Off to Slovakia beginning of September, staying near the High Tatras and flying into Poprad. What are the must do routes and attractions? We'll be staying in a village called Tatranska Strba and will be using trains to get to and fro.
Yes! Their wilderness areas!Expect to have to deal with ticks though! There is a tick warning out there you know, in fact throughout much of Eastern Europe. The main threat is from tick born diseases like Lymes. Use a good strong repellent walking in forested areas plus take tick tweezers.
As no one else has yet answered I'll give you the "benefit" of my rather limited experience. I've walked from Stary Smokovec to Teryho chata (chata means hut, I think) and from SS to Zbojnicka chata. Both good day walks and you can get lunch/beer/hot drinks at the huts.
A hurricane went thru the southern side of the Tatras a few years ago so be prepared for scenes of devastation at lower levels. Once you get above about 1100m things are OK.
You could even walk across to Zakopane (and catch the bus back, or vice versa), if you have the time. You'd need to take your passport if you did this, though.
Edit: Trevor and AN Other got in whilst I was writing my reply!
I've ordered the Ciccerone guide, and am off to Stanfords this weekend to get hold of the walking maps. As for the tics, I've forgotten that they'd been a problem in Slovenia as well, so I'll make sure that I pack the tic remover What was the food like? Apparently there's a 24 hout Tesco in Poprad now, so we'll stock up on the day that we visit Aquacity!
It is 9 years since we went (1999) there and I am sure lots have changed, but we went in August and it is quite busy. The huts were full so we stayed just outside Stary Smokovec and used the local tram / train system to get around.
These trains used to be full at 08:00-08:30 in the morning, and if my memory is correct the timetable was a bit erratic.
The place was cheap though, 2 of us used to have meal and a couple of beers for £5 between us.
As far as walking is concerned in those days you were restricted to the way marked trails unless you had a guide or were a member of a mountaineering club. Never did work out what the definition was, but found the trails gave us more than enough to play with for 10 days.
Some of the routes had fixed chains on them, supposed to be one way but..... very interesting.
Weather was generally good though the odd late afternoon storm was entrtaining.
I am sure you will enjoy it.
Flying to Poprad is good, we flew to Prague and then got an overnight sleeper, also in those days you needed Crowns as currency, cheque, Slovakian, plus we had some DM, $ and £ with us, though is it now Euros.
Aye the currency is Koruna rather than Euros. Sky Europe are having another sale this coming weekend if anyone else is interested in flying to this part of the world!
A few years since I was there as well, was certainly cheap to stay in the High Huts (chata's?) and the food was good. I managed to get in the huts without big problem, but I was walking by myself and the Tatras weren’t particularly popular at the time, I should imagine you'd have to book now, but if you can get in, do so, loads of atmosphere.
The restricted walking’s a bit of a pain, but that shouldn’t really become a problem on a first visit.
Flying in to Poprad, you’re missing one of life’s (Michael) Palin-esk type train journeys - or it was anyway – great big trains rumbling through the night, strange drunken men bursting into your carriage in the middle of the night and bending your ear in a language you can’t understand, border guards demanding your passport and shining torches in your face – also in the middle of the night ~ arr the romance of it all. Possibly slightly tempered by the fact you’re not quite certain you’re on the right train and can’t speak the inebriated lingo to check and so are very relieved when you see the Poprad sign next morning.
Aye the currency is Koruna rather than Euros. Sky Europe are having another sale this coming weekend if anyone else is interested in flying to this part of the world!
Sky Europe certainly are ones to watch for cheap air-fares, earlier this year I booked a return to Bratislava in October for £20. Definitely worth signing up to their mailing list.
Take a few Zlotys with you aswell if you fancy doing a bit of border-crossing into Poland.
