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Slovakia June 16-25, '24

Posted by Brian (Seattle (occasionally)) on 12/08/24 01:28 AM

This was our 4th country visited on a 2.5 month trip. Similar to Romania and Bulgaria prior to this part, we didn’t do much advance planning.

Overall, we enjoyed historic towns, sights, history, wine, and especially nature with hikes in and around the Tatra mountains. We had a rental car for the duration of the trip which seems mandatory to explore the country. Highways and 2-lane roads were all in very good condition.

Lodging, food, and wine were all reasonably priced. The Tatra mountain lifts were somewhat expensive, and getting to them required paid parking in the small towns. The nature sightseeing seemed somewhat busy with domestic visitors (and some neighboring countries) while other US/western tourists like ourselves seemed rare.

I found the written language to be quite a challenge resulting in a mis-directed town hotel reservation, and also lots of confusion/map studying trying to sort out the different hiking areas of the Tatra range.

Based on our trip (and copying Steve’s rating system with ^ for ratings) this is how we summarize what to see/do:

^^^ Tatra Mountains (1-3 days) Small mountain range with a good system of lifts to access views and/or many hikes. The entire area can be done by bus and/or small trains.

^^ Slovak Paradise (Slovenský raj National Park) (½ day + travel time) Challenging but fun series of ladders and walkways to hike up a creek gorge.

^^ Spis Castle (2 hours) Large sprawling castle grounds with good views of the area.

^^ Košice (1 day) Some interesting sights to see best done by walking tour.

^ Banska Bystrica (1-2 hours to see town, 1-2 days for nearby sights) Small city which can be used as a base to explore other areas (which was not initially our intention).

^ Banská Štiavnica (1/2 day) Sprawling historic center on hills. May be good for an overnight.

^ Trenčín (1 day) Yet another quaint town with an enjoyable historic center and a hilltop castle.

Posted by Brian OP

Seattle (occasionally)

12/09/24 03:52 PM

102 posts

Banska Bystrica - 2 nights

This was the case of on-the-cuff planning biting me in the butt. I had intended to go to Banská Štiavnica (I think), but a few days out I got my wires crossed and ended up booking Banska Bystrica instead. We managed to use Bystrica, which had a quaint old square, as a base for a day trip to Štiavnica for an afternoon (^, old town over hills) and also stop by a 300 year old wooden church (^, one of many in the country).

Poprad (and Veľká Lomnic ) - 1 night each

We intended to use Proprad as a base for 2 nights but a resv mis-cue had to spend a night at Veľká Lomnica (smaller town but actually closer to Tatra lifts). After checking in to our Poprad apartment we drove 30 minutes to the famed Lomnicky stit High Tatras lift hoping to ride to the summit only to find out it was sold out for the day (I incorrectly thought demand would be low early June). It takes 2 chairlifts and 1 tram to get to the summit - and the number of riders is limited due to the small tram size. You also have a specific tram return time once on the summit. We opted to book a ride for the morning on-line, but we could have done it at the ticket booth or kiosk. We then drove to Spis Castle (few visitors, lots of walking around mostly basic ruins).

Early the next morning for a 2nd attempt at the Lomnicky stit base lift something seemed to be amiss - loudspeaker announcements we did not understand, people returning to cars, etc. We went to the info booth and found out the Tram was closed due to mechanical issues (app had warned us beforehand). Had we not checked we could have ended up riding 2 chairs which would have been lame compared to the final tram ride. Since they had no idea if or when it would start running, and the weather was socked in anyway, we opted to re-book for the next day. We went to another part of the mountain range called Štrbské Pleso which involved a 20 minute walk from a paid parking lot, then a chairlift which takes you to the start of a summit hike. The hike wasn’t too long but it was steep taking about an hour to the summit. Very impressive (^^) experience with great views up and back.

We checked in to a very nice Pension in Veľká Lomnic and found a nice pizzeria (only a few restaurants inn town). Departing early morning for our 3rd attempt at the Lomnicky stit summit, this time everything worked - we rode 2 chairs up, caught our reserved slot for the tram to summit with minutes to spare (allow 1 hour minimum from 1'st chair), then enjoyed 40 minutes roaming around on the metal cliff-hugging walkways before tram return at our specific time. The summit time allows an un-rushed look around - they have a small cafe but we packed some food for a late breakfast just sitting along a walkway. No regular hiking exist as you are on a sharp peak, but guides do take visitors with climbing gear to the summit from the lower tram station (but it appears only the final bit warrants climbing gear). Clouds closed in on the area as we rode the tram down so we lucked out on the weather. Overall a (^^^) experience. At lower tram station level we wandered around the small lake and trails a bit before riding chairs back down (no time slots for chairs so take as much time as you want).

After the tram/chair descent we did one final Tatras experience - the Hrebienok Rack railway. Parking was $$ in the area (maybe cheaper farther out). Upon exit of the cog railway there are various short/long hikes. We were a bit confused on signs and dropped down to the creek with falls, then walked upstream making a big loop. It turns out we could have done a short route straight off the railway to the upper part, but it was more scenic (but tiring) doing our route. We give this a (^ ) experience. Apparently in busy times the cog railway can get backed up causing long delays getting back down as it only runs every 30 minutes.

Posted by Brian OP

Seattle (occasionally)

12/09/24 03:53 PM

102 posts

Košice - 2 nights

Visiting this city was a toss up as reviews seemed to be mixed. We added it to our itinerary mainly due to difficulties getting some Tatra tram ride in, and also since as far as I could tell a folk festival was occuring. Unfortunately we were a day late for the festival as it took place in different parts of the region. I’m not sure we missed much though as our walking tour guide did not know it was even happening.. The historic part of the city was decent albeit a bit gritty. During the tour our guide was talking about a small brewery and the wine bar owner complained to the guide she didn’t mention his place. Well…we ended up going there later that night and had a great time sampling many Slovakian wines poured by the owner. He seemed a bit surly but I think he was mostly just serious. We relocated inside due to a thunderstorm and we chatted quite a bit. Again - we had waaayyy too much wine…and fun (common theme for my trip reports).

Slovak Paradise

We left Košice early to hit Slovak Paradise National Park en-route to Trenčín. The main thing to do here is a hike upstream through a creek using a series of metal grate or wood walkways and ladders. I was hesitant to do this since it appeared a bit sketchy/difficult. Turns out it was challenging but not necessarily dangerous. Drive to the trailhead for paid parking, then it is a long hike upstream of two hours. Water sandals are neededOnce at the exit of the river gorge you can either walk down a winding gravel road, or rent a mountain bike. The thought of more walking was not appealing, so we opted to rent bikes. I would say the bike quality was a bit better than Walmart, and the upper third of the road was very rough. Needless to say my wife hated the ride until the road flattened out a bit. Overall this is a great experience, but the gorge part does get a bit repetitive due to its length. Ensure you are ok for a lengthy hike - we were exhausted at the end.

Trenčín

This was our last night before a stay at an apartment near Bratislava airport. We spent half a day roaming the streets and strolling through the impressive castle. Slovakia has no shortage of great looking town historic centers and castles.

We departed early in the afternoon for our apartment near the Bratislava airport, dropped our rental car, and walked back to the apartment (several buildings in the complex). With an early morning flight we were able to walk to the airport (in the dark).