The Slovakia has a long tradition of Hiking and mountain hiking, and it's an extremely popular sport. Most people you meet will have hiked at least once in their life, and many do it on a regular basis. They will be able to give you advice on the most interesting local trails. The network of trails is also very well maintained. The quality and efficiency of the signage system is unique in Europe and probably the world.
Markup
Each route is marked and signposted, the different trails have a different color. There are four colors used: red, blue, green and yellow. The longer and more difficult trails are usually marked in red. It is possible to cross the whole country from the northeast to the Dukla pass to the west at Bradlo, near Bratislava by following on 750 km the Slovak National Uprising Heroes Trail marked in red. The trails are numerous, adapted to the different fitness levels of the walker, and many lead to very beautiful landscapes. In town, you will usually see a sign, with arrows pointing in different directions, marking the color of the lane and the average walking times to the nearest destinations. All you need to do is follow the color, there will be a mark every hundred yards or so, and consists of a square of 10 cm by 10 cm three lines where the bottom and top lines are white and the color of the chosen channel is in the middle.
- Path marked in green
- Path marked in yellow
- Path marked in blue
- Path marked in red
- Direction change arrow:
- Educational trail with information panel on nature or history:
- End of trail:
Itineraries
- 1 Tatranská magistrála – Hiking 72,1 km several days in the Tatras
- 2 Hike from Kojšovská hoľa to Košice-Čermeľ – Nice day hike. The departure is in Zlatá Idka accessible by bus from the bus station. Hiking 33,5 km, vertical drop 1 036 m, downhill 1 471 m, duration 9 h 20.
- 3 Hike from Košice-Čermeľ to Vysoký Vrch – Nice day hike. The departure is in Zlatá Idka accessible by bus from the bus station. Hiking 25,5 km, vertical drop 907 m, downhill 907 m, duration 7 h 10. At the start of the children's railway (240 m), follow the tags to Nad Kavečanmi (580 m) and continue to Sedlo Repy (805 m) right next to Vysoký Vrch. Then take the tags to return to Košice-Čermeľ.
Cards
It is easy and even recommended to have a detailed map of the region. They are not very expensive and can be found in all bookstores, department stores, tourist information centers and even some newsstands.
- SHOcart card
3-4 €. – This company publishes maps at 1: 100,000 with all the marked hiking and cycling trails listed with the journey times and covering a fairly large region. It also publishes a more detailed 1: 50,000 edition but covering a smaller region. Slovakia is covered in 15 maps with the 1: 100,000 edition and in 35 maps with the 1: 50,000 edition.
3-It is possible to find hiking information online.
- hiking.sk – The Hikeplanner calculates the journey time and generates a graph showing the height differences.
- Map of hiking trails – This site presents a detailed map of hiking trails throughout Slovakia.