We stayed in Velka Lomnica, a village a few kilometres out from Tetranska Lomnica but we'd definately stay in Tetranska next time. Being able to communicate in Slovakian is essential out in the villages and fortunately I picked it up quickly thanks to being able to communicate in Croatian! You'll be ok if you know a little german as well. Cost wise the trains and mountain trams are very, very cheap (about the equivalent of 25p for a 6km ride), as is the food in the kolibas (local inns). We paid between £5 and £7 each for a 2 course meal with wine. Stick to the popular dishes like goulash and cabbage soup though, as we had some pretty rank meals when we tried to experiment with new dishes. The cable car is expensive, and to get up to Lomnicky Stit you may have to book at least a day in advance. We paid about £25 each for a day return. Otherwise buy a ticket book and avoid the queues. As far as I know the huts stay open until the end of October, but they do suggest that you book in advance as places are limited. And if you get the chance, stop off in Poprad on the way back (can get the train there from Tetranska Lomnica or Strbske Pleso) and give AquaCity a go - well worth the money
Thanks for your recommenations Hayley, glad to hear that prices are still quite low and I'm looking forward to trying some Slovakian specialities.
I booked a night's stay in a hostel in Bratislava on arrival and again before I depart and was quite suprised that dorm prices in Bratislava Hostels start from around £14 (I found one where I booked a single, en-suite with breakfast for £23.) Then again I would expect that prices are going to be higher in the capital.
Don't fancy my chances of getting by in Slovak, though I did try to learn some Polish a while ago and I've been told that is similar and I know some basic German.
Wasn't planning on taking the cable-car up to Lomnicky, my idea is to start from Stary Smokovec and head up to one of the huts (possibly Teryho chata) and I'm relieved to hear that they are open through October, although I wouldn't have thought that booking is essential for mid-week nights in October (will ask when I arrive in Smokovec).
I'm still toying with the idea of walking into Poland and replicating the trek I did there in July 2003 - might be to ambitious though - I remember that they were quite long days and daylight is an issue at this time of year.
Ta for the hut site. Have you got the Ciccerone Guide to the High Tatras? It covers both the Polish and Slovakian sides and I found it very, very useful. If you haven't got it and promise to return it then you can borrow mine - drop me a line with your address. I've got the maps that cover Stary Smokovec etc as well. I want to approach from the Polish side next time actually and was thinking of starting in Zdiar or Zakopane. Where did you trek in 2003? On the language front you'll have no problems if you can get by in polish.
Very kind of you to offer to lend me your guidebook, Hayley - but I'm afraid that I wouldn't be able to receive it in time before I depart on Saturday. But never mind.
I do have a decent map which covers the Tatry, including the Polish and Slovak areas with the trails marked in the appropriate colours and time indications.
My trek in 2003 was a four day round trip from Zakopane, up to Mt. Giewont and down to the na Kalatowkach hotel (would've been better off overnighting at the Kondratowa hut.) Next moring I hiked up to the ridge and along to Kasprowy Wierch, then up to Swinica and descended via Zawrat to the 5 Lakes valley and stayed overnight in the atmospheric Schronisko Dolina Pieciu Stawow. On the third day I had to cross a mountain pass and then come down to the Morskie Oko hut (rendez-vous with some folks that I'd met on the day before,) from Morskie Oko it was up,up,up to Mt. Rysy (did feel like a gruelling slog with my heavy pack) I felt a real sense of achievment on reaching the top, though I do regret not taking more time to linger on the summit. From the top me and this French dude named Sebastien set off for Slovakia, had a bowl of Goulasch at the chata Pod Rysmi then made the long descent to Strbske Pleso. Took the electric train to Stary Smokovec and found a place to crash for the night. Set off next morning up to Hrebienok and the Velka Studena Dolina to the Zbojnicka chata, had some lunch then made it up to the Prielom pass (which I remember was quite hard going and away from the hoardes of hikers that I'd seen on the other trails.) From Prielom it was a little descent to the remote Bielovdska valley and a long walk to meet the road at the border crossing point - arriving in darkness at Lysa Polana, we were very lucky to find a taxi waiting there and took us back to Zakopane. Great memories
I have visited the Polish side of the Tatry a couple of times since then and walked a fair few of the trails there. If you do go, don't stay too long in Zakopane, I think you're far better off staying in the mountain huts, they have good clean dorms, decent food (try a Bigos), drinks (enjoy a Piwo or two) they save you a lot of leg work back down to the valley and they are good value for money.
Expect to have to deal with ticks though! There is a tick warning out there you know, in fact throughout much of Eastern Europe. The main threat is from tick born diseases like Lymes. Use a good strong repellent walking in forested areas plus take tick tweezers.
