Time spent: 2 weeks (2023)
Population: 5.4 million
Currency: Euro (EUR)
Itinerary: Bratislava, Nový Smokovec, Hrabušice, Národný park Slovenský raj, Košice
If you’re into gorge walking, hiking and pretty mountain lakes, then this is definitely the place for you.
We flew into Bratislava from Bergamo (Italy) and then we used trains to get around Slovakia. The train system is very good and pretty frequent and there are plenty of local routes available to get to the smaller places.
I can’t speak for what Bratislava has to offer as we merely travelled by foot through the city from where the airport shuttle bus (route 61, £2 each) dropped us off to the main train station which is a 6 minute walk or a 2 minute run in our case. We then boarded a train for the city of Poprad (4 hours, £20) to ultimately catch a local train to Nový Smokovec (15 mins, £6) where we would be spending the next week. There is a local train which runs along the Tatra Mountains between Poprad-Tatry and Podbanské which is easy to hop on and hop off when you need it. The whole area caters well for hikers in the summer and this is the best (and quite a pretty) way to get around. We were based in a rented apartment in Nový Smokovec next to Vysoké Tatry for the week and used the railway (which was right on our front door) to transport us around the beautiful Tatra Mountains. There are plenty of walks around high mountains, beautiful scenery and lakes to get swimming in along the railway which stops at every small village imaginable.
We started our trip with a short hike to the top of the Vysoké Tatry – Hrebienok hiking area and then carried on upwards to see a few of the vodopáds (waterfalls) along the route. It was raining heavily so this was a shorter walk than anticipated but there was a lovely little mountainside café where we had some hot soup and a beer while the rain cleared. There’s much more to this walk which was discovered another day but you can get up to the waterfalls in about 1.5 hours over 4-5km so a round trip would take you 3 hours or so. To start, head to the north of the Vysoké Tatry Starý Smokovec train station where the road becomes a trail just next to the Rack Railway to Hrebienok line, a funicular which takes you to the top if you’d rather go up for the scenery and not the hike (€32 per person). There is a small river which you can follows with some lovely undulating waterfalls and some gloriously green scenic views across the valley. We also have the absolute pleasure of having a very up-close-and-personal encounter with a juvenile Fox who was very inquisitive and photogenic.
The next day was much brighter weather-wise so we went for a big hike in the Slovakian outdoors. We caught cable car A from Tatranská Lomnica (A-kabinka) and then the Skalnaté pleso - (B-kabinka) cable car to Skalnaté pleso to start our walk. To get to Zelené pleso (10km round trip, 4-5 hours) you need to follow the yellow signs in the right direction which is fairly easy to do. The hike is stunning and you overlook the valley below while winding along a hillside cliff with wildlife popping up everywhere you look. There are some challenging sections of this walk but the last 2km in particular is very steep. However, you do get to stare at the glistening water of the lake as you walk towards it for the last hour so the view is worth the knee pain. There is a lovely little bar on the lakeside when you arrive but bring cash with you as cards aren’t accepted. We learned the hard way but a lovely and generous local paid for our beers. The walk is the same in reverse which means it starts with a pretty steep ascent but the reward this time is a little different. If you’re tired after a challenging climb, don’t worry because the Slovakians have though about everything. Walk to Stanica lanovky Štart cable car station by following the path underneath the cable car for roughly 1.5km and you’ll end up at the downhill mountain karts hire station. Here, you can pay €10-15 per person to drive an engine-less kart to get you down the mountain as fast as possible. It only takes 10 minutes to drive down so saved us maybe 2 more hours of walking and was a lot of fun, so we’d highly recommend it.
The next day we hopped on a train to Štrbské Pleso (45mins, 1 per-hour, €2) from Nový Smokovec and spent the day idly walking around the lake and hiring a boat to row out on the water (€23 for 40mins). There are lots of wooden carvings of animals and people around the lake which make for a pleasant surprise as you wander. There’s a pleasant and easy going trail to another nearby lake Popradské pleso (5.2km, 2 hours) and there’s plenty of restaurants and cafes around as this is a skiing hub in the winter so you’re well catered for. There was some horrendous weather one day so we got the train to Poprad (15 mins, €10) and went to the delightful Aqua City and Wellness centre (€32 per person) which has a genuinely fantastic spa with all sorts of water based treatments to help soothe those aching legs. We spent an entire day there which is easily done once you get into the spa section. Poprad is a small city (50,000 pop) and there isn’t too much to do but is a good hub for all the mountaineering and has some supermarkets which Nový Smokovec was lacking.
