Tatra Magistrala

The Tatranská magistrála runs along the southern side of the High Tatras, the highest range of the Carpathians, from Ždiar below the Belianske Tatras to Podbanské in the west. Rather than climbing the granite peaks, it keeps to the level of the tarns and mountain huts, crossing the mouths of one valley after another between about 900 m and just over 2,000 m.

From Ždiar it climbs through Monkova dolina to Vyšné Kopské sedlo and drops to Zelené pleso below the wall of Kežmarský štít. It then crosses the Veľká Svišťovka saddle at 2,038 m, partly on exposed ground secured with chains, to Skalnaté pleso and Zamkovského chata, and continues by Hrebienok, Sliezsky dom at Velické pleso and Batizovské pleso below Gerlach to Sedlo pod Ostrvou and Popradské pleso. The last part runs by Štrbské Pleso, Jamské pleso and Tri studničky down to Podbanské.

The High Tatras tourism organisation describes the route in four parts with overnight stops at huts such as Chata pri Zelenom plese, which is open all year; the first, third and fourth parts measure 18.2, 18.4 and 20.4 km. The mountain rescue service advises crossing between Popradské pleso and Sliezsky dom only without snow, as that stretch has no winter marking, and in 2024 the national park reported a short section near Hrebienok closed by a landslide, with a detour of about 15 minutes by Bilíkova chata.