Starý Smokovec is the grandfather of the High Tatras resorts. It was founded in the late eighteenth century and developed as a spa and mountain retreat over the next century, when the first hotels and villas went up among the spruce trees, and it still has a faded, Central European elegance that the newer resorts lack. Wooden houses with carved balconies and pointed roofs stand on the slopes, grand old hotels face the mountain, and a rack of walking trails leaves from the village into the high valleys.
It is also the hub of the little electric railway that links the resorts along the foot of the range, and the trams that run from Poprad to Starý Smokovec and onward are part of the local scene. A funicular climbs from the village to Hrebienok, a viewpoint and trail junction at around thirteen hundred metres, from which paths lead to waterfalls, huts and glacial valleys. From the top, the wall of the Tatras seems to rise just in front of you, a broad panorama of grey granite and dark forest.
The surrounding landscape was heavily marked by the great windstorm of 2004, which flattened large areas of forest, and you can still see the younger trees growing back across the slopes. Brown bears live in these mountains, and so do chamois and marmots, and residents will tell you that it is wise to keep your food stored and to stay on marked paths. In the village itself, the smell of woodsmoke and baking drifts from the cafés in the cool air.
The Freedom Road passes through here as it traces the Tatra foothills, a smooth, well-kept route with gentle bends and constant views of the peaks. Traffic can be heavy in summer and in the ski season, and speed limits through the resort villages are low. Parking can be tight at the funicular station, so arrive early or take the train. Autumn is a particularly lovely time, with clear air and golden larches, though first snow can fall in October.
Starý Smokovec is a real centre, with shops, pharmacies, cafés and restaurants, and it is an easy place for coffee and cake or a hearty plate of dumplings. For fuel, Svit and Poprad are the nearest towns with larger stations, so it is sensible to fill up before coming to the resort belt.
Take time for a slow walk along the village promenade.