After our time in the mountains it was time to head to Hrabušice and the Národný park Slovenský raj, otherwise known as Slovak Paradise National Park which is the absolute highlight of any Slovakian trip. I’ll point out now that most places in this region only accept cash so bring some with you! We took a train from Nový Smokovec through Poprad to Vydrník Train station before getting a bus from here to Hrabušice which is a 3km drive. There are lots of little apartments and dorms to stay in around the area and they work as a good base for the national park but something we found out when we arrived which should be noted: Hrabušice is a tiny little village and there is only one daily bus. On our first day, we tried to catch it at roughly 8:30am and it drove past us completely full which meant our entire day plans were scuppered so my advice is that for here in particular; a car is really useful.
We completed two gorge walks over two days, the first was Suchá Belá. Park here in Podlesok and follow the well signed trail to Suchá Belá. We started this hike quite late in the day so it was really quiet and incredibly peaceful. You follow a very shallow river upstream, jumping over fallen trees, climbing rocky scrambles, trapsing though crystal clear water and occasionally a ladder or food steps have been fashioned for you to use as a rough train guide. The fact you make your own way which is unique to anyone else is the real joy of this hike. The gorge (covered in overgrown forest) has warning signs at the start that you won’t be rescued if things go wrong but it never feels like it will (until you reach the very steep metal ladder under a waterfall where we decided enough was enough for that day and turned around and headed back the way we came). Suchá Belá is probably the most famous of the gorges and has a few nice pubs and restaurants around the car park where you can try Slovakian Tatra Tea (not tea, strong spirit) which range from 22% to 80%.
The second gorge took a lot longer as we had to hike 7-8km along a road to get to the start of the gorge walk (no bus again). The start of the Veľký Sokol gorge was at a crossing of trails and dirt roads where you’ll need to look out for a rangers hut who (might) charge you an entrance fee to the national park. From here, follow the signs for Veľký Sokol which is another 2.6km along the gorge in the same fashion as Suchá Belá. This time however, we braved the highest ladder climb (at least 10m) after some stern words with ourselves and managed to complete the gorge walk, eventually bringing us out onto a wooded forest area with some sign posts. We then followed the signs and the mountain bike track all the way back to the Suchá Belá car park mentioned previously, making this day hike at least 20km in total. It was stunning though and unlike any hikes we’ve experience anywhere else and if we’d known about the buss issues and had longer; we would have stayed for weeks. There are so many gorge walks to hike and the place is littered with trails and shallow rivers to hike up.
For water-sports enthusiasts, the Palcmanská Maša lake at the south of the national park is a lovely spot where you can kayak and stand-up-paddle-board along the crystal clear, lukewarm water following an old train line which you pass under while on the water. Hire boats here for €15 per person for two hours but bring cash with you as they don’t take card. As mentioned previously, there is one daily bus which would bring you here from Hrabušice but it was full on the day we needed it, so we got a €50 (yes, fifty!) taxi ride the 20 minutes down the road to spend the day here. To get back, we walked from the lake along the road to Mlynky (5km, 1 hour) until we ended up at the bus stop which arrived and took us back to Hrabušice. As mentioned, it is probably preferable to hire a car in these parts to make getting around easier but there is at least some public transport (occasionally).
Our trip to Slovakia ended with us catching a train to Košice from Vydrník train station which involved getting the 8:50am bus from Hrabušice to Vydrník and then the train to Poprad – Prešov – Košice (2 hours, €15). Košice has some pretty, gothic architecture and the city centre has some lovely parks and fountains to walk around and through. The main reason we were in Košice was to fly home and as we’d been to Hungary for a few days it was a close airport. However, if you like Indian and Punjab food then you’re well catered for here. There were quite a few decent restaurants, but we chose the Punjab Indian Restaurant which was absolutely delicious.
Slovakia may be behind it’s neighbours Switzerland and Austria in terms of mountaineering and skiing resources, but it is a really pretty country and the transportation infrastructure is excellent (except that one bus). It is a little more expensive than you’d expect mind and you will probably need to rent a car to really make the most of the Národný park Slovenský raj which is an absolute must for any outdoor adventurer, but the cost is worth it in the end. We’ve never experienced anything like the gorges here and the mountain lakes are just stunning. Use our advice or not, remember: it’s what you know, not who you know.
