TANAP Museum in Tatranská Lomnica
The Tatra National Park Museum (Múzeum TANAP-u) in Tatranská Lomnica is the best place to understand in an hour or two how the Tatras work: from geology and forests to chamois, bears and life in the villages below the mountains. It is a good choice for a rainy day, for families with children and for anyone not planning high-mountain hikes.
The museum was founded by the then TANAP administration on 1 April 1957. At first it was housed in the Podtatranské Museum in Poprad, from 1959 in the Széchenyi Villa in Tatranská Lomnica, and in 1968 it merged with the park's research station and moved into a new building where it still works today. The building was designed by architect Pavol Merjavý: a triangular volume under a pitched roof with a façade of granite boulders is considered an example of Slovak modernism, and in 1971 he received the Dušan Jurkovič Prize for it.
What to see
- Dioramas. The highlight of the exhibition are large dioramas showing Tatra animals in their habitats: the Tatra chamois, the Tatra marmot, lynx, wolf, brown bear and capercaillie. Among the exhibits is also the fairy shrimp Branchinecta paludosa, a tiny crustacean that has survived since the Ice Age in just one Tatra lake. Children can peek into a bear's den before entering the hall. A new central diorama shows the Tatras in four seasons.
- Natural history section: geology and landforms, altitude zones of vegetation, Tatra forests, fungi, dwarf mountain pine, streams and tarns, alpine meadows and the highest parts of the mountains.
- Ethnographic section in the gallery — everyday and spiritual culture of the villages below the Tatras, folk costumes (including from Ždiar and Lendak).
- Historical exhibition "People in the Tatras": prehistoric finds, shepherds, miners and metalworkers, early descriptions and maps, the development of tourism, spa settlements and mountain rescue.
- Temporary exhibitions. From 13 August 2026 to 15 January 2027 the exhibition "In the Power of the Night" (V moci noci) presents owls nesting in Slovakia.
After its modernisation the museum is adapted for visitors with visual, hearing and other impairments: there are relief maps and signs in Braille, touchable models of animals and plants, interactive elements with sign-language interpretation and subtitles. Most of the 1,064 m² exhibition is step-free; only the ethnographic gallery is reached by stairs. The free SmartGuide audio guide for smartphones is available in Slovak and English.
Practical information
Getting there. The museum stands in the centre of Tatranská Lomnica, near the bus station. From Poprad you can get here by the Tatra Electric Railway (via Starý Smokovec) or by bus. The lower station of the cable cars to Skalnaté pleso is nearby.
Opening hours in 2026 (daily): 1 May – 30 September 9:00–12:00 and 12:30–17:00; 1 October – 30 April 8:30–12:00 and 13:00–16:00. Before the lunch break it is recommended to arrive by 11:15 at the latest. Closed on 3 and 6 April, from 2 to 17 November, from 18 to 25 December 2026 and on 1 January 2027.
Tickets (prices valid from 2 January 2025): adults €6, pupils, students, seniors over 60 and ZŤP card holders €3, family ticket (2 adults and 2 or more children) €15; children under 6 free. Guided entry (weekdays at 9:00 and 13:00, minimum 7 people) costs €9 for adults. A combined ticket with the Exhibition of Tatra Nature costs €9. Tatry Card holders get 20 % off. Payment by card or cash.
Nearby
- Skalnaté pleso, the observatory and the cable car to Lomnický štít — starting right in Tatranská Lomnica.
- Studený potok waterfalls near Hrebienok.
- Zelené pleso below the Belianske Tatras.
- Spišská Sobota — the historic centre of Poprad.
Official website: tanap.sk
Photos: Jozef Kotulič, CC BY 2.5, Wikimedia Commons; Ing.Mgr.jozef Kotulič, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons; Pavol Jackovič at Slovak Wikipedia, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons; Original uploader was Pavol Jackovič at sk.wikipedia, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons; Arvedui89, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.
Getting there from Ukraine
Border crossings
- Uzhhorod – Vyšné Nemecké — road, 24/7
- Malyi Bereznyi – Ubľa — road, 24/7 For cars and buses; pedestrians not confirmed by the Ukrainian border service, lorries up to 3.5 t.
