What's on in Starý Smokovec, Slovakia through the year

Busy — Christmas and New Year week, school holidays in 7 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: High trails closed for winter (1 Nov – 15 Jun (usually)), Tatra Temple of Ice at Hrebienok (14 Nov – 19 Apr (usually)), Ski season (10 Dec – 5 Apr (usually)), Christmas and New Year week (24 Dec – 6 Jan)

Busy — Slovak spring school holidays, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Holiday

  Slovak spring school holidays

  10 Feb – 10 Mar · usuallyCrowded

  Slovak schools take their spring week in three regional waves from mid-February to early March, and families head for the Tatras. The funicular and the small ski areas are busiest on those weeks. Source ↗

Still on: High trails closed for winter (1 Nov – 15 Jun (usually)), Tatra Temple of Ice at Hrebienok (14 Nov – 19 Apr (usually)), Ski season (10 Dec – 5 Apr (usually))

Busy — Slovak spring school holidays, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

• Holiday

  Easter

  3–6 AprClosuresCrowded

  Good Friday and Easter Monday are public holidays. On Easter Monday boys douse girls with water and switch them with braided willow whips, and many Slovaks take the long weekend away, so trains and mountain hotels are busier. Source ↗

Still on: Slovak spring school holidays (10 Feb – 10 Mar (usually)), High trails closed for winter (1 Nov – 15 Jun (usually)), Tatra Temple of Ice at Hrebienok (14 Nov – 19 Apr (usually)), Ski season (10 Dec – 5 Apr (usually))

Busy — Easter, school holidays in 6 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Easter (3–6 Apr), High trails closed for winter (1 Nov – 15 Jun (usually)), Tatra Temple of Ice at Hrebienok (14 Nov – 19 Apr (usually)), Ski season (10 Dec – 5 Apr (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in May.

Still on: High trails closed for winter (1 Nov – 15 Jun (usually))

Busy — Tatra walking season, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

• Season

  Tatra walking season

  16 Jun – 31 OctTrail seasonCrowded

  The whole high-mountain year is squeezed into four and a half months from mid-June, and the funicular up to Hrebienok is the lazy way into it. Afternoon storms build fast; most people start at dawn. Source ↗

Still on: High trails closed for winter (1 Nov – 15 Jun (usually))

Busy — Tatra walking season, school holidays in 7 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: Tatra walking season (16 Jun – 31 Oct)

Busy — Tatra walking season, school holidays in 7 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Tatra walking season (16 Jun – 31 Oct)

Busy — Tatra walking season, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Tatra walking season (16 Jun – 31 Oct)

Busy — Tatra walking season, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in October.

Still on: Tatra walking season (16 Jun – 31 Oct)

Shoulder season — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

• Closure

  High trails closed for winter

  1 Nov – 15 Jun · usually

  The national park shuts its high marked trails, saddles and peaks from the start of November until the middle of June, for avalanche safety and the chamois. Hut approaches stay open; the ridges do not. Source ↗

• Opening

  Tatra Temple of Ice at Hrebienok

  14 Nov – 19 Apr · usuallyIce season

  Each winter an ice replica of a famous church is carved at the top station of the Hrebienok funicular, free to enter and lit from inside. Concerts run through the season and an Advent market sets up on December weekends. Source ↗

Busy — Christmas and New Year week, school holidays in 7 of the markets that fill it

• Season

  Ski season

  10 Dec – 5 Apr · usually

  The Tatra resorts either side of the village run from about mid-December to early April, small areas by Alpine standards but cheap and rarely queued. Wind on the tops closes the upper lifts often. Source ↗

• Holiday

  Christmas and New Year week

  24 Dec – 6 JanChristmas & New YearCrowdedBook early

  Christmas to Epiphany is peak winter week in the mountains: Slovak, Czech and Polish families fill hotels and chalets at the year's highest rates, lifts and trails are at their busiest, and New Year's Eve is booked out months ahead. Source ↗

Still on: High trails closed for winter (1 Nov – 15 Jun (usually)), Tatra Temple of Ice at Hrebienok (14 Nov – 19 Apr (usually))