Welcome to Smokovec, the heart of the High Tatras. Located in the shadow of Gerlachovsky Peak (2,655m) – the highest peak in Slovakia – Smokovec is considered the centre of the High Tatras. Close to the popular tourist crossroads of Hrebienok, this village is one of the most popular starting points for hiking in the High Tatras.

When you get to the hotel you will be briefed about the week´s program and, depending on the time of your arrival, there might be time for a walk in Stary Smokovec – the oldest village in the Tatras.

Meals included
None

Accommodation
Hotel Villa Siesta (or similar)

After a good breakfast, you’ll take a mountain tram to Tatranska Lomnica, followed by a cable car ride to the mountain lake of Skalnate Pleso (1,751m). This crystal-clear lake is surrounded by forested hills and towering granite peaks, and there’s an astronomical and meteorological observatory near the top, which you’ll have time to look around.

Velka Svistovka (2,037m) is next on your route, and it’s well-known for its high concentration of Tatra chamois. Endemic to the High and Low Tatras, Tatra chamois are a rare subspecies of the chamois. It’s thought that there are only about 600 left. They often wander around in this alpine terrain, close to where you will be walking.

The trail is secured by chains on a few of the more difficult sections, but the mountain provides an accessible and gratifying climb. From the summit of Velka Svistovka, make your descent to the Zelene Pleso Hut. Located at the glacier lake of the same name this is an absolutely beautiful spot for lunch.

From Zelene Pleso you continue to Biela Voda from where you take a public bus back to Tatranska Lomnica, which is only about 10 minutes away.

Note: according to the national park´s regulations a part of this route is closed until 15 Jun 2020. If you’ll be visiting before 15 Jun, this route will be tailored accordingly.

Meals included
Breakfast

Accommodation
Hotel Villa Siesta (or similar)

Today, you start from Skalnate Pleso and trek to two of the Tatras’ mountain huts. Mountain huts have been a part of the Tatras’ tapestry for years; they’re traditional, welcoming and often have a historical story to tell. They also offer tasty lunches!

From Skalnate Pleso, your hike will take you along the Tatranska magistrala trail, full of beautiful viewpoints, to Zamkovskeho hut, a pretty wooden chalet offering a sheltered resting spot. The next one on the list is the Rainerova hut, the oldest hut in the High Tatras, dating back to 1863. Today, it is a small stone building serving drinks and snacks.

Cold Creek Waterfalls is also on your route today, and you can pause here and soak up the fresh mountain air. The waterfalls begin where the Great Cold Creek meets the Small Cold Creek and spill over rocks and boulders and through pine forests. Walking trails run alongside the cascades so that you can admire the views.

Today´s walk ends in the popular resort of Hrebienok, from where you descend to Smokovec by funicular cable car and return to your hotel by foot.

Note: Those who want to make this day more challenging can add an extra hike to Teryho Hut, one of the highest in the High Tatras, adding additional 7km / 3 hours of walking.

Meals included
Breakfast

Accommodation
Hotel Villa Siesta (or similar)

After breakfast you´ll take a funicular to Hrebienok (1,285m) the starting point of our walk.

Today you’ll hike through the Studena Dolina Valley. From its narrow beginnings, the valley gradually gets wider, and terraces harbouring mountain lakes tower above. Pause and enjoy the sight of colourful flowers, the scent of pine trees and the sound of rare birds singing in the mountains as you traverse the valley.

The valley leads you up to Zbojnicka, or ‘Robbers’, Hut, where you can enjoy a traditional lunch of soup and dumplings. Zbonicka Hut is one of the highest at an altitude of 1,960m and still a popular base for trekkers. Its name harks back to the days when it was a hunters’ hut, and poachers used to stalk the valley.

Your hike ends where it started, at Hrebienok. From here, you’ll take a funicular and tram back to your hotel and enjoy a well-earned dinner!

Meals included
Breakfast

Accommodation
Hotel Villa Siesta (or similar)

After three days of walking, this day is left free to relax. You can visit one of the water parks in the foothills of the Tatras offering indoor and outdoor thermal pools and wellness centres.

If you fancy a different adventure, try rafting in Pieniny National Park. A classic or traditional rafting trip through the Dunajec Gorge is a great way to soak up the views from a different perspective.

Hiring an E-bike is also an option if you want to explore the surroundings on a bike. If you’re a cave lover, then Belianska Cave should be on your list, too.

Cultural trips are also nearby. Spissky Castle is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and dates back to the 12th century. Located on a hilltop above the town of Spisske Podhradie and Zehra village, it was built as the political, administrative, economic and cultural centre of the region.

