Štrbské Pleso, Slovakia
Štrbské Pleso is a picturesque mountain lake of glacial origin and a top tourist destination in High Tatras, Slovakia. It is the second largest glacial lake on the Slovak side of High Tatras. Its maximum depth is 20 meters. At the southern end of the lake there is a village of the same name - well known winter sports resort. It is the highest situated village in the Tatras.
In 1872 an ordinary forester's lodge was built here and so it all started. Just after a few years the first shelter was built, and quickly the place was expanded because tourists recommended this beautiful area to other people to visit.
Parking in Štrbské Pleso
There is a large size parking available in the village (P; GPS: 49.119607, 20.064943), however it can be quickly filled during high tourist traffic. This should be taken into account so you may arrive earlier to find free places. Parking is of course paid - the ticket is about 6€ so it's in our opinion a little bit exaggerated (well, as the prices of many other parking lots in intresting places for tourists in Slovakia).
There is also a railway line (A; GPS: 49.118459, 20.063452) that you can arrive here from, for example, Stary Smokovec. By the way, the electric railway line is recommended as a means of transportation because it links all the most important tourist resorts in Slovak Tatras.
The Štrbské Pleso lake
We leave the car and go towards the lake, which is located at a distance of about 150 m. Around the lake a few higher-end hotels were built, including Grand Hotel Kempinski High Tartas (B; GPS: 49.119354, 20.058720) and Hotel Solisko (C; GPS: 49.119782, 20.056875). There is also a very nice path around the lake - very simple and easy to overcome even for seniors who have not prepared themselves for hiking in the mountains. Everyone, however, should walk that path because it gives the opportunity to admiring the nature and the lake itself. The views are really nice, especially during autumn, when everything becomes colored, but of course this place is worth visiting in any season of the year. A walk around the lake takes about an hour. You can also stroll in the evening, because the path is illuminated with beautiful lanterns. During the day you can also rent a boat and swim in the lake. The advantage of this place is also that the touristic traffic (compared to Zakopane) is really small - let's say directly: there are no crowds of strollers :).
More experienced tourists might be tempted to enter the Rysy summit directly from the parking lot using the red, then blue and finally again red trail. This trail is very popular among tourists. There are also other interesting trails you can see on the map.
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