General

Flights– With LOT, they were purposeful and went smoothly. Do not forget to check in advance so you can sit together.

Rented car– EXPRESS (via RENTAL CARS). We got a Fiat Dubello–It was perfect and spacious for all the suitcases.

Accommodations– A week in Slovakia (Liptovsky Mikulas) and the rest in Poland (several places). We usually stayed in apartments rather than hotels. In retrospect, it was better to divide Slovakia into two places of accommodation to shorten travel times, divided between the upper and lower half of the Tatra.

The total cost of the trip -Two weeks for a family of 5 people cost $5,234 including all travel (flights, taxis, cars and fuel, food, lodging, health insurance, attractions, etc.).

General Tips

It is recommended to bring chocolates for children because it is rare to find chocolate (and a rare snack that will taste better).

In August you should bring only long thin clothes just for the benefit of the trip to the peaks and/or caves. Beyond that, only light clothes are recommended, and of course raincoats in case of necessity.

It is very difficult and near impossible to find dry cleaners with fast service – it is recommended to take only clean accommodations. Also, search for places that have an air conditioner for those who suffer from the heat. Installing air conditioners is not as obvious there as in other countries.

Slovakia is nature, and nature is insects – do not forget Althos, Fenistil, and the like.

The trails in Slovakia require good, closed-toe shoes for walking—certainly not flip-flops or root sandals. There is also a selection of trails of varying difficulty, it is important to match the trip to the age of the children and to learn their skill in such walks.

The restaurants and stands in the various parks are closed earlier than the park’s hours. It is worthwhile to organize a proper lunchtime.

Most bottled water is carbonated. Note that when you buy water and soda it is not easy to distinguish them.

For a trip on the highways in Slovakia, you need a $12 vignette. The easiest thing is to do it online once you get the rented vehicle (depending on the license number).

Details of the trip

Landing in Lublin early in the morning on August 11th, we collected the vehicle in the field and headed out on a two-hour journey to Rzeszow. It was a rainy day in the city center, and we decided to get some hours of sleep after the long night. This was followed by a light breakfast at the Millennium Hall and a half hour hike in the center of the city. We visited the toy museum nearby, the former Jewish Quarter, a memorial park on the former Jewish cemetery and a sign on the wall pointed to the old synagogue. We then walked through the beautiful streets to Giuseppe Avenue, west through the bridge over the junction, until we reached the magnificent revolution monument and the beautiful garden next to it. We then had dinner at the Rzeszow mall across the street. Walking back towards the vehicle through the city center, it was full of cafes and beautiful houses. While we were there, there was the end of some car race where we got to see some of the action. In the evening there is a fountain show in town, but we preferred to retire early and get up feeling fresh.

On August 12^th, our first stop was in Terezinia Elefinka. We arrived directly in the car. (We gave up the children’s train, which runs parallel and at specific and limited hours). The children enjoyed a cool rope park and other activities. Our second stop in Kosice led us to a walk and a meal in the wide pedestrian mall in the city center. We then continued to Liptovsky Mikulas where we will sleep next week.

August 13^th: There are 3 nearby attractions in Jasna, just 15 minutes from Liptovsky. Parking at the ZAHRADKY Hotel and a cable car ride to Mount Chopok – spectacular views, not to miss (3 sections to a peak of 2,024 meters, the first of which is by open cable car).

Then a light trip around Lake Verbika Palasso, including splashing in the cool water, taking bread to feed the ducks, and the children will enjoy it for sure. We continued to Fun Park Ziarce/Pavinca Lehota – a fun time with roller skates, rotating ATVs, and inflatables, and gorgeous mountain scenery.

Then we had lunch at the Restart Burger restaurant in Liptovsky Mikulas and an evening stroll around Lake Strbska Palazzo—it seemed as if it was from a postcard. It is a pleasant and fun route, friendly for children (including playgrounds and a trampoline next to several cafes). The parking is near the Grand Hotel Kempinski High Tatras.

