Slovakia is a small, incredibly beautiful European country, famous for its coziness and silence, a lot of entertaining thermal and ski centers, modern and comfortable boarding houses, hotels and sanatoriums. Slovakia is a truly uniquely beautiful land, where the magnificence of nature is still preserved in its original form, it is a country of crystal clear lakes and rivers, healing springs and amazingly clean air, majestic peaks of the Carpathian Mountains, picturesque wooded slopes, ancient medieval castles, shrouded in myths and legends.
Slovakia is surrounded by the Danube River on one side and the Carpathian Mountains on the other three sides. That is why Slovakia is considered a mountainous country, whose slopes have long been an excellent place for skiing, snowboarding, sledding, both for beginners and professionals in these sports. Slovakia’s favorable geographical position, rich nature, a huge number of thermal springs, mountain slopes, and favorable climate create excellent opportunities for the development of tourism and recreation in this country.
Winter holidays in Slovakia are especially popular among tourists from all over the world , which is also facilitated by the favorable climate and ideal natural conditions. The winter season here lasts from December to early May. The coldest month is January. On the highest peaks of the Slovak mountains, snow lies for up to 130 days. In recent decades, ski holidays in Slovakia have been rapidly gaining popularity even among residents of Alpine countries, who prefer Slovakia to their resorts, where the pricing policy is much higher than in Slovakia.
All ski resorts in Slovakia are divided into two main mountain ranges – the High and Low Tatras.
The High Tatras are the oldest ski area in Slovakia. The first hotels and resorts appeared here almost two centuries ago, when representatives of the Slovak nobility began to take up alpine skiing. At the same time, the first hotels began to open here, some of which have survived to this day and amaze their visitors with their unique European architecture.
The impressive panorama of the High Tatras, long valleys covered with dense forests, crystal clear lakes and waterfalls, sun-drenched mountain slopes – this is a huge temptation that tourists from all over the world cannot resist. Who came to visit Slovakia. It is for this reason that the High Tatras are considered a symbol of Slovakia.
The Tatra Mountains are located in the northern part of the huge Carpathian arc, which is 1,200 km long. Its highest part is the High Tatras, which stretches over an area of 341 square kilometers. This region of the Tatras is amazingly rich in natural resources.
The most popular ski resorts in the High Tatras are:
1. Shtrebsk Pleso.
Štrbske Pleso is located on the shore of the lake of the same name, at an altitude of 1,355 meters above sea level. This ski resort is open 120 days a year. There are various types of trails that will satisfy the needs of beginners and professional skiers. Štrbske Pleso also has ski jumps, five modern ski lifts, cross-country ski trails, sledding and snowboarding trails, a ski school for the youngest skiers, and a children’s ski lift. The total capacity of the Štrbske Pleso ski resort is 3,550 people per year. One of the trails is equipped with modern lighting, which makes it possible to ski late in the evening. The total length of the Štrbske Pleso ski resort trails is approximately 5 km, the height of the mountain slopes ranges from 1 to 2 km. So, are we going to Slovakia for ski tours ?!
The resort’s infrastructure is very diverse, which will allow each visitor to get the most out of a trip to Strbske Pleso – modern comfortable hotels “FIS”, “Patria”, gyms, saunas, swimming pools, billiards, skating rink, supermarkets, cozy cafes, discos, casinos, amazing restaurants serving European and national cuisine, the ability to order a tour of local attractions and much more.
In Slovakia, one of the most famous lakes is Lake Strbske Pleso, the area of which is 48 hectares, the depth of the lake in some places reaches 20 m. Together with the purest mountain air, the healing water of Lake Strbske Pleso has a beneficial effect on the treatment and prevention of various respiratory diseases.
2. Tatranska Lomnica.
The eastern part of the High Tatras, at an altitude of 850 m above sea level, is occupied by the ski resort of Tatranska Lomnica. This resort appeared on the tourist map back in 1892. The second highest peak of the High Tatras, Lomnicky Peak (2632 m), is located on the territory of Tatranska Lomnica.
The ski resort of Tatranska Lomnica has three ski centres: Lomnicke Sedlo (the slopes are more suitable for professional skiers who prefer black slopes for giant slalom and downhill skiing), Skalnate Pleso (here are slopes of medium difficulty and length), Jamy ( Jamy is a ski centre with slopes of easy and medium difficulty. The famous ski academy Ternav – ski is also located here , where various forms of skiing and snowboarding lessons are held – individual, group, family, children’s lessons).
The infrastructure of Tatranska Lomnica provides a lot of entertainment for holidaymakers after a busy and active day – various SPA salons, billiards, saunas, swimming pools, a children’s center, a recreation center, restaurants, cafes, bars and discos and much more. Tourists can also book a fascinating excursion to the mountain village of Ždiar, which is a protected center of folk wooden architecture, visit the karst cave Belianska, etc.
3. Smokovtsy
Smokovci is one of the oldest ski resorts in Slovakia . It is located at the foot of Slavske Stit and consists of four villages – Stary, Novy, Gorny and Dolny Smokovec. The main ski area of the Smokovci resort is Mount Hrebienok, which can be reached by a funicular and three T-bar lifts. The Smokovci resort also has special children’s slopes, illuminated slopes for night skiing, the Horna Luka slalom slope, a children’s ski school, snow cannons, a modern, well-developed infrastructure that provides high quality service, comfort and unforgettable impressions for vacationers.
An important attraction of the Smokovce ski resort is the natural skating rink, which is located in the village of Novy Smokovec.
Low Tatras is the second most important and popular ski area in Slovakia. This region has long attracted the attention of many people with its abundance of forests and rich ore deposits. Some written historical sources prove the fact that non-ferrous and precious metals were previously mined in the Low Tatras.
The most popular and frequently visited resort of the Low Tatras is the ski resort center “Jasna”, which is located in the center of Slovakia at an altitude of 950-1100 m above sea level. Jasna is located on the northern slopes of the Low Tatras in Demjanovska Dolina, on the territory of the National Park “Low Tatras”. This resort is considered one of the first-class international tourist centers. In the Jasna ski resort on the slopes of Mount Khlopok, the height of which is 2024 m, 57 km of slopes of varying difficulty, slopes for children, a wide network of modern lifts (2 double and 2 four-seater chairlifts, 1 children’s, 1 cabin cable car and 14 T-bar lifts, the total capacity of which is 11,800 people per hour), children’s slopes, cross-country ski trails, for sledding, snowboarding, snowmobiling, a wide selection of Apres-ski entertainment have been prepared.
The Jasna ski resort consists of three ski centres – Zahradky, Otupne and Jasna. The resort annually hosts major international and national ski competitions, which are included in the European Cup competition calendar.
Slovakia is a country with a huge number of some of the best modern ski resorts in Europe with excellent infrastructure, decent living conditions, high quality service, unique nature, healing mineral springs. And all this at very reasonable prices!