Štrbské Pleso, High Tatras, Slovakia

Štrbské Pleso is a glacial lake and mountain resort on the southern side of the High Tatras in Slovakia. The lake lies at 1,346 m, covers about 20 ha and is up to 20 m deep; it is the second-largest tarn on the Slovak side of the Tatras and stays frozen for more than five months a year. The resort grew up around it after 1872, when Jozef Szentiványi built a lodge on the shore, and today it is the highest-lying of the Tatra resorts, with hotels, sanatoriums and the ski jumps built for the 1970 Nordic World Ski Championships.

An easy path circles the lake in about 30–40 minutes. Štrbské Pleso is also a popular starting point for hikes in the Tatra National Park: the trail to Popradské pleso takes about an hour, longer routes lead up to Rysy and to Kriváň, the symbol of Slovakia, and the Tatra Magistrala path passes through the resort. In winter there is a ski area with a chairlift towards Solisko, cross-country trails and ski jumping hills.

Key points:

• Lake: 1,346 m above sea level, about 20 ha, up to 20 m deep.
• Getting there: Tatra Electric Railway from Poprad (about an hour, usually with a change in Starý Smokovec) or the rack railway from Štrba (about 15 minutes).
• Best time: July–September for hiking, December–March for skiing.
• Admission: free; the lake lies in the Tatra National Park (TANAP).