August 14^th: In the morning, we took a drive to the Dedinky track in the Slovakian paradise (Dedinky Priehrada), walked down the red trail (start with a fifteen-minute hike, do not despair, go down to the village of Biele Vody). It is full of cool ladders in a beautiful mall that goes on until you reach a spectacular green meadow, including a small refreshment cafeteria, and a trampoline for children. It’s interesting that trampolines always have the power!

 

And then we headed back to the forest. We spent the afternoon in the water park Aquacity Poprad (It suited us that it rained outside). In itself, it is not particularly exciting for children compared to Tatarlandia or Basnova. Dinner in a great restaurant for children and adults alike can be had at Utopia Pizzeria in Poprad. We ate risotto and delicious pizzas at a cheap price. There are also games for children inside and outside the restaurant.

August 15^thwas a rainy day. In the morning we did a little shopping and ran errands at the Stop Shop mall in Liptovki. In the afternoon, the Demanovska Jaskyna Slobody (Freedom Cave) is very recommended, as our wonderful drip house in Beit Shemesh is only a few times larger and includes a lake at its bottom. Also, consider a 20-minute hike from the parking lot to the entrance to 7 degrees. In the afternoon we took a trip to Rozambrok and a trip to Terezinia (a great rope park, zorbing/balls on the water, Omega on the water, and a beautiful view of the lake) and from there we went on to dessert at the Salas Krajinka Cheese Farm.

 

August 16^th: In the morning, we visited Spis Castle (like Kal’at Nimrod only big…) and it is impressive and recommended. You should arrive early to find parking, otherwise, you will be forced to significantly prolong the wait.

At noon we found ourselves at Tomasovsky Terrace in the Slovakian Garden (Tomasovsky Vyhlad, the nearest starting point is Prirdona Hvezdaren Durkovek, from there cross the field and you will see the signs in the forest opposite near the abandoned buildings). We took a nice round trip back through the forest (we ate a lot of raspberries that we picked up on the way) to the balcony overlooking the beautiful reserve.

In the afternoon we took a trip to Tatralandia (on the way we saw the opposite house, we did not enter), here we spent our time in the slides and the hot tubs until they closed the place. Open from 9 to 9, GOPASS gives a small discount. Such as they allow you to enter all the facilities and can also be combined with drinks/food.

August 17^th: We took The Janosikove Diery route, about an hour’s drive from Liptovsky to the west (Terchova). Start by Biely Potok, behind the Diery Hotel in blue-yellow-blue. It is attractive and recommended. We had lunch in the restaurant adjacent to the hotel – the best meal on this entire trip (there are games for children both inside the restaurant and in the yard opposite). On the way back to Liptovsky, we stopped at the impressive Lucky Falls (and we enjoyed the tasty plums we picked from the trees on the next street).

August 18^th: We took a trip to the refusers of Kalastor, about an hour and a half from Liptovsky, where we rafted in Dunietz at the Pinyi Nature Reserve (the Suzy Road from Tri Koruny Rafting).This was a calm family cruise with beautiful views, and the children bathed in the water at the end of the cruise. A beautiful walk of about fifteen minutes along the stream to the center where buses/taxis leave followed, then we returned by bus and it was efficient.

Lunch called for a trip to Stary Smokovec. We parked next to the Grand Hotel and took a ponyklor to the summit from the Smokovec Church Station. There were toboggan slides that the children have taken several times (open from 10 to 5) and a downhill green track down to the impressive Ravinook Falls. This is highly recommended. At 6:00 we arrived at Tricklandia (a prearranged appointment). Not recommended to travel to especially, but if you get along or need a solution to the rain, go ahead. Do not forget to come with a charged mobile. We ate at the nearby Italian restaurant, and the quality of fast food in the mall was not a hit, to say the least.

August 19^th: Until noon on the treetops (Bachledova Dolina) you must take into account there is a half-hour hike through the forest (until the cable car opens). The site is open from 9 to 7. At the top, we enjoyed fun mountain slides and walking on a wooden bridge built over the forest—an amazing and experiential landscape.