Levoca is renowned for its authentic and well-preserved architectural profiles of the old medieval town. Explore the historic centre, including the museum and St. James’ church, with the highest wooden altar in the world.

We have some great trips to choose from and can certainly help you to plan and book them.

Meals included
Breakfast

Accommodation
Hotel Villa Siesta (or similar)

Today’s trek starts with a tram journey through the Tatras’ most famous settlements to Strbske Pleso (1,347m), Slovakia´s highest village and home to a beautiful glacial lake. The village is one of the most popular destinations in Slovakia as it provides many kilometres of hiking routes and the chance to admire the lake itself.

From here, follow a trail to the crystal-clear mountain lake of Popradske Pleso, one of the biggest in the Tatra range. Enjoy lunch on the terrace of the mountain hotel, and visit the symbolic cemetery which is dedicated to the victims of the Tatra mountains. In the afternoon, descend back to Strbske Pleso and return to Smokovec.

Meals included
Breakfast

Accommodation
Hotel Villa Siesta (or similar)

Once again, today’s trek starts with a tram journey to Strbske Pleso.

From here, you’ll follow a trail to Skok waterfall. The hiking trail is waymarked and leads you along a road to the peace and tranquillity of the pine-forested Mlynicka Valley. From here, a stony path squeezes you through hairpin turns to the foot of the waterfall, which drops 25m from the rocky ledge above. It’s easy to see why these are among the High Tatras’ top ten attractions – the cascading waters are beautiful as they tumble down the mountain into the pools below. This is the perfect place for your picnic lunch, maybe dipping your feet into the refreshing water before returning to Strbske Pleso and then by tram to your hotel in Smokovec.

Optional walk:

Those who want to make this day more challenging can continue through the valleys and pass several smaller glacial lakes; you’ll reach Pod Soliskom Hut, one of the newer mountain chalets in the region. From here, you can enjoy far-reaching views of the Tatras.

Remember that this optional route also involves trekking through sections secured with chains, and you’ll need a head for heights.

Note: according to the national park´s regulations, this optional route is closed until 15 Jun 2020. If you’ll be visiting before 15 Jun, this optional route is not possible to do.

Meals included
Breakfast

Accommodation
Hotel Villa Siesta (or similar)

Your tour ends after breakfast. We wish you a pleasant journey home and we look forward to meeting you again on some of our other walking holidays.

Meals included
Breakfast

Seven nights in a three-star hotel
Seven breakfasts
Mountain trams
Hiking Maps and detailed route descriptions
Routes for GPS devices
Maps of the town
24/7 local support
Tour guide (for guided groups only)

Lunches and dinners
Arrival and departure airport transfers
Cable cars (approx.. 60 EUR per person)
Travel insurance
Flights

This holiday starts in Smokovec. We recommend flying to Krakow Airport in neighbouring Poland as this is the closest airport with a wide selection of international flights. Other smaller airports include Poprad, Kosice, and Bratislava.

Airport Transfers

Book your private airport transfer directly with us. Our fast, reliable, and affordable private transfers are the best way to reach your starting hotel quickly and comfortably.

List of airports with distances to the first hotel in Smokovec:

Krakow Airport – 144 km / 2h:30min
Poprad Airport – 17 km / 20 min
Kosice Airport – 134 km / 1h:30min
Bratislava Airport – 329 km / 3h:40min

Public Transport

You can reach Smokovec by public transport (bus, train). Public transport is another way of experiencing your destination, which puts you right in the centre of the action. We can help you find the best option if you prefer public transport.

Hotel Villa Siesta ***

We base the price of this walking holiday on a three-star hotel. During this tour, you´ll stay in a comfortable family-run Hotel Villa Siesta in a quiet part of Novy Smokovec within walking distance to restaurants. The hotel provides ensuite facilities, a restaurant, a sauna, and free WiFi.

When the hotel is full, you can still join the trip on your preferred date by staying at an alternative accommodation. We will provide full details upon booking.

Grandhotel Stary Smokovec ****

If you prefer a higher standard of accommodation for a supplement, we offer the option to upgrade to a four-star hotel.

Grandhotel **** Starý Smokovec has been writing its long story in the heart of the High Tatras under Mt Slavkovský štít since 1904. The first big hotel in the Tatras has been visited by various eminent personalities – Saxon prince Frederick Augustus, Czechoslovak president Eduard Beneš, British prime minister Harold Wilson, Fidel Castro and many others.

