The Vysoky Tatry (High Tatras) are Slovakia’s tallest mountains with fifteen villages located around them. The mountains reach up to over 2000 metres above sea level and make up the county’s most celebrated national park.

The three largest villages of Tatranska Lomnica, Smokovec and Strbske Pleso provide more than enough hotels restaurants and services to cater for large numbers of tourists. And in the peak seasons of summer and winter there are plenty of tourists.

To Do

Outdoor activities are at the centre of any visit here: Skiing in the winter; hiking or biking in the summer. I would rate two of the ski runs quite highly (Park Snow in Strbske Pleso and Lomnicke Sedlo above Tatranska Lomnice), they are good and quite cheap but they clearly do not compete with the Alps.

You’ll also find that the après ski is just the ticket, as there are spas in the area so that you can wind down in natural baths. The natural science museum in Tatranska Lomnica, with its botanical garden of High Tatras fauna, is a worth a stop on any day when the outdoors is not so appealing.

To and From

Amazingly, this mountain resorts are well served by frequent trains on a light railway from Poprad (the biggest town in the region which also has an international airport with connections to Prague, London and a few other European cities) and the price of the train tickets is so small, that it would hardly be worth mentioning here. But you must ride the cog railway from Strbske Pleso to Strba (or visa versa) because it really is a period piece of a train and very well kept.

One for the Kids

Worth a mention, simply because the Kids will love it, is the thermal water park Tatralandia not too far from the Hogh Tatras, near the town of Liptovsky Mikulas. This combines, massage parlours and spas with waterslides and waterpistols.. the outdoor pools are open all year round because the thermal water is pumped directly from the ground. It is a very interesting scene when it is snowing!