Stage start
Veľké Biele pleso
Trailhead
The magistrála's eastern end, a tarn with no road or bus: it is reached only on foot. The plans here start at Chata pri Zelenom plese, after walking up the evening before.
Veľké Biele pleso to Chata pri Zelenom plese
Tatranská magistrála · Stage 1
3.3kmStage distance
11mMapped ascent
1Stage number
Closed on set dates: Closed every year from 1 November to 31 May by the TANAP visitor rules: Veľké Biele pleso to Kopské sedlo, on the blue and red trails. Fines up to €300. Source, read 1 October 2026
From Kopské sedlo down the blue-marked trail to Veľké Biele pleso, where the red magistrála begins, then on to Chata pri Zelenom plese, which is open all year. Kopské sedlo to Veľké Biele pleso is closed from 1 November to 31 May: in those months start at Veľké Biele pleso, by the green-marked trail up from Tatranská Kotlina.
Best season: June to October; the high sections are closed 1 November to 31 May. Under the TANAP visitor rules the high sections close every year from 1 November to 31 May: Kopské sedlo to Veľké Biele pleso, Zelené pleso to Skalnaté pleso, and Sliezsky dom to Popradské pleso and on to the Trigan junction. In 2026 they opened on 1 June. The huts stay open all year, and the lower sections by Hrebienok and Štrbské Pleso can be walked in winter. Snow can come early: on 22 September 2026 the mountain forecast reported continuous snow above 1,700 m. Before you go
Loading topographic map…
Flat (<5%) Gentle (5–10%) Moderate (10–15%) Steep (15–25%) Very steep (>25%)
Green: Veľké Biele pleso to Chata pri Zelenom plese. Grey: full trail. Elevation follows this mapped track.
Veľké Biele pleso to Chata pri Zelenom plese
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Where this stage starts and ends
Facts read from the operators' own pages and OpenStreetMap on 26 September 2026. A page can change after we read it, so confirm with the hut before you rely on a date or a bed.
Stage end · overnight
Chata pri Zelenom plese
Staffed mountain hut · 1,551 m
- Season
- 2026 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2026 Open all year. chataprizelenomplese.sk, read 26 September 20262027 2027 dates not published Open all year as a rule; 2027 prices are not out yet. chataprizelenomplese.sk, read 26 September 2026
- Places
- 56 places in total · Restaurant meals 56 places in shared rooms.
- Booking
- Book by email Book by email; pay on arrival, in cash. A bed with linen and breakfast is €37.50 the first night and €35 the next, plus €3.50 city tax.
What the operators say about this leg
Neither operator publishes a walking time for this exact leg. Our estimate for the stage is 52 min, computed from the mapped line and its climbing.
Make it your trip
Book each hut directly
The huts take bookings by email, phone or their own sites; some want a deposit and some cash on arrival. Camping in the national park is not allowed. Each night below shows how to book and the prices read from the hut's page.
Chata pri Zelenom plese to Podbanské
The magistrála west from Chata pri Zelenom plese in 3 days, with nights at Zamkovského chata and Popradské pleso. The eastern end at Veľké Biele pleso has no road: walk up to the hut the evening before.
Plan this journeyHrebienok to Štrbské Pleso
Two high days with a night at Sliezsky dom: up to Hrebienok by funicular or on foot from Starý Smokovec, and back by the Tatra electric railway from Štrbské Pleso.
Plan this journeyWeather this week
Loading the forecast for low point (1,545 m) and high point (1,779 m)…
Weather by month
Typical weather on this stage: at the lowest point (1,545 m) and the highest point (1,779 m). Select a month to see why it is rated as it is.
