A different country, a different treetop walk
Ask around Krupówki about a “treetop walk near Zakopane” and you will get two different answers, and only one of them is in Poland. The Polish one sits above Murzasichle, near Poronin, a short drive from town. The other is in the village of Ždiar, in Slovakia, on the far side of the Belianske Tatras — close enough for a half-day trip, but a separate structure, in a separate country, run by a separate operator.
Confusing the two is the single most common planning mistake for this attraction, so it is worth saying plainly before anything else: if your plan involves euros, Slovak road signs and the village of Ždiar, you are heading for Bachledka, not for Murzasichle. Our comparison of the two treetop walks lays out the differences trail by trail if you are still deciding which one fits your day.
Bachledka answers a specific question well: can a family with a stroller, a grandparent with a stiff knee, or a group that does not want a real hike still get a proper look at the Tatras from above the treeline? The short version is yes. The rest of this page covers the numbers that make that true, where they stop being true, and what the crossing into Slovakia actually involves.
What the Bachledka walkway actually measures
The walkway (Chodník korunami stromov, literally “path through the treetops”) runs through the forest above the Bachledka Ski & Sun resort, on the slope opposite Ždiar. The figures below are the ones that matter for deciding whether it suits your group.
| Feature | Measurement |
|---|---|
| Total length of the walkway | 1,234 m |
| Maximum height above ground | 24 m |
| Observation tower | 32 m |
| Spiral slide from the tower | 60 m |
| Steps on the main walkway | None — a continuous ramp |
| Village elevation (Ždiar) | 895 m |
| Pets on the walkway | Not permitted |
The absence of steps is the detail that decides most family visits. The ramp gradient is gentle enough that a standard stroller manages it without being carried, and the surface is a solid boardwalk rather than gravel or duckboards, which matters more than the length once small legs or wheels are involved. Wheelchair users report the same experience, though anyone with a heavier manual chair should budget extra time on the steeper stretches near the tower; our wheelchair accessibility guide covers what “accessible” means in practice across this region, on both sides of the border.
The tower at the far end is the payoff: a full turn of the Belianske Tatras and, on a clear day, the main ridge of the High Tatras beyond Tatranská Lomnica. Children old enough to walk the ramp almost always want to come down by the 60 m spiral slide rather than retrace the walkway — it runs alongside the tower and is included in the ticket, and most families end up doing it twice.
What the walkway does not include: dogs, cats, or any pet, on a leash or otherwise. This is a hard rule at the entrance gate, not a suggestion, and it catches out travellers who assume that an open-air forest walkway will be as pet-tolerant as a Tatra hiking trail. If you are travelling with a dog, plan for it to stay in the car with someone, or skip Bachledka for a trail that actually allows dogs, such as the lower Chochołowska valley on the Polish side.
Ždiar itself: a Goral village, not a resort town
The walkway sits above Ždiar, at 895 m, one of the best-preserved Goral villages on either side of the Tatras — the same highland culture you will recognise from Chochołów or the older streets of Zakopane, but under a Slovak roofline rather than a Polish one. Traditional wooden houses with painted gables line the main road, several still lived in rather than converted into guesthouses, and the village has resisted the scale of development seen in Tatranská Lomnica or Štrbské Pleso. It is a pleasant, slow half-hour on foot before or after the walkway, and a realistic lunch stop: Slovak-Goral cooking (halušky, bryndza, smoked meats) rather than a tourist menu.
Ždiar makes a natural base for combining Bachledka with the rest of the Slovak Tatras in one day. Tatranská Lomnica and its cable car to Lomnický štít are about 20 minutes away; Štrbské Pleso is roughly 45 minutes further along the same road; Poprad and Kežmarok sit at the foot of the range for anyone who wants a town with a station and a supermarket rather than a mountain village. Orava castle is a longer detour, closer to two hours, and usually its own day rather than an add-on to Bachledka.
Getting there from Zakopane: the border, the road, the money
The distance most quoted for Ždiar from Zakopane is 30 to 60 km, and the range is real: it depends on which road you take and where in the Zakopane area you start. The direct route over the Łysa Polana / Tatranská Javorina crossing is the shorter figure; routing through Poronin and Bukowina Tatrzańska or via the Chochołowska side adds distance but can be faster in ski-season traffic. Either way, budget 1 to 1.5 hours by car, more on a winter weekend or in fog on the pass.
The border itself is open Schengen: no checkpoint, no stamp, no queue in normal circumstances, just a road sign changing language. Bring an ID card or passport anyway — spot checks happen, and it is the only document that proves anything if you need it. What does change at the border is the currency: Poland uses the złoty, Slovakia uses the euro, and Bachledka’s ticket booth, the Ždiar restaurants and most parking machines expect euros, not złoty.
Cards are widely accepted at the walkway itself, but small village cafés and parking meters often are not — carry some euro cash rather than assume a Polish card will smooth everything over. Our note on what the złoty changes for your budget covers the reverse case, useful if you are coming the other way.
