Krakow Airport to Poprad and the High Tatras by coach

Kraków Airport at Balice is the gateway most groups use for the Slovak side of the High Tatras, simply because it has far more flights than Poprad-Tatry Airport. The road distance to Poprad is about 161 km, which our coaches cover in about 2 h 50 min. That is well inside the driving limit for one driver, so there is no mandatory break and the transfer runs straight through.

The road from Balice to Poprad

The route heads south through Lesser Poland, climbs through the Podhale foothills and crosses into Slovakia before dropping into the Poprad basin beneath the Tatra peaks. Poland and Slovakia are both in Schengen, so there is no routine border check, but every passenger should still carry an ID card or passport. Electronic tolls in both countries are paid by the coach, so nobody has to think about vignettes. If your hotel is in Starý Smokovec, Tatranská Lomnica or Štrbské Pleso rather than Poprad itself, the coach simply carries on to the door.

Flight delays, luggage and skis

The pick-up is planned around your scheduled landing time. Send us the flight number when you book, so that a late arrival does not leave the group waiting on the kerb. The luggage hold takes suitcases (maximum 30 kg per piece) as well as ski bags, snowboards and bikes, which matters in winter, when ski groups often carry more kit than clothes. Groups of more than 53 people travel in two coaches.

This transfer is booked by ski clubs, school groups, corporate teams on incentive trips and wedding guests staying in the mountains. Most book the return leg at the same time. Our guide Kraków Airport to the High Tatras compares the options in more detail, and the airport transfer page explains how booking works.