Beginning September 2007 cycling is forbidden in forests in Slovakia besides forest routes and signed cycling routes. An online map of forest routes is published here.
The following is an information published by Jacek A. Jankowski in July 1993 in the Internet newsgroups.
Matter: I've sent this program of a biking trip to a few people from Norway. They want to spend up to 8-10 days biking in Slovakia. I'm a mountain guide for the polish side of the Carpathian Mountains and I've tried to do my best writing this program for them. If someone find some mistakes here or have any comments, please write some follow-ups, write to me - jacek@appel012.hydromech.uni-hannover.de.
Warning: All Slovak diacritic symbols are lost in geographical names. It may be confusing when these are not properly pronounced or spelled. Some training before may be useful. Buy a good road map home, scale minimum 1:300 000. In Slovakia you may surely also buy some, but it's better to have something before. Try to buy the maps for different mountain ranges/regions described, 1:100 000 or better, they are cheap and relatively good, especially compared to a normal road maps.
I have no idea of the southern valley of the Vah River, no idea of the Danube valley - so the direct neighborhood of Bratislava is unknown to me.
If you like to move north-east, take some train along the main railroad line Bratislava - Trencin - Zilina - Martin (Vrutky) - Ruzomberok - Liptovsky Sv. Mikulas - Poprad and on, it will deliver you to the mountainous world of Slovak western Carpathian Mountains. The transport of bikes could be easily arranged in a train, ask about in the main railway station in Bratislava (a propos, some dictionary / phrasebook would be extremely & helpful, especially in rural areas...).
I will describe shortly only the regions, which I know and which could be characteristic for the Slovak province. Sorry, almost all what I write I have done by foot - not with a bike, and with probably different attitude (tops, not valleys...). You may take off or jump in the train easily almost everywhere along the described way.
If you get out in Zilina, go northeast in the direction of Orava, a very characteristic region in northern Slovakia - from Zilina along the northern slopes of the Mala Fatra range. Try to get to Vratna Valley (a nice camping or rooms in the village Stefanova, a very nice place). In Terchova, on the way there, Janosik, a local folk hero (Robin Hood-type) was born. Try to get to the top of Velky Rozsutec (without bikes obviously). Or, quicker, with a lift to Cheb - nice views around. Probably it is better to get out a few stations later on from Zilina - in Strecno - two castle ruins dominate over the Vah River there. And it is only some 30-km to Vratna Valley. Make sure the train stops there! But Zilina is also worth seeing... Martin - forget it.
Later on through a low pass to Zazriva and then down to the valley to the Orava River. From here you may reach Oravsky Podzamok with the castle called Oravsky hrad. Later on to Zverovka (camping, hostel) in the western part of the Tatras Mountains. From there you may reach the tops of Rohace or Volovec with beautiful views around. Ask about Museum Oravskej Dediny. (I am not sure if it is interesting). If you have enough of the mountains you may reach the artificial lake north of Tvrdosin and Trstena (camping). Evacuation with a train possible.
From Zuberec south - up the pass leading to Huty, then down Kvacianska Dolina to Kvacany and down to the next artificial lake - Liptovska Mara (camping) in the middle of the Liptov Valley and to the town of Liptovsky Sv. Mikulas, where Janosik died. In Liptovsky Hradok camping. But it would be a better idea to reach Demanovska Dolina (Valley), also with a camping, hostels and two long caves (ice cave Demanovska Ladova Jaskyna and Demanovska Jaskyna Slobody) and a few other. Up in the valley (a few hostels) a lift leading to the top of Chopok in the Nizke Tatry (Low Tatras) Mountains - one of the best view points of Slovakia. From Liptovsky Mikulas good train connections, east west.
The Tatras Mountains are divided into western part, and higher eastern part - Vysoke Tatry (High Tatras). They ARE crowded, but not everywhere.
From Liptovsky Hradok northeast, to Pribilina with a museum, then up to the lower part of Rackova dolina (camping): lots of mountains to climb... Then take the road traversing the slopes of the High Tatras through Podbanske, Strbske Pleso, Smokovec to Tatranska Lomnica, where south of it Eurocamp and Sportcamp are slightly overcrowded, but really international camping sites. A good meeting place. If you want something not so crowded, you have a lot of possibilities along the 537 traversing road or try to get further north to Zdiar (folklore!) or even to Javorina (camping?) behind a pass, almost on the Polish border. The northern valleys of the High Tatras are the wildest and the emptiest (Javorova and Belovodska along the Polish border). Here the best possibilities to visit the Polish side (more folklore and more atmospheres) but you want Slovakia.
From town Poprad, just south of Tatranska Lomnica, good train connections. Poprad is situated in the middle of the interesting region of Spis. First-class attractions are the towns along the Poprad River Valley, once an autonomous polish province in Hungarian surroundings: Poprad, Spisska Sobota, Kezmarok (!), Spisska Bela, Podolinec, Stara Lubovna. In Ruzbachy - camping.
Further north, behind the ridges of the Spisska Magura, the region of idyllic villages of northern Spis, where you may forget the stupid nervous world outside. A camping is in Cerveny Klastor (worth seeing), on the Dunajec River. You may float down a canyon there, although the main attractions are on the Polish side. I am not sure if you can bike along the gorge (national park), but if you can, do it. A nice castle of Niedzica on the polish side, but probably no possibility of crossing the border, ask someone).
The Hornad Valley is also worth seeing: especially Levoca east of Poprad is here the most visited town with its famous Wit Stwosz altar (by Master Paul from Levoca). Middle ages in their finest. Later on east the picturesque symbol of once Hungarian domination over this area with a mysterious history: Spissky Hrad over Spisske Podhradie - a huge castle dominating over western Spis. South of Poprad Slovensky Raj - a beautiful area with Hornad Gorge (Prielom), waterfalls, caves, etc. A camping in Klastorisko and in Hrabusany, but it is probably better to drive to Stratena later on to south. There is another ice cave - Dobsinska Ladova Jaskyna. One of the most beautiful caves in Europe, one hour trip, 7 Celsius. In Dedinky a lake, camping, hostels, etc. You are on a railway line now... You may get a train from here through Banska Bystrica and Zvolen (a castle!) to Bratislava. Or, if you are ambitious - later on east to the town of Kosice (architectural attractions), to the south to the Slovensky Kras Mountains (Roznava - Silica, another caves... one of them with an underground river from Slovakia to Hungary!) or turn back to the east along the southern slopes of the Nizke Tatry Mountains to Banska Bystrica (The Hron River valley).
Mala Fatra, Vysoke Tatry, Nizke Tatry, Slovensky Raj are national parks or nature reservations. Please, respect the rules.
Jacek A. Jankowski
jacek@appel012.hydromech.uni-hannover.de
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