In the afternoon, we stopped at a new restaurant in the Zdiar – Medvedi Brloh Strachan, one of the most beautiful places to stop in. It provided a magnificent view, lovely wooden sculptures of bears, and there is a small chair cable car that rises every hour to the top (up to 5:00).

 

We were then traveling to Zakopane, staying in the room and going out for an evening stroll in the city center – the famous Krupowki pedestrian mall. It was full of people, colors, restaurants and more. We highly recommend it. The city is beautiful in both the day and nighttime. In general, the region of Zakopane and southern Poland has spectacular views and unique building styles, as if it were a fairy tale. Everything is hilly, green, and with plenty of flowing streams and animals along the way. It was just wonderful.

August 20^th: We Spent all day in Zakopane. There were Plenty of attractions on Mount Gubalowka. You can drive by car to an organized parking lot or take the funicular/cable car at the end of the city’s main pedestrian mall. We took the cable car next to the Mercury Hotel (if you come from below), there are tubs slides, mountain slides, a rope park, horseback riding, an amusement park at the bottom of the mountain, food stands and much more.

We then took a trip to Kraków in a fascinating, green, mountainous, mostly rustic way, and a relaxing evening stroll in the city that is pleasant to stroll around at night.

 

August 21^st: We took a city trip in Krakow. We visited the main market square (Rynek Gloyny) which was one of the most luxurious in Europe. It includes churches, towers, the Socknica in the center, Klockland (a highly recommended interactive robotic Lego museum –all at walking distance from the center on Mikolaska 13). From there we headed to the Wabel Fortress, the Vistula River, the Kazemish Jewish Quarter (a must have, of course, depending on the degree of the children’s age) and we had dessert at the new and attractive Krakowskie Galeries Mall. We walked the city from 9 am to 9 pm, and you can use the public transport application Jakdojade.

August 22^nd:– We spent all day in Engelilandia (1-hour drive from Kraków).

We visited Luna Park and a water park, huge and varied, suitable for all ages (some facilities have a minimum height limit). It Includes impressive shows of cars, fire and more. Far (we spent $140 for the family) but it was definitely worth the visit.

* Some of the facilities are wet, and there are plenty of ‘refresh stations’ from splashing along the paths, so if it is important for you to enjoy the trip properly leave the mobile behind.

There is a small and efficient “train” that makes shuttles from the remote parking lots to the entrance gate – so do not panic because of the distance.
 
August 23^rd: – Morning in Krakow –We found ourselves back in the center of town (you will not believe this beauty)! We then took a horse carriage ride and then a trip to a beautiful and spacious science park called Orgod Doswiadczen Lm (Madatech style). We parked on the other side of the intersection and traveled by foot. The mall itself has a cute little jamboree for the little ones, a restaurant with cooked and tasty food that is paid for according to the weight of the plate you filled. In the parking area outside there is a fun karting track. In the evening, we took a long 4-hour trip to Lublin, the last destination before our return to Israel.

August 24^th: – A city trip in beautiful Lublin. Breakfast is recommended at the Zielony Talerzyk, a restaurant in the old city center. From there we took a walking tour from Krakow Gate, where there is also a tourist information center, and it is recommended to take a map there. We combined the route from the map (the market square, churches, the king’s palace, etc.) with a few points of Zion of Lublin Jewry (the Rescue Committee, the orphanage, the ghetto area). All in the same area, there were picturesque, colorful houses, and a very pleasant walk that ends in the impressive square of Lithuania with a playground and a huge fountain. The children bathed and played for more than an hour. On the way back to the hotel, we stopped at the Ilan Hotel where the former Chachmei Lublin Yeshiva was located – (we watched from the outside). Then a last stop at the Felicity mall for dinner and preparing the best chocolates in the great supermarket Auchen.

August 25^th: – Flight back in the morning. What we marked as additional options and did not manage to see we will leave for the next time. These include The Dubrovnik park, the Snova water park, the Sokka Bella track (when the children grow up a little), the zoo and the butterfly park near Tatarlandia (alternatively in Krakow), the cable car ride to Tatranska Lomanika, the Orava Castle, and the reconstructed village known as Vlkolinec.