diff --git a/src/poetry/utils/env.py b/src/poetry/utils/env.py
index f3cfac527fe..7102a862fd1 100644
--- a/src/poetry/utils/env.py
+++ b/src/poetry/utils/env.py
@@ -465,6 +465,21 @@ class EnvManager:
     def __init__(self, poetry: "Poetry") -> None:
         self._poetry = poetry
 
+    def _full_python_path(self, python: str) -> str:
+        try:
+            executable = decode(
+                subprocess.check_output(
+                    list_to_shell_command(
+                        [python, "-c", '"import sys; print(sys.executable)"']
+                    ),
+                    shell=True,
+                ).strip()
+            )
+        except CalledProcessError as e:
+            raise EnvCommandError(e)
+
+        return executable
+
     def _detect_active_python(self, io: "IO") -> str:
         executable = None
 
@@ -474,14 +489,7 @@ def _detect_active_python(self, io: "IO") -> str:
                 " config.",
                 verbosity=Verbosity.VERBOSE,
             )
-            executable = decode(
-                subprocess.check_output(
-                    list_to_shell_command(
-                        ["python", "-c", '"import sys; print(sys.executable)"']
-                    ),
-                    shell=True,
-                ).strip()
-            )
+            executable = self._full_python_path("python")
             io.write_line(f"Found: {executable}", verbosity=Verbosity.VERBOSE)
         except CalledProcessError:
             io.write_line(
@@ -511,6 +519,8 @@ def activate(self, python: str, io: "IO") -> "Env":
             # Executable in PATH or full executable path
             pass
 
+        python = self._full_python_path(python)
+
         try:
             python_version = decode(
                 subprocess.check_output(
diff --git a/tests/console/commands/env/helpers.py b/tests/console/commands/env/helpers.py
index bd4f486d867..23d1e1e8d1c 100644
--- a/tests/console/commands/env/helpers.py
+++ b/tests/console/commands/env/helpers.py
@@ -25,6 +25,8 @@ def check_output(cmd: str, *_: Any, **__: Any) -> str:
             return version.text
         elif "sys.version_info[:2]" in cmd:
             return f"{version.major}.{version.minor}"
+        elif '-c "import sys; print(sys.executable)"' in cmd:
+            return f"/usr/bin/{cmd.split()[0]}"
         else:
             return str(Path("/prefix"))
 
diff --git a/tests/console/commands/env/test_use.py b/tests/console/commands/env/test_use.py
index 6e7be093387..3dc32a4e76b 100644
--- a/tests/console/commands/env/test_use.py
+++ b/tests/console/commands/env/test_use.py
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ def test_activate_activates_non_existing_virtualenv_no_envs_file(
     venv_py37 = venv_cache / f"{venv_name}-py3.7"
     mock_build_env.assert_called_with(
         venv_py37,
-        executable="python3.7",
+        executable="/usr/bin/python3.7",
         flags={"always-copy": False, "system-site-packages": False},
         with_pip=True,
         with_setuptools=True,
diff --git a/tests/utils/test_env.py b/tests/utils/test_env.py
index ee8c4ee9ee6..3b8e33920fd 100644
--- a/tests/utils/test_env.py
+++ b/tests/utils/test_env.py
@@ -154,12 +154,14 @@ def build_venv(path: Union[Path, str], **__: Any) -> None:
 
 def check_output_wrapper(
     version: Version = VERSION_3_7_1,
-) -> Callable[[List[str], Any, Any], str]:
-    def check_output(cmd: List[str], *args: Any, **kwargs: Any) -> str:
+) -> Callable[[str, Any, Any], str]:
+    def check_output(cmd: str, *args: Any, **kwargs: Any) -> str:
         if "sys.version_info[:3]" in cmd:
             return version.text
         elif "sys.version_info[:2]" in cmd:
             return f"{version.major}.{version.minor}"
+        elif '-c "import sys; print(sys.executable)"' in cmd:
+            return f"/usr/bin/{cmd.split()[0]}"
         else:
             return str(Path("/prefix"))
 
@@ -193,7 +195,7 @@ def test_activate_activates_non_existing_virtualenv_no_envs_file(
 
     m.assert_called_with(
         Path(tmp_dir) / f"{venv_name}-py3.7",
-        executable="python3.7",
+        executable="/usr/bin/python3.7",
         flags={"always-copy": False, "system-site-packages": False},
         with_pip=True,
         with_setuptools=True,
@@ -328,7 +330,7 @@ def test_activate_activates_different_virtualenv_with_envs_file(
 
     m.assert_called_with(
         Path(tmp_dir) / f"{venv_name}-py3.6",
-        executable="python3.6",
+        executable="/usr/bin/python3.6",
         flags={"always-copy": False, "system-site-packages": False},
         with_pip=True,
         with_setuptools=True,
@@ -389,7 +391,7 @@ def test_activate_activates_recreates_for_different_patch(
 
     build_venv_m.assert_called_with(
         Path(tmp_dir) / f"{venv_name}-py3.7",
-        executable="python3.7",
+        executable="/usr/bin/python3.7",
         flags={"always-copy": False, "system-site-packages": False},
         with_pip=True,
         with_setuptools=True,
@@ -1022,7 +1024,7 @@ def test_activate_with_in_project_setting_does_not_fail_if_no_venvs_dir(
 
     m.assert_called_with(
         poetry.file.parent / ".venv",
-        executable="python3.7",
+        executable="/usr/bin/python3.7",
         flags={"always-copy": False, "system-site-packages": False},
         with_pip=True,
         with_setuptools=True,