For travellers without a car, a self-drive combination day is harder to arrange on public transport alone — minibuses from Zakopane run reliably to Polish trailheads, not across the border to Ždiar — which is the main reason most visitors book the walkway as part of an organised day trip rather than improvising the logistics. Our driving notes for the Zakopianka and the wider region cover what a rental car adds and where it becomes a liability closer to town.
a day trip from Zakopane that combines the Bachledka treetop walk with an afternoon at Štrbské Pleso removes the border-and-currency logistics in one booking, with a guide who already knows which parking euro machine takes cards.
Who Bachledka suits, and who it does not
It suits: families with a stroller or a child who tires on real trails, anyone recovering from an injury who still wants a mountain view, wheelchair users travelling with someone able to help on the steeper sections near the tower, and travellers who want one clean photo of the Belianske Tatras without committing to a hiking day. It also suits anyone curious about the Slovak side of the range who does not want to give up a full day to it — see our broader read on Zakopane versus the Slovak Tatras for how the two sides compare on price, crowds and character.
It does not suit: travellers hoping to bring a dog (not permitted on the walkway, no exceptions), anyone expecting genuine hiking or a summit (this is a raised boardwalk through forest, not a mountain trail — for that, see Giewont or Rysy on the Polish side, or Lomnický štít from Tatranská Lomnica), and anyone visiting on a day with low cloud, since the entire point of the tower is the view and there is no refund for weather.
If the family trip is the priority and the border crossing feels like a complication, our stroller-friendly trails guide and the broader family guide to Zakopane list step-free options that stay on the Polish side entirely, including the Kościeliska valley and the Gubałówka ridge.
Planning the day
A realistic half-day looks like this: leave Zakopane by mid-morning, allow 1 to 1.5 hours for the drive and the border, walk the 1,234 m loop at a family pace (45 minutes to an hour with a stop at the tower and a slide run), then either return towards Zakopane via Poronin or continue to Tatranská Lomnica or Štrbské Pleso for the afternoon.
Combining Bachledka with a second Slovak stop in the same day is common and sensible, since the border crossing is the main overhead and once you are across it, the other sites are close together. Our two-day itinerary for the Slovak side spreads the same ground over two days for anyone who would rather not rush it, and the wider category page for the Slovak High Tatras lists every bookable activity on that side of the border in one place.
Travellers building a longer Slovak loop sometimes fold in a day trip to Orava castle and the Demänovská ice cave or a two-day High Tatras and Spiš castle tour that covers Bachledka alongside the region’s other landmarks, useful if Ždiar is one stop among several rather than the whole point of the trip.
For a shorter, single-day version that stays closer to Zakopane’s own side of the range while still reaching the Slovak Tatras, a guided day across Zakopane and the Tatra Mountains is worth comparing before you commit to a full border crossing.
Bachledka treetop walk: frequently asked questions
Is the Bachledka treetop walk the same as the one at Murzasichle?
No. Bachledka is above Ždiar, in Slovakia; the other walkway is above Murzasichle, near Poronin, in Poland. They are built and run separately, have different measurements, and require crossing an international border to reach one from the other. See the full Poland versus Slovakia treetop walk comparison for a side-by-side.
Can I bring my dog to Bachledka?
No. Pets, including dogs on a leash, are not permitted on the walkway. If travelling with a dog is important to your day, plan for someone to stay with it, or choose a trail that permits dogs instead, such as the lower Chochołowska valley on the Polish side.
Is the walkway suitable for a stroller?
Yes. The 1,234 m walkway has no steps and a gentle ramp gradient throughout, and most standard strollers manage it without being carried. Wheelchair users can generally manage it too, though the sections near the 32 m tower are steeper and may need assistance.
How far is Ždiar from Zakopane, and how long does it take?
Ždiar is roughly 30 to 60 km from Zakopane depending on the route, and the drive typically takes 1 to 1.5 hours, longer in poor weather or heavy traffic on the pass.
Do I need euros or złoty at Bachledka?
Euros. Slovakia uses the euro, not the Polish złoty, and while cards are widely accepted at the walkway’s ticket office, small cafés and parking machines in Ždiar often are not — carry some euro cash for the day.
Do I need my passport to cross into Slovakia?
The border is open under Schengen rules, with no routine checkpoint, but carry an ID card or passport in case of a spot check — it is the only document that resolves one on the spot.
What else can I see near Ždiar in the same day?
Tatranská Lomnica and its Lomnický štít cable car, and Štrbské Pleso, are both within about 45 minutes and pair naturally with a Bachledka morning. Orava castle is further and usually better as its own day.
Is the view from the tower worth it in poor weather?
Not really. The tower’s main draw is the panorama of the Belianske and High Tatras, which disappears in low cloud or rain. Check a Slovak-side forecast before committing the day, and treat the walkway itself, rather than the view, as the fallback plan on a grey morning.
