Thanks to its airport, railway connections and road network, the eastern Slovakian city of Poprad is regarded as the gateway to the High Tatras mountain range and is the administrative, economic and cultural centre of the Tatras region.

Welcoming visitors all year round, Poprad is also a popular destination for sports travellers, whatever the season. Named by ACES Europe as one of the European Cities of Sport for 2023, we take a look at what sporting experiences and facilities Poprad has to offer.

Sporting activities in Poprad

Winter sports 

Poprad’s location south of the High Tatras National Park makes it an ideal base to explore the nearby ski resorts during the winter months. Two of the top five ski resorts – Jasna and SkiPark Malino Brdo – are just a 40-minute drive from Poprad, while the ski resorts of Tatranska Lomnica, Strbske Pleso and Stary Smokovec are on the doorstep of the region’s capital. Did you know that when you land in Poprad-Tatry Airport you can be on the slopes within one hour? That’s because the nearest hotels in Tatranska Lomnica and Stary Smokovec are just a short drive away. 

Hiking and cycling 

When there’s no snow on the ground the nearby mountains and slopes also make a great location for hiking, walking and cycling. There are many routes to explore on two wheels or on foot. In total there are 15km of bike trails. See visitpoprad.sk   

Golf

Golfers can hit the fairways at ​​Black Stork Golf Resort and Royal Valley Golf Club. At Black Stork in Veľká Lomnica, 9km north of Poprad, there’s 27 holes of golf, practice areas, plus a hotel, indoor and outdoor heated pools and conference facilities. Located 19km from Poprad, Royal Valley has a nine-hole golf course with a partially-covered driving range, a putting and chipping green and a restaurant. For fans of golf on a smaller scale, head to the indoor 18-hole mini-golf course at Hotel TatraMonti or Adventure Golf Veľký Slavkov at the Aplend Tatra Holiday Resort. 

Motokary Tatry

If you have a need for speed then Motokary Tatry is the place to be. This go-karting park offers adrenaline-filled racing on its 230m circuit, with possible average speeds of 30km/h.

Poprad’s top sports facilities 

Winter Stadium

Built in 1973 and renovated in 2011, Poprad’s Winter Stadium is the home of the city’s ice hockey team, HK Poprad. Mainly used for ice hockey matches, the modern 4,233-capacity arena has also been the venue for large cultural and social events. Every year it hosts the Tatra Cup, the second oldest hockey tournament in Europe.

NTC Poprad

The National Training Center (NTC) in Poprad serves Slovakia’s national football teams. As well as hosting football matches, training sessions and camps, the NTC also offers accommodation facilities with 39 beds, a restaurant with a capacity for 32 people, and modern facilities for conferences and events. Local club FK Poprad play matches at the NTC. 

AquaCity Poprad Waterpark & Resort 

Located next door to the NTC, the award-winning AquaCity complex is just a 12-minute drive from Poprad-Tatry Airport. It is one of Slovakia’s top health and wellbeing resorts and regularly hosts English Premier League football clubs, who make use of 13 thermal outdoor and indoor pools, an ultra-modern two-storey wellness area, a cryotherapy centre, along with several accommodation options. 

Arena Poprad 

The multi-purpose Arena Poprad has a capacity of more than 2,000 and can host events for a number of sports including basketball, futsal, handball or volleyball.

A history of sport in Poprad

• 1906: Establishment of the first football club in the city ward of Matejovce 
• 1925: Establishment of the first hockey club 
• 1931: First official match of Poprad hockey players 
• 1958: First ice stadium with an artificial ice surface
• 1958: First year of the Tatra Cup – the second oldest hockey tournament in Europe 
• 1969: First automobile competition, the forerunner of Rally Tatry 
• 1973: New covered ice sporting facility 
• 1986: First indoor swimming pool 
• 1994: First candidacy of the City of Poprad for Winter Olympics (Salt Lake City 2002) 
• 1999: Second candidacy of the City of Poprad for Winter Olympics (Turín 2006) 
• 2006: Arena Poprad multi-purpose hall 
• 2011: Establishment of the National Training Football Centre in Poprad 
• 2022: Hockey Training Hall

Development of sports in Poprad by 2030

As part of its European City of Sport candidate bid, the City of Poprad revealed its “concept for the development of sports” by 2030. “Poprad strives to support and develop the activities of sports clubs in the city with a priority focus on the young people and the key sectors achieving significant sporting success at both the national and international levels in the long run,” it said. “The City of Poprad intends to pay the same attention to recreational sports for all residents. It is therefore necessary to create high-quality conditions for sports, building sports grounds and zones for active sporting of Poprad residents.” 

The concept for development of sports in the City of Poprad is based on four main pillars: 

• 1. Create conditions for young talented sportsmen and support talented youth sports clubs. Financially support youth sports clubs that are determined and systemic in working with Poprad youth professionally. 
• 2. Continue creating and improving the conditions for sports for adult citizens, seniors and disabled residents. 
• 3. Cultivate spaces and facilities for large sporting events so that the Popradians can enjoy a true sports atmosphere on high-quality sports grounds in their city. 
• 4. To support and help traditional sports which have their bases in Poprad historically and which have long contributed to building a positive attitude of the city’s inhabitants toward sports.

Transport: how to get to Poprad

The city’s geographical location and transport connections allow easy access to four national parks: Tatra National Park, Low Tatras National Park, Pieniny National Park and Slovak Paradise National Park. 

Flights

UK-based visitors can fly to Poprad-Tatry International Airport from London Luton with Wizz Air, which operates flights on Mondays and Fridays. Poprad-Tatry is the highest situated airport in Central Europe. See airport-poprad.sk

Trains 

For train travellers Poprad-Tatry railway station is one of the regional hubs on the Tatra electric railway route and offers services to the ski centres of Stary Smokovec, Strbske Pleso and Tatranska Lomnica. There are also popular international rail routes from Poprad to Bratislava, Prague, Liptovsky Mikulas, Kosice, and Ostrava.  

Buses 

Tatra Express bus services from Poprad go to Stary Smokovec-Zdiar-Tatranska Javorina and back (line 802); and to Svit-Strba-Strbske Pleso and back (line 804). The Ski & Aqua Bus for skiers and GOPASS card holders runs until 23 April to and from the AquaCity Poprad water park.

For more information on sport in Poprad see visitpoprad.sk 

This project and its activities are implemented with financial support of the Ministry of Transport and Construction of the Slovak Republic