Vysoke Tatry Transportation

The modern electric train connects many of the small towns in the High Tatras and is a convenient and cheap way of getting around the area. We used it once to return to Tatranska Lomnica after our hike ended at Stary Smokovec.

To get to Strbske Pleso (Lake Strbske) where many High Tatra trails start, you can take a ten or so minute ride by cog railway from Tatranska Strba. The train climbs steeply and offers good views of the Tatras, Now that the forest had been ravaged by the hurricane last year, probably even more of the Tatras can be seen although it is not something to be pleased about. Taking this train, you can avoid parking charges at Strbske Pleso.

Moving between the towns at the foot of the High Tatras is not too easy as buses are infrequent. There is an electric train from Strbske Pleso to Tatranska Lomnica, which is fast and comfortable, but trying to get further east or west than that becomes a problem. So many hikers, tired of waiting for a bus, try to hitch a lift, often successfully. The best thing of course is to use one's own transport: a car or a bike, although there may be problems with parking in, for example, Tatranska Lomnica, which has many car parks, but only for their hotel guests. Hikers have nowhere to leave their bikes as they go to explore the mountains. Also, they often follow a trail without coming back to the same point at the end of it, so they do need buses. There are always a number of hikers at the bus stop in Javorina, where a few trails end.
Car users can park their cars in Javorina in a car park at the back of the post office. You can't leave them closer to the Javorova Valley, as they will be in the way of TANAP vehicles. Parking is free most of the time, although a symbolic sum is mentioned on the notice there.