Štrbské pleso is the lake that gave the resort its name: about 20 hectares of dark, clear water held behind a glacial moraine at 1,346 m. It is the second-largest glacial lake on the Slovak side of the High Tatras and by far the easiest to reach — the railway station is a ten-minute walk away.
The loop around it is the one walk every visitor does, and it deserves the attention. In still weather the peaks above the Mlynická and Mengusovská valleys lie upside down in the water; in winter the lake freezes for roughly five months and the path becomes a snowy promenade.
What to see and do: Štrbské Pleso Lake Loop
Walk the lake loop
The surfaced path circles the shore in about 2.3 km. Allow 45 minutes without stops and an hour with photographs. It is level throughout, lit in parts and suitable for pushchairs and wheelchairs. Go anticlockwise from the Kempinski side for the classic view of Solisko, Satan and Vysoká across the water.
Row a boat
In summer wooden rowing boats are hired from the jetty on the southern shore — a tradition that goes back to the 19th century. Hire is by the half-hour or so and depends on the weather; swimming in the lake is not allowed.
Find the viewpoints
The best reflections are from the southern and eastern shore early in the morning, before the breeze rises. The short spur to the old “Maria Theresa” road and the terrace by Hotel Patria both give wide views over the Poprad basin to the Low Tatras.
Nové Štrbské pleso
Ten minutes below the main lake, near the station, lies a smaller artificial lake created around 1900. It is quieter, ringed by hotels and reeds, and a pleasant extension of the walk.
Learn the story
The resort began in 1872 when Jozef Szentiványi built a hunting lodge on the shore; a tourist hut followed in 1875 and climatic-spa status in 1885. The mountain air is still used to treat respiratory illness. Although it feels like part of the town of Vysoké Tatry, the settlement belongs to the village of Štrba in the valley below.
How to get to Štrbské Pleso Lake Loop
- From the railway station (TEŽ and rack railway) follow the signs uphill for about 10 minutes to the lakeshore.
- Drivers use the paid central car parks near the station; they fill by mid-morning in July, August and on winter weekends. See getting to Štrbské Pleso.
- No local bus is needed: everything in the resort is within a 20-minute walk.
Insider tips
- Come before 9 am or after 5 pm for a quiet path and the best light.
- Even in July the morning can be around 8–10 °C at this altitude: bring a layer.
- In winter the path is cleared but can be icy — light traction aids for your shoes are worth packing.
- Do not feed the ducks or the fish; the lake is a protected part of the Tatra National Park.
Tours that fit: Štrbské Pleso Lake Loop
These GetYourGuide experiences pair well with Štrbské Pleso Lake Loop:
Day trip from €80 From Zakopane: Treetop Walk and Štrbské Pleso Trip
The best-value way to see the lake if you are staying on the Polish side. A driver takes you over the border to the Bachledka treetop walk above Ždiar and then on to Štrbské Pleso, with time to walk the lakeshore before the drive back to Zakopane.
- Cross the border to the Slovak side of the Tatras
- Bachledka treetop walk with its viewing tower
- Free time to walk the loop around Štrbské pleso
Small-group day trip from €114 From Zakopane: High Tatras Treetop Walk and Štrbské Pleso (Small Group)
The same classic pairing — Bachledka and the lake — run as a small-group tour with pickup, which early reviewers rate at the very top. A relaxed pace, a guide who handles the border roads and enough time at the lake for the full loop and a coffee.
- Small group with pickup in Zakopane
- Walk among the crowns of the trees at Bachledka
- The glacial lake of Štrbské Pleso at 1,346 m
Small-group day trip from €99 From Košice: Prešov, Spiš Castle, Levoča & Štrbské Pleso Tour
Eastern Slovakia’s greatest hits in one line on the map: the old centre of Prešov, the vast ruin of Spiš Castle, medieval Levoča and finally the High Tatras for a walk around the lake. Well reviewed, small group, with pickup in Košice.
- Spiš Castle, one of the largest castle complexes in Central Europe
- The walled UNESCO town of Levoča
- A scenic walk around Štrbské pleso
Day trip from €167 Bratislava: Čičmany, Bojnice, Orava & High Tatras Day Tour
The most-booked tour in this guide, with more than four hundred reviews. It is a very long day, but it strings together the folk village of Čičmany, fairy-tale Bojnice, clifftop Orava Castle and a first look at the High Tatras with a guide praised for energy and humour.
- Painted timber houses of Čičmany
- Bojnice and Orava castles
- A stop in the High Tatras
