Slovak High Tatras Freedom Road (78 km)
Poprad to Zdiar
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Why this ride
Out of Poprad, one way: 78 km, roughly 1 h 19 in the saddle. The stops in between: Strbske Pleso, Stary Smokovec and Tatranska Lomnica. The highest point is about 1,100 m. It suits an unhurried touring pace.
Roadbook
- Poprad
start
Poprad sits at the foot of the High Tatras, the smallest alpine mountain range in the world, and it is the largest town in the region, with some fifty-seven thousand people. It is a gateway more than a destination, with a long past as a Zipser Saxon trading town, and a historic quarter at Spišská Sobota, a pretty square of burgher houses and a church with a tall wooden altar. The big peaks stand behind the town, jagged and grey, with Gerlachovský štít the highest at about 2,650 metres.
The ride this stop belongs to follows the Freedom Road, the Cesta slobody, which runs along the foot of the mountains and links the resorts of Starý Smokovec, Štrbské Pleso and Tatranská Lomnica. It is a good road, smooth and with long views to the ridge, crossing forest, meadows and small streams, though traffic can be heavy in summer and winter holiday periods. In 2004, a violent windstorm flattened large areas of forest on the southern slopes, and the bare hillsides and young trees are still a visible reminder of it.
Nearby lies the castle of Spiš, Spišský hrad, one of the largest castle complexes in Central Europe, whose ruined walls sit on a hill of travertine above the plain and can be seen from many kilometres away. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site together with the nearby town of Levoča and the church of Žehra. The castle is a fine place to see the countryside from above, and the stone ramparts are a good setting for photographs at sunset.
Poprad has everything a rider needs. There are filling stations along the main road and on the edge of town, supermarkets, a few pleasant cafes in the old quarter, and plenty of guesthouses. Svit and Nová Lesná, nearby, are smaller but also have basic services. Slovak food is filling, with bryndzové halušky, small potato dumplings with sheep cheese and bacon, as the national dish, and a beer afterwards is natural.
Weather in the mountains is changeable, with cold fronts, summer storms and early snow, and mist can hide the peaks for days. Spring and early autumn are good, with fewer people and clearer air. Remember that Slovakia requires an electronic vignette for motorways, but the old roads around the Tatras are free.
- Strbske Pleso
scenic
Štrbské Pleso is a lake at the foot of the High Tatras, around thirteen hundred metres up, and it was made by ice. A glacier dropped a pile of rock and gravel here, a moraine, and meltwater pooled behind it, giving a clear, cold lake set among spruce woods with the dark wall of the mountains behind. On a still day the peaks mirror in the water, and the sharp ridge of Mount Krivan, a national symbol of Slovakia, rises in the distance.
The resort around it has a long history as a mountain retreat, and it has hosted major winter sports events, including the Nordic World Ski Championships in 1970. A tall ski-jumping hill still stands near the lake. A rack railway climbs here from Štrba, down in the valley, and there are cable cars and chairlifts up into the high country. The architecture is a mixture of old wooden villas and big concrete hotels from the communist period, which gives the place a slightly odd, faded character, but the setting is unbeatable.
The Slovak High Tatras are small but dramatic. They are the highest part of the Carpathians, a compact range of granite peaks with sharp crests, glacial lakes and steep valleys, and they pack Alpine scenery into a remarkably small area. The Freedom Road, the Cesta Slobody, runs along the foot of the range from end to end, linking the resorts through forests of spruce and dwarf pine. It is a fine road, with smooth surfaces and gentle bends, rather than a wild one, and its pleasure is in the constant views of the mountains. Speed limits are strict and enforced, and wildlife, including bears, can appear near the forest edges.
In 2004 a violent windstorm flattened huge areas of forest across the Tatras, and the regrowing slopes still show the scars. Weather here can change quickly, with cold rain even in summer, and snow possible from autumn to spring. Mornings usually give the clearest views.
Fuel is not available at the lake itself, so use Štrba or Svit nearby, or Poprad a little farther, and fill up before you come. There are cafés, hotels and restaurants around the lake, serving Slovak classics like bryndzové halušky, potato dumplings with sheep cheese, which is hearty and delicious after a cold ride. A walk around the lake takes about half an hour.
- Stary Smokovec
scenic
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.
- Tatranska Lomnica
scenic
Tatranská Lomnica is the eastern anchor of the High Tatras resorts, and it sits beneath one of the most striking peaks in the range, Lomnický štít, at 2,634 metres. A cable car runs up from the village to the summit in stages, carrying visitors to a stony top with an observatory and, on a clear day, a view over Slovakia and into Poland. The old cable car has been a Tatra institution for generations, and queues form on sunny days in summer.
The village has the feel of a place built for health and leisure. Villas and guesthouses in wooden or stone styles line the streets, with a main square, a small park and a railway station where the little electric trains arrive from Poprad. There is an astronomical research station on the nearby peak, and a small museum in the village tells the story of the Tatras and the people who explored them. Autumn is a favourite season, with crisp air and snow on the peaks, but summer brings the biggest crowds.
The Freedom Road reaches its eastern end here, after running along the foot of the range from the western resorts. Riding it is a relaxed pleasure, with views of the mountains opening between the trees, smooth tarmac and gentle bends, though speed limits are strictly enforced and there are many pedestrian crossings in the resort villages. In the evening, deer sometimes come to the verges, so keep an eye out near forests. Weather in the Tatras can turn quickly, and fog or rain can hide the peaks within minutes, so it is best to catch the views early.
To the east lies Kežmarok, a historic town with a castle and a wooden Lutheran church that is on the UNESCO list, and it makes a good side trip if you have time. Kežmarok, about twelve kilometres away, is also the sensible place for fuel and supplies, since the resort itself has fewer options. In the village you will find cafés and restaurants serving Slovak dishes such as potato pancakes, bryndzové halušky and venison, and cakes to go with strong coffee.
Spend a quiet half hour by the station, where the old trams still rattle in, and listen to the mountain wind.
- Zdiar
finish
Ždiar is a long, thin village stretched along a single road at the foot of the Belianske Tatras, and it has a character that sets it apart even in the Tatras. The people are górali, mountain folk like their neighbours across the Polish border, and the old farmhouses are low, dark timber with white-painted trim and carved decorations under the eaves. The fields behind the houses are laid out in narrow strips running up the slope, an arrangement that has survived for centuries and gives the hillside a combed look.
Riding here means arriving along the Freedom Road, the old name for the high road that links the villages along the southern foot of the High Tatras. Between the resort settlements, the road runs through sleepy villages and open meadows with the toothy limestone ridge of the Belianske Tatras to the north. It is a smooth, undemanding road with modest bends and good views, and the best light comes in the evening, when the ridge goes pink and the traffic thins out. Summer weekends bring crowds and tour buses, so choose your timing carefully.
The Belianske Tatras differ from the granite High Tatras next door, because they are made of limestone, with white crags, caves and meadows of alpine flowers. Much of the range is a strict nature reserve, closed to casual walkers, which helps to keep chamois and marmots at ease. Ždiar sits at a high altitude by Slovak standards, so the air is crisp and the winters are long and snowy.
Ždiar has a long tradition of hospitality, and many houses offer rooms and a hot meal. Typical dishes are halušky with sheep cheese called bryndza, plus pierogi, grilled cheese and thick soups, washed down with a local beer. Fuel is not always at hand, so ride to Spišská Belá, about seventeen kilometres away, or Kežmarok, for a reliable station and supermarket. Across the border at Łysa Polana and the Polish side there is a lot more, but it is a long ride, so it is best to plan ahead before the evening.