Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
at Star
;
Smokovec, just on the edge of the resort in the direction of Tatranská Lomnica.
The bus is often the best option for seeing the smaller towns in and around the Tatras.
The tourist information offices can help you sort out the timetables and destinations.
GETTING AROUND
BY TRAIN
The Tatra Electric Railroad is cheap and efficient, and serves all of the
major resorts. Trains run about every 45 minutes from Poprad to Star
;
Smokovec and
on to
S
trbské Pleso and several points in between. Travel to Tatranská Lomnica
requires a change at Star
;
Smokovec. Ticket prices vary depending on the length of
the journey. The price from Poprad to
S
trbské Pleso is 40 Sk ($1.30/75p).
BY CAR
Excellent roads connect Poprad to all of the Tatra resorts. The travel time
between Star
;
Smokovec and
S
trbské Pleso (20km/12 miles) is 15 minutes.
BY BIKE
You can easily rent a bike and move from resort to resort along the main
road. The ride from Star
;
Smokovec to
S
trbské Pleso is challenging, since there's an
elevation change of about 300m (900 ft.) between the towns. Coming back of course
it's all downhill.
ON FOOT
Walking between the resorts is not a viable option. The distances are too
far.
VISITOR INFORMATION
The main
Tourist Information Offices,
identified as
TIK,
in Star
;
Smokovec (
&
052/
442
-
3440
) and Tatranská Lomnica (
&
052/446
-
8119
), can provide basic informa-
tion and maps, as well as book accommodations. The staff is also helpful in sorting
out basic transportation questions. The
Mountain Rescue Service (Horská
Záchranná Slu
z
ba),
based in Star
;
Smokovec (
&
052/442-2820;
www.hzs.sk), is the
first place to turn in the event of an accident. The
Mountain Guide Agency (Spolok
Horsk
;
ch Vodcov)
in Star
;
Smokovec (
&
052/442-2066;
www.tatraguide.sk) can
provide guides to the summits, or for adventures like snowshoeing and rock climbing.
A guide for a climb to the highest peak, Gerlach, will cost 4,000 Sk ($130/£73) for
one person and 4,800 Sk ($160/£88) for two.
WHERE TO STAY
The High Tatras have plenty of hotel rooms and outside of the peak Christmas and
New Year's season, you'll have little problem finding a place to stay. The tourist infor-
mation offices can help book hotel rooms and private accommodations. In addition
to the hotels and pensions, many families offer private rooms. All hotels boost their
rates by at least a third over Christmas and New Year's. The rates quoted below apply
generally to the high skiing and hiking seasons.
Very Expensive
Grandhotel Praha Tatranská Lomnica
If you're one of those people who
love that faded elegance of the early 1900s, with billiard rooms, crystal-chandeliered
cafes, and cocktail bars, look no further. The Grandhotel Praha was conceived for a
time when the wealthier classes summered in the mountains to escape the heat of the
cities. Alas, those times are gone, but the hotel still lives on in its former glory. The
Praha went through some hard times under Communism but is now trying to reach
out to a new clientele of young professionals and their families. The rooms have got-
ten a makeover and the bathrooms have been completely modernized. Still, enough
exquisite period detailing remains to give aficionados of that
fin de siècle
fantasy some-
thing to sink their teeth into.
