A bus now runs through it: Slovakia and Poland’s Tatras finally connect

For years, Slovakia’s High Tatras felt cut off from their Polish neighbours. While hikers could cross the ridge lines with ease, and drivers could reach Zakopane in just over an hour, public transport across the border was fragmented – and often seasonal.

That is finally changing. As of April 2025, the new cross-border bus service A15, operated by Koleje Małopolskie,  a regional rail operator based in Kraków, offers daily, year-round connections between Starý Smokovec in Slovakia and the Polish towns of Zakopane, Kościelisko and Chochołów, according to the civic platform Port Europa. For visitors staying in the Slovak Tatras, it is now possible to reach the Gubałówka funicular, the bustling Krupówki promenade, and hiking trails like the Kościeliska and Chochołowska valleys – without the need for a car.

The new route fills a gap left by the popular but short-lived Strama service, which ran between Poprad and Zakopane until 2020. Though reliable during the summer months, Strama operated only seasonally and did not serve deeper destinations like Kościelisko or Chochołów.

The new A15 line, by contrast, runs twice daily in each direction all year long. Buses depart Starý Smokovec at 9:17 and 15:17, stopping at Tatranská Lomnica, Tatranská Kotlina, Ždiar and Jurgów before arriving in Zakopane around an hour later. From there, the route continues to Kościelisko and the thermal baths in Witów, ending in Chochołów – just a 20-minute walk from the Slovak border village of Suchá Hora. Tickets cost €4.40 to Zakopane and €5 for the full ride to Chochołów, and may be purchased from the driver in euros or zlotys.

The service is the result of nearly a decade of grassroots campaigning by the civic initiative Poľsko-Slovensko-Autobusy, led by Jakub Łoginow, Arkadiusz Kugler, Łukasz Lewkowicz and David Nágy. Their efforts brought together the Malopolska Voivodeship and Slovakia’s Prešov Region to co-fund the service.

Still, the timetable has limitations. The return service from Zakopane departs as early as 13:21, making it difficult to enjoy a full day in Poland. A workaround is to take a minibus from Zakopane to Łysa Polana (ask the driver to stop at the border), walk across to the Slovak side, and catch one of the frequent buses back to Starý Smokovec or Poprad. The last bus from Łysa Polana to Poprad departs at 18:15. These Polish minibuses, usually labelled Morskie Oko, run every 20–30 minutes until 20:00. Tickets are paid in zlotys to the driver.

Alternatively, use the route as a springboard into Poland. Zakopane’s train station – 15 minutes on foot from Krupówki – offers direct Intercity trains to Kraków, Warsaw, Gdańsk and Gdynia. Thanks to a seven-year modernisation completed in 2024, the Kraków–Zakopane line now takes just 2 hours 20 minutes. For example, a morning departure from Starý Smokovec at 9:17 reaches Zakopane by 10:35, leaving time for a 13:29 direct train to Gdynia, a seaport in northern Poland. 

Another variation of the A15 line heads from Zakopane via Chochołów to Trstená in northern Slovakia, connecting travellers to Orava towns like Námestovo and Zuberec.

Full timetables and fare information are available on the Koleje Małopolskie website.