Piestany
Piestany is the largest Slovak medical resort, located just 80 km from the capital. Its popularity is promoted not only by the quality of local thermal waters, but also by the picturesque nature: the resort is located in the most beautiful valley of the Vah River at an altitude of 160 m above sea level. Check topschoolsintheusa.com to learn more about Slovakia.
The main healing factors here are thermal waters and sulfuric mud.
It is most convenient to move around the city by bicycle, as the vast majority of local residents do.
How to get to Piestany
First – by train, plane or even bus you need to get to Bratislava. The easiest way to get from the capital to the famous resort is to take one of the trains leaving from the Central Station. There are about 20 departures daily, the train makes the whole journey in about an hour, tickets from 4.50 EUR. Almost all trains have sockets, Wi-Fi, places for bicycles. Look for timetables and tickets on the English website of the Slovak Railways.
You can also get to Piestany by intercity bus, several companies are engaged in transportation at once, departures from the square near the Main Railway Station. On the way, about 1.5 hours, tickets from 4 EUR. Buses run 5-6 times a day.
It takes about an hour to travel by taxi, for such a transfer they will ask an average of 65-80 EUR.
Hotels
The most popular resort hotels are the Balnea and Thermia Palace, built in 1912 and becoming a popular holiday destination for monarchs from all over Europe. In total, there are more than 10 spa houses in Piešťany. A distinctive feature of the resort is the presence of a specialized children’s sanatorium (“Green Tree”). It makes sense for golf lovers to stay at the Golf Club House, next to which there are golf courses.
Treatment in Piestany
Ten sources of therapeutic sulfate-carbonate, calcium-sodium, sulfuric hypotonic hot water with an average mineralization, having a temperature of +67..+69 ° C, beat from a depth of 2000 meters. Sulfur-containing mud, considered one of the best in the world, is formed by deposits of the Vah River, formed at the outlets of thermal springs. After extraction and processing, the mud “ripens” during the year under the influence of mineral water in special tanks. “Mature” mud has a sticky, greasy consistency and a steel color with a blue tint reaching black. Mud is able to retain heat for a long time (it cools 4 times slower than water), has excellent thermal conductivity and has restorative properties. It is used mainly for the treatment of rheumatism and other diseases of the musculoskeletal system.
Spa procedures: thermal and mud baths, compresses from sulfur-containing mud, physiotherapy, hydrotherapy, various kinds of massages, acupuncture, electro- and mechanotherapy, gas injections, manual therapy, etc.
Entertainment and attractions
In Piešťany you can go horseback riding, go skating in the closed ice center and water skiing, play golf, tennis and squash. In the vicinity of the city there are many walking and cycling paths. On the Vah River, you can go fishing or go on a river boat trip. And tourists can try their luck at the local casino.
Smokovec
The oldest resort in Slovakia, located in the High Tatras at the foot of the Slavkov peak, only 12 km from the Poprad airport. The local resort area combines several villages at once: Novy (1000 m), Stary (1017 m), Gorny (950 m) and Dolny (890 m). Mountain Smokovec is home to the Tatra Gallery, Novy Smokovec has the oldest climatic spas in Central Europe, and Dolny Smokovec is famous for its sanatoriums and camping. Smokovci is a modern ski resort with a developed infrastructure. Both beginners and professionals feel good here, and the skiing season lasts from December to April.
In the vicinity of the resort, conditions are created for practicing winter sports: mountaineering, skating, skiing and sledding.
Cozy mountain guesthouses and hotels built in the classic Tatra style give a special charm to Smokovtsy.
Smokovec slopes
Old Smokovec is ideal for families with children. There is a ski complex for beginners here – three easy ski slopes and the same number of drag lifts. More experienced skiers can ride on the top of Hrebienki (1285 m) or on the “black” slalom track Horna Luka, climbing the drag lift to a height of 1500 meters. In addition, in Stary Smokovec there is the best toboggan run with a length of more than 2 km and a height difference of 250 m. Every Wednesday, tourists can participate in night sledding, drink hot mulled wine and, if they are lucky, get a prize.
- Smokovec slopes
Nový Smokovec offers easy and very easy slopes on Yakubova Luka (1140 m): the slope there is quite gentle and is serviced by a drag lift. Right in the village there is a ski area for children and beginners and a natural skating rink.
For more experienced athletes, a rather wide and steep slope in Gorný Smokovec above the Bellevue Hotel is suitable for a warm-up. The track has a height difference of 61 m and is serviced by a drag lift.
Entertainment and attractions in Smokovec
Nearby waterfalls, mountain lakes, valleys and gorges. Wooden buildings from the 19th century and a church in Stary Smokovec, thermal pools in the town of Vrbov (20 km from the resort), Belianska Cave and the Spis Castle of the 13th century.
Swimming pool, sauna, bars, skating rink, Slovak restaurant with live music, Albaz disco with laser show, cinema and bowling alley.