| Month | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weather | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Good | Good | Good | Good | Mixed | Poor | Poor |
| High point, day / night | -4°/-11° | -4°/-10° | -2°/-8° | 4°/-3° | 10°/1° | 13°/4° | 15°/6° | 15°/6° | 10°/2° | 6°/-1° | 1°/-5° | -3°/-9° |
| Low point, day / night | -3°/-9° | -3°/-9° | 0°/-7° | 6°/-2° | 11°/2° | 15°/5° | 16°/7° | 17°/7° | 11°/3° | 7°/0° | 2°/-3° | -2°/-8° |
| Rain, mm | 72 | 81 | 85 | 102 | 143 | 174 | 192 | 147 | 129 | 100 | 89 | 77 |
| Snow at high point | Likely | Likely | Likely | Likely | Likely | – | – | – | – | Possible | Likely | Likely |
| Daylight | 8 h 38 | 10 h 07 | 11 h 48 | 13 h 40 | 15 h 16 | 16 h 12 | 15 h 52 | 14 h 29 | 12 h 41 | 10 h 53 | 9 h 11 | 8 h 14 |
Source: TerraClimate 1991–2020 monthly averages. Averages for the area at each point’s elevation (4 km grid, corrected for height). Not a forecast or a report of current trail conditions. Snow at the high point is estimated with a simple snowpack model from these temperatures and precipitation, not observed; steep islands and high summits can hold more snow than it shows. Daylight is for the 15th of each month. Hut, transport and park seasons are separate: check them for your dates.
Before you go
Prepare for the Tatranská magistrála
Arrange your stays, food and travel first, then check conditions again near departure.
The winter closure
Every year from 1 November to 31 May the high sections are closed under the TANAP visitor rules, with fines up to €300: Kopské sedlo to Veľké Biele pleso, Zelené pleso to Skalnaté pleso, and Sliezsky dom to Popradské pleso and the Trigan junction. The huts stay open, reached by the lower trails.
TANAP: the closed trails (PDF)Rules in the national park
Walk only on marked trails and only in daylight, except the shortest way to the hut you sleep at. No camping, and no dogs in the high mountains or most huts.
TANAP: hiking rulesMountain rescue and insurance
The Horská záchranná služba answers on 18 300. In Slovakia the person rescued pays for a mountain rescue: take insurance that covers it.
HZS: mountain rescueBears
Brown bears live along the trail. TANAP runs a bear response team on +421 903 987 628.
TANAP: the brown bearGetting there
Connect your journey
Travel around Veľké Biele pleso to Chata pri Zelenom plese.
Google Maps journey searches, not confirmed services. A mountain endpoint may need a booked transfer or an additional walk.
The Tatra electric railway
The Tatra electric railway runs from Poprad along the foot of the mountains to Starý Smokovec, Tatranská Lomnica and Štrbské Pleso, with stops at Popradské Pleso and Tatranská Polianka below the huts. A rack railway climbs from Štrba to Štrbské Pleso.
ZSSK: the Tatra ticketTo Hrebienok
Hrebienok, the start of the two-day plan, is the top of the funicular from Starý Smokovec on the Tatra electric railway; the funicular is closed from 24 September to 4 November 2026, and the way up on foot starts in Starý Smokovec. Chata pri Zelenom plese and the eastern end have no road or railway: they are reached only on foot.
Vysoké Tatry lifts: openingFunicular and cable cars
The funicular from Starý Smokovec to Hrebienok is closed from 24 September to 4 November 2026. The cable cars from Tatranská Lomnica to Skalnaté pleso run only at weekends from 9 November to 11 December 2026.
Vysoké Tatry lifts: openingTake your trip with you
Offline maps
Prepare each section while you have a connection; the signal is patchy between the huts.
Keep your route and maps on your phone for places without a signal. For multi-day trips, prepare them in the installed TrailSplits app.
- Open this trail in the app. Install TrailSplits, then open this trail there. On iPhone, downloads in a browser may not be available in the installed app.
- Choose your route or stages. Choose Prepare offline above. Wait for the route and maps to finish downloading.
- Try it before leaving coverage. Switch offline, close and reopen the app, then use My Hikes to start navigation. Repeat for every part you will need.
Saving a bookmark is not a map download. Storage can be cleared by your device; keep a backup map for remote trips.
Route & sources
About this map
The magistrála is the red-marked trail along the southern foot of the High Tatras. The line here is its relation on OpenStreetMap (planet of 21 September 2026): 50.1 km from Kopské sedlo above Veľké Biele pleso to Podbanské, walked east to west as the regional tourism board describes it, cut at the huts and villages on it. The red trail goes on about 22 km west to Jalovec; this guide ends at Podbanské. The times shown are TrailSplits estimates; the signposts along the trail give their own.
Official guidance and mapped-source comparison checked 26 September 2026. Map data is a route reference, not confirmation of today's path, weather or accommodation availability.
TANAP: hiking rulesMap data © OpenStreetMap contributors · Source relation