Despite disturbing times and two world wars, Grandhotel**** has remained an inseparable part of Starý Smokovec and its atmosphere. There is a lower funicular station located next to the hotel. It operates to Hrebienok, which makes the hotel an ideal starting point for trips and hiking in the High Tatras. The hotel Wellness & Spa centre is available to guests after a day of hiking or skiing in nearby ski resorts and offers a wide choice of massages and treatments.

Grandhotel **** Starý Smokovec offers conference rooms for organising exceptional corporate events with a touch of historical romance, rich history and eminent personalities still remembered inside the hotel premises.

All breakfasts are included.

Breakfasts

Each morning the hotel´s restaurant provides a delicious buffet breakfast. The standard choice includes several types of bread and rolls, salami, ham, sausages, boiled or scrambled eggs, and cheeses, including traditional Slovak sheep cheese, cakes, fresh fruit, cereals, jam, or even quality Slovak honey directly from a local beekeeper.

The hotel is usually able to cater for clients with different types of diets, including vegetarians or gluten-free diets.

Lunches

Lunches are not included, you can decide if you´d like to visit a local supermarket and pick up some items for a picnic, or we can ask your hotel to prepare a packed lunch for you, which usually consists of a sandwich or a baguette, fruit and a biscuit. Alternatively, you may treat yourself to lunch in mountain huts that you visit daily. Mountain huts provide basic but delicious traditional warm dishes for a reasonable price. Please note that mountain huts might not fulfil your special dietary requirements, so in this case we´d recommend bringing your packed lunch with you.

Dinners

You can enjoy your dinners at your hotel´s restaurant or try out some of the local traditional restaurants in the town.

Water

Water is drinkable from the tap on this holiday. Please fill your bottles for your day in the morning. We do not encourage the purchasing of single-use plastic bottles.

Whilst we can generally cater to vegetarians and gluten-free diets, providing other special diets might be difficult and sometimes impossible. Therefore, you may have to supplement your diet with food and snacks from home. If you have specific dietary requirements, please get in touch with our sales team, and they will be able to advise you whether or not we will be able to offer your specific choice.

Please note that we cannot provide separate menus and cannot accept liability for any problems arising from special dietary requirements or intolerances.

Self-Guided

On a Self-Guided holiday, the hotel´s staff will always be there to assist you with anything you might need. Should you need to contact our office directly, you can always speak to us on the phone 24/7 or send us an email, and we´ll get back to you quickly. Your satisfaction is our priority.

Guided Group

If you want to join a guided departure, the group will be led by a professional and qualified tour leader. They will be there to assist you with anything you might need.

Normally 1 - 12.

If you need to arrive or leave on a different date, please contact us and we’d be more than happy to arrange extra pre or post tour accommodation for you in many popular destinations including Krakow, Bratislava, Kosice, and Vienna.

Hotel Villa Siesta*** single room supplement: 90 EUR

Upgrade to a four-star hotel Grandhotel Stary Smokovec ****: ,- EUR / sharing a twin room.
Single-room supplement: ,- EUR

We recommend you pack as light as possible, with a backpack for your main luggage and daypack for each day’s trekking. Below you will find a recommended packing list. It is by no means exhaustive, so if you’re in any doubt, please contact us. There is no specialist walking or climbing equipment, such as harnesses etc., needed for this trip.

• Walking boots
• Trainers
• Shorts and t-shirts
• Walking trousers and tops
• Fleece or warm jumper
• Waterproofs
• Water bottle
• Small first-aid kit
• Sun cream, sunglasses and sunhat

It is an essential condition of joining a holiday with Slovakia Explorer that you have a valid travel insurance policy to cover the cost of medical treatment and to protect the value of your holiday in the event of cancellation. When taking out insurance please ensure the policy you choose covers you for the activities and altitude included in your itinerary.

Please note, we want to run this trip following the day-to-day itinerary on the trip notes. However, sometimes operational circumstances may sometimes prevent us from doing this. Your tour leader will keep you fully informed of any alternative plans that are necessary on-the-ground. Also, based on feedbacks from past travellers, occasionally our itineraries are amended. Final version of your trip notes will be emailed to you prior to travel.

1. Check availability online or contact us by email or phone.
2. Secure your place/s online by clicking the BOOK NOW button or contact us by email/phone.Your place is secured with a 99 EUR deposit per person and can pay by bank transfer.
3. Once the deposit is received a confirmation email will be sent to your email automatically, and your place/s will be officially confirmed.

Feel free to contact us if you have any questions at all. Our knowledgeable and helpful team is here to help, and we look forward to welcoming you to our spectacular country soon!