Twelve places, from a flat lakeside stroll to the highest hiking summit in the Tatras.
Štrbské Pleso is small enough to walk across in twenty minutes, yet it is the trailhead for three glacial valleys and the terminus of two mountain railways. We have grouped the sights the way you will actually use them: what is at the lake, what is a hike away, and what lies down the line.
Walking times are for a reasonably fit adult without long stops, following the times posted on Slovak trail signs. Add a third for children or photography.
At the lake The easy lakeside circuit everyone should walk
A glacial lake at 1,346 m ringed by spruce and dwarf pine, with the peaks above the Mlynická and Mengusovská valleys mirrored in it. The level path around the shore takes under an hour and suits prams and wheelchairs.
At the lake The quickest route to a real Tatra summit
A chairlift climbs from the ski stadium to the Chata pod Soliskom hut at about 1,840 m. From there a rocky trail reaches the cross on Predné Solisko (2,117 m) in around an hour, with a bird’s-eye view of the lake.
At the lake Where the 1970 World Championships put the resort on the map
The twin ski jumps above the lake are the resort’s landmark, built for the 1970 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships. Around them lie Slovakia’s highest-lying ski resort and a network of groomed cross-country trails.
At the lake Arrive the way visitors have since 1896
Two narrow-gauge lines meet at Štrbské Pleso station: the rack railway that climbs from the main line at Štrba, and the Tatra Electric Railway (TEŽ) that runs along the foot of the mountains to Starý Smokovec and Poprad.
Hikes & summits The classic half-day hike from the lake
A deep-green tarn at 1,494 m under a wall of peaks, with a mountain hotel on its shore. Beside it, among limba pines, the Symbolic Cemetery remembers those who died in the Tatras.
Hikes & summits 
Hikes & summits 
Hikes & summits A valley walk to the Tatras’ handsome cascade
The yellow trail from the ski jumps follows the Mlynica stream into a wild glacial valley and ends, for most walkers, below the roughly 25-metre Skok waterfall. Strong hikers continue to high tarns and the Bystrá lávka pass.
Hikes & summits High tarns and a pass at 2,300 m
The quieter valley west of Solisko, leading to the Wahlenberg tarns — among the highest lakes in the Tatras. Linked with the Mlynická valley over Bystrá lávka, it makes the finest full-day loop from Štrbské Pleso.
Around the High Tatras The oldest Tatra resort and its funicular
Forty minutes along the electric railway, Starý Smokovec has grand hotels, a funicular up to Hrebienok and easy walks to the Studený potok waterfalls and a ring of historic mountain huts.
Around the High Tatras A cable car to 2,634 m
The eastern resort is the base for the gondola to Skalnaté pleso and the small red cable car to Lomnický štít, Slovakia’s second-highest summit — the easiest way to stand above 2,600 m in the Tatras.
Around the High Tatras Before any high hike, read the safety section of our travel guide: seasonal closures, weather and rescue insurance are not small print here.
Štrbské Pleso rewards a little planning: pick your hike, check the weather and let someone else drive. Compare guided day trips and experiences across the High Tatras and book in a couple of taps.
