several operators build routes that pass through or start from Poprad as part of a longer itinerary — toward Orava castle and the Demänovská cave further west, for instance:
a day trip to Orava castle and the Demänovská cave runs from the Zakopane side and covers ground well beyond Poprad and Kežmarok themselves, which is a useful reminder that both towns are usually one stop within a wider Slovak day, not the destination that sets the itinerary.
Whichever method is chosen, currency is worth planning for before leaving: Poland uses the złoty, Slovakia uses the euro, and a day that crosses the border means either carrying both or relying on a card that works reliably in each country.
What not to expect
It is worth being direct about what this page is not claiming. Poprad and Kežmarok are not documented here as towns with a specific must-see landmark, a historic old town walk, or a named museum — because the underlying research for this site does not verify one for either town at the level of confidence this site holds itself to.
That is a different situation from Štrbské Pleso, which has an actual lake at a fixed altitude, or Tatranská Lomnica, which has an actual cable car to an actual summit. Readers planning a day around a specific attraction in Poprad or Kežmarok should look further afield — toward Levoča or Spiš Castle, both reachable from Poprad and covered by name in tours that already exist — rather than expecting this guide to invent one.
This also means Poprad and Kežmarok should not replace a day built around one of the Slovak Tatras’ actual sights. A traveller with one day to spend on the Slovak side is better served choosing between Štrbské Pleso, Tatranská Lomnica and the Bachledka treetop walk at Ždiar, and treating Poprad or Kežmarok as the road that gets them there — not the plan itself.
For a broader comparison of how the Slovak side stacks up against staying on the Polish side of the Tatras, see why the Slovak side is often cheaper and less crowded and the fuller comparison of Zakopane against the Slovak Tatras.
Fitting Poprad and Kežmarok into an itinerary
Given their role as transit towns, Poprad and Kežmarok make the most sense as part of a plan that already spans more than one stop. A single two-day trip to the Slovak side gives enough room to pass through Poprad on the way to Levoča or Spiš Castle on one day, and reach Štrbské Pleso or Tatranská Lomnica on the other, without either day feeling rushed by the border crossing and the drive.
Travellers with more time who want to see the Slovak Tatras alongside the Pieniny and the Dunajec gorge can look at the longer seven-day Tatras and Pieniny Slovakia itinerary, which has enough days to absorb a transit stop in Poprad or Kežmarok without it competing for time against the region’s real highlights. In both structures, the towns themselves stay in the same supporting role described throughout this page: useful, necessary even, but not the reason for the trip.
Practical notes
A short list of things worth knowing before crossing for Poprad or Kežmarok specifically, on top of the general Slovak Tatras practicalities:
- Border: open Schengen border, no checkpoint, but carry a valid ID card or passport at all times.
- Currency: euro in Slovakia, złoty in Poland — plan for both if the day crosses back and forth.
- Language: Slovak is the local language; place names carry Slovak diacritics (Kežmarok, not “Kezmarok”).
- Time zone: Slovakia shares the same Central European Time zone as Poland, so no clock adjustment is needed.
- Purpose: transit and connection, not a stand-alone sightseeing stop — plan the actual destination first, and let Poprad or Kežmarok fall into place as the route to it.
Frequently asked questions about Poprad and Kežmarok
Are Poprad and Kežmarok worth a day trip from Zakopane on their own?
Not really as a single-purpose destination. Both sit on the Slovak side as transit and junction towns — worth passing through on a day built around Štrbské Pleso, Tatranská Lomnica or Spiš Castle, but neither has one verified headline sight strong enough to be the whole plan.
How far is Poprad from Zakopane?
Poprad and Kežmarok sit in the same 30 to 60 km band across the border as Štrbské Pleso, Tatranská Lomnica and Ždiar, but on the outer edge of it. In practice, allow 2 to 3 hours each way by car once the border road and mountain roads are factored in, longer by bus or train.
Do I need my passport to cross from Poland into Slovakia?
There is no border control — both countries are in Schengen — but you still need a valid ID card or passport with you at all times. Poland uses the złoty and Slovakia uses the euro, so carry a card or some cash in both currencies.
Is Poprad a good base for exploring the Slovak Tatras?
Poprad works better as a transit and connection point — a rail and bus junction — than as a scenic base. Štrbské Pleso and Tatranská Lomnica, both reachable from Poprad, are the places to actually spend Tatras time on the Slovak side.
Can I visit Spiš Castle or Levoča from Poprad?
Yes — both are common add-ons from Poprad and are sold as guided day trips, including tours that combine Poprad with Levoča or extend into a two-day Spiš Castle itinerary. Neither is inside Poprad or Kežmarok itself.
Should I stop in Kežmarok on the way to Ždiar or Belianska cave?
Kežmarok sits roughly on that route and can work as a short stop for anyone driving between Poprad and the Ždiar-Belianska area, but treat it as a brief detour, not a planned stop with a specific sight in mind — this guide does not document one.
Is it better to visit the Slovak Tatras on a guided day trip or independently?
A guided trip removes the logistics of the border crossing, currency change and mountain roads in one sitting, which matters if Poprad and Kežmarok are only two stops among several. Independent travel gives more time at each stop but needs a car and a longer day.
What currency should I bring for Poprad and Kežmarok?
Euros. Slovakia is in the eurozone while Poland uses the złoty, so a day that crosses the border means carrying or being able to pay in both — a card that works in both countries is the simplest fix.
