Biking Tour & Cycling Holiday around the Tatra Mountains from Krakow to Zakopane

Itinerary

The mighty Carpathian Mountains separate Slovakia and its neighboring country Poland.
The highest part of the mountain system forms the High Tatras. The Tatras make an overwhelming impression on visitors as they rise high above surrounding valleys.

During this tour, we cycle around the mountain chain and enjoy its many different parts. We pass lively mountain resorts and lakes and cycle through valleys and mountain pass with extraordinary views that will last in the memory forever. We will visit unique world sites in Krakow city, Demanovska valley, Vlkolinec settlement (UNESCO), and Chocholow village.

Grade: Moderate/Hard. This tour follows a road at the foothills of the Tatra Mountains, the highest part of the Carpathian Mountains.
There are several uphill sections, but distances are relatively short, allowing you to cycle at a moderate pace.

1. Day 1 Arrival in Krakow, Poland.

   - Arrival in Krakow
   - Car transfer to the hotel
   - Accommodation

2. Day 2 Krakow city sightseeing. Transfer to Zdiar, Slovakia.

   - Breakfast
   - Krakow sightseeing with a local guide
   - Car transfer to Zdiar, High Tatras
   - Accommodation, a short meeting with our guide
   
   Krakow is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. The historic center includes the Old Town, Kazimierz Jewish Quarter, and the Wawel Castle. As the first of its kind, the town got among UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1978. The Old Town is the most prominent example of an old town appearance in the country. For many centuries Krakow was the royal capital of Poland.
   Bicycles are ideal for sightseeing in Krakow since they allow an easier access to places of interest.

3. Day 3 Route: Zdiar - Strbske Pleso.

   - Breakfast
   - Cycling route: Zdiar - Strbske Pleso
   - Accommodation in Strbske Pleso
   
   Strbske Pleso village comprises several hotels and residential buildings. With extensive parking facilities and a stop on the Tatra trolley and rack railway, it is a starting point for popular hikes, including the peaks Krivan and Rysy.

   Ride details:

4. Day 4 Route: Strbske Pleso - Liptovsky Mikulas.

   - Breakfast
   - Cycling route: Strbske Pleso - Liptovsky Mikulas, Low Tatras
   - Accommodation in Liptovsky Mikulas
   
   Possible to visit: Demanovska Liberty Cave - UNESCO site.
   The total length of the cave is 8,126 m, and just 1.8 m is open to the public. Bones of a cave bear were found in a passage now named Bear's Passage.

   Ride details:

5. Day 5 Route: Liptovsky Mikulas - Ruzomberok.

   - Breakfast
   - Cycling route: Liptovsky Mikulas - Liptovska Mara reservoir - Vlkolinec - Ruzomberok
   - Vlkolinec - Monument Reserve of Folk Architecture visit
   - Accommodation in Ruzomberok
   
   Vlkolinec village - Monument Reserve of Folk Architecture is the extraordinary and remarkable oasis of folk architecture and on the UNESCO list since 1993.
   The first written record of the community is from 1376. Originally it was the settlement of loggers, shepherds, and farmers. Its unique compound of original folk buildings remains untouched by modern construction.
   ICOMOS (International Council for Monuments and Settlements) classified it as the best-reserved settlement of this time within the Carpathian Arch.

   Ride details:

6. Day 6 Route: Ruzomberok - Zuberec.

   - Breakfast
   - Cycling route: Ruzomberok - Zuberec
   - Accommodation in Zuberec
   - Possibility to visit Oravice thermal park
   
   A unique open-air Museum of the Orava Village covers an area of about 20 hectares. Typical folk buildings were moved here from various places in the Orava region. Visitors can see authentic peasant houses, larders, lumber rooms, farmsteads, shepherd's huts, haylofts, sacral buildings (a wooden church, cemetery, and belfry), and the craftsman's and linen makers houses (a Wallachian mill and sawmill, a potter's furnace and fulling mill).
   
   Oravice village offers relaxation in the thermal park pools with a temperature of 57°C. All year round, until late evening hours, visitors can use sulfate-calcic-magnesium water with a high content of iron that has beneficial effects on the body.

   Ride details:

7. Day 7 Route: Zuberec - Zakopane, Poland.

   - Breakfast
   - Cycling route: Zuberec - Chocholow - Zakopane, Poland
   - Chocholow open-air museum visit
   - Accommodation in Zakopane
   
   Chocholow - UNESCO site; a lively open-air museum with wooden houses as much as 200 years old and often built from a single spruce log.

   Ride details:

8. Day 8 Transfer to Krakow. Farewell.

   - Breakfast
   - Car transfer to Krakow
   - End of the tour

Overview