- Mali Selmentsi – Veľké Slemence (pedestrian) — pedestrian, 09:00–21:00 Kyiv time Pedestrians and cyclists only; inconvenient for the Tatras without onward transport.
- Chop – Čierna nad Tisou (rail) — rail, 24/7
By car
Uzhhorod – Poprad ≈195 km, ≈2 h 55 min without queues: Uzhhorod – Vyšné Nemecké checkpoint → I/19 via Sobrance and Michalovce → Košice → D1 motorway via Prešov → Poprad (Liptovský Mikuláš is ≈56 km further on the D1, total ≈249 km). Košice – Poprad ≈112 km. The D1 requires an e-vignette (eznamka.sk). Note: from Lviv the fastest way to Poprad is through Poland — Krakovets – A4 – Kraków – Zakopane – Łysa Polana ≈468 km (≈5 h 50 min); via Uzhok and Malyi Bereznyi ≈419 km but slower (≈6 h 40 min). Zakopane – Poprad ≈69 km, Zakopane – Liptovský Mikuláš ≈80 km.
Checked 23.10.2026; border crossing hours and timetables change — check before you travel.
Location on the map
Comments
Trails nearby
All trails
EasyOne-dayMarkedTatranská Lomnica Skalnaté plesoElevation profile852–1 763 m5.9 km≈ 1.5 h walkingunder 1 km from TANAP Museum in Tatranská Lomnica
HardMulti-dayMarkedTatranská Lomnica Lysá PoľanaElevation profile853–2 268 m27.3 kmascent 1 400 m≈ 9.5 h walkingunder 1 km from TANAP Museum in Tatranská Lomnica
ModerateTwo-dayMarkedTatranské Matliare Tatranská JavorinaElevation profile885–1 779 m17.9 kmascent 879 m≈ 6 h walking1.3 km from TANAP Museum in Tatranská LomnicaNearby attractions
WaterfallStudený potok Waterfalls and Hrebienok4.5 km from TANAP Museum in Tatranská LomnicaThe Studený potok waterfalls (Vodopády Studeného potoka), known in Polish literature as the Zimna Woda waterfalls, are one of the oldest tourist attractions of the...
LakeSkalnaté pleso, Observatory and Lomnický štít Cable Car4.5 km from TANAP Museum in Tatranská LomnicaSkalnaté pleso is a small moraine lake in the lowest cirque of the Skalnatá valley below Lomnický štít, at about 1,751–1,754 m.
NatureBelianska Cave7.2 km from TANAP Museum in Tatranská LomnicaBelianska Cave (Belianska jaskyňa) is the only show cave in the High Tatras and one of the most visited in Slovakia.Craft nearby
All craft places
Water parks & thermal poolsAquaCity Poprad water park12 km from TANAP Museum in Tatranská LomnicaAquaCity Poprad is a large year-round water park and wellness complex in the town of Poprad, a few minutes from the centre; according to the complex, the High Tatras...
Craft beer & breweriesMinipivovar TATRAS, Poprad13 km from TANAP Museum in Tatranská LomnicaMinipivovar TATRAS is a brewpub on Poprad’s main square, Námestie sv. Egídia, housed in a building with a long brewing history.
Water parks & thermal poolsThermal Park Vrbov14 km from TANAP Museum in Tatranská LomnicaThermal Park Vrbov is one of the best-known thermal baths in the Spiš region, on the southern edge of the village of Vrbov, about 6 km (as the crow flies) from...
Cheese dairies & pasturesShepherd's Hut on Rusinowa Polana18 km from TANAP Museum in Tatranská LomnicaRusinowa Polana is one of the most beautiful mountain glades in the Polish Tatras, and from May to October it is home to the bacówka (shepherd's hut) of baca Stanisław...
Water parks & thermal poolsTermy Bukovina22 km from TANAP Museum in Tatranská LomnicaTermy Bukovina is a modern thermal pool complex in Bukowina Tatrzańska, a village lying about a thousand metres above sea level on the edge of the Tatra National Park.
Cheese dairies & pasturesFurtek's Shepherd's Huts, Kuźnice and Kalatówki25 km from TANAP Museum in Tatranská LomnicaAbove Kuźnice — the southern edge of Zakopane where most hikes into the Western and High Tatras begin — the flocks are tended by baca Andrzej Staszel, nicknamed "Furtek".