Europe is known for its stunning mountain ranges and natural scenery — however, for many of these hiking spots, hiring a car feels almost essential to get to all of the best hikes. In Poland, though, that is far from the case.
Zakopane and the Polish Tatras are the perfect destination if you’re after a hiking holiday that’s fully accessible using just public transport.
This blog will give you all the information you need on getting around Tatra National Park without a car — from getting to Zakopane to reaching trailheads — using Poland’s reliable and affordable transport system.
Where to Base Yourself
The best place to base yourself for hiking in the Polish Tatras is Zakopane. This is the closest town to the national park and where you’ll find the buses that will take you there.
Zakopane is a popular place for skiing in winter — so you’ll find lots of accommodation with spas and swimming pools. It’s a stunning and affordable town, and it’s very tourist-friendly.
We stayed in Apartmenty Jedlina. This accommodation was 5 minutes from a bus stop and equipped with a full kitchen. We often choose apartments over hotels when travelling, as being able to cook can make your holiday even more affordable.
How to Get to Zakopane
When planning our holidays, we always prefer to book all of our tickets online before arriving to make our trip as smooth as possible. However, for this trip, this was definitely not the most effective way to get around.
To reach Zakopane, you fly into Krakow. From Krakow, buses go to Zakopane — however, we really struggled to find a reliable website and timetable to book tickets on.
We eventually ended up booking tickets from Maxbus and you can find the timetable [here]. Tickets cost us €7.30 each. However, we arrived at the bus terminal before our scheduled bus and were expecting to have to wait around. But when we got there, there was a bus with a “Zakopane” sign in the window sitting there.
We said, why wait? We walked up to the bus, paid €8 each (they accept card), and within 2 hours we were in Zakopane. This company was Majerbus (link here).
What I learnt from my trip is that there’s not too much information online — you just need to have faith: the bus will be there.
It might be hard to plan in advance, but the public transport is reliable and affordable. There are clear signs to the bus terminal from the airport.
Getting to the Trails
So now you know how to get to Zakopane — but how do you get to the national park?
There are two main access points to the national park:
- Kuźnice
- Palenica Białczańska (starting point for Morskie Oko)
From my experience, these are the most popular starting points for various hikes. But again, we had the same problem: very little information online.
We were visiting in September, and lots of sites said the buses only run regularly in summer, so we didn’t really know what to expect and could never find a timetable. But again- you just need to trust the process.
There are lots of different bus stops throughout Zakopane- you can use Google Maps to find whichever one is closest to your accommodation. There’s also the central station, where most buses start from. On busy days (especially for routes like Morskie Oko), buses could fill up quickly, so it might be a good idea to get on at the first stop.
How the Buses Work
At the bus stops, there are electronic machines to print tickets out- don’t make the same mistake as us and buy them! They aren’t the right tickets for the national park.
Basically, private minibuses run to those two entry points to the park. They just show up and have a sign in the window clearly showing their destination.
We never waited longer than 10 minutes for a bus to show up- they are running all the time.
We even found online that in September the earliest bus starts at 7 a.m., but we thought we’d chance it and go at 6- and one showed up within 10 minutes.
It was genuinely one of the easiest and most reliable transportation systems I’ve ever used, so just because you can’t find a schedule online, there’s no need to worry.
When you’re heading back, it’s the same deal- there were always buses waiting to bring us back to Zakopane.
Important Notes:
-These buses only accept cash
-You pay at the end of your journey (when getting off), not when you board
-The cost is between €1–6 (4–25 PLN) depending on where you’re going
Hiking the Tatras
There are different trails from each national park entry. Entry was usually €2 (around 7 PLN) and had plenty of facilities such as food stalls and toilets at the entrance.
🚮 One important thing to note:
There are no bins inside the national park due to bears- so bring a bag and carry all your rubbish back out with you.
The trails are all clearly marked, but be sure to check the weather before hiking. When we were there, one of the cable cars wasn’t running due to high winds.
From Kuźnice:
From Kuźnice, you can reach the famous Hala Gąsienicowa — the stunning valley with pink flowers. There were no flowers in September, but it’s a gorgeous hike regardless.
You can also go a bit further to a stunning lake — Czarny Staw Gąsienicowy.
Other hikes from Kuźnice include:
- Giewont
- Kasprowy Wierch (also accessible by cable car)
From Palenica Białczańska:
From here you have:
- An easy hike to Morskie Oko, one of the most popular hikes in the Tatras
- The Five Polish Ponds Valley, which I would highly recommend
- And Rysy, Poland’s highest mountain
I’ll do an in-depth post about the specific hikes I did in a future blog — this post was getting long enough already, so I’ll save all the trail details and tips for next time!
FAQ’s
Do I need a car to hike in the Polish Tatras?
No — Zakopane and the Tatras are completely accessible via public transport. It’s easy, reliable, and affordable.
Can I book buses in advance?
For the local minibuses to the national park, no- you just turn up, pay in cash at the end, and hop on.
Can I pay with card?
No — national park minibuses are cash-only.
When do buses to the national park start?
Even in September, we caught one at 6 a.m., despite websites saying 7 a.m. So just head to the stop and wait — they come regularly.
How much does it cost to enter the national park?
About €2 (7 PLN) per person. This can be paid in cash or card.
Are trails marked?
Yes! The trails are clearly marked.
Are there bins or food inside the park?
There are food stalls and toilets at the entrance, but no bins inside — bring your rubbish out with you due to bears and other wildlife.
Final Thoughts
Don’t let a lack of online info fool you — Poland’s public transport system is incredibly efficient and reliable.
Zakopane is the perfect base for hiking the Tatras, and the trails are accessible, affordable, and absolutely breathtaking.
Trekora 
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