Traveller notes: Spisska Nova
You’d rarely come across a person as buzzing with energy as Priyo. It’s almost difficult to feel lazy around her. An ultimate go-getter, a responsible professional, a brilliant cook and a newly-minted marathon runner, this girl does justice to every hat she dons. Oh, and, lately she’s been travelling a lot to fancy places. I am so glad she shared her travel notes with me.
Ok Priyo, now tell the others too!
PRIYO SAYS:
An eastern Europe trip was long overdue for me. The bounty and beauty of this region is undisputed, but while planning this trip, I wanted to include quaint and magical destinations off the beaten track.
Also, my love of outdoors was pushing me to look for a hiking trail. This is how Spisska Nova Ves ended up in my plans. And, boy, am I glad!
The best part about this almost-unknown Slovakian town is that it seems frozen in the medieval times. The houses, architecture, roads, restaurants, weather and the general mood of the place hums tunes of the past, melting into a sweet sense of nostalgia.
Also, it boasts of one of the best hiking trails in eastern Europe - the Sucha Bela trail in the Solvak Paradise National Park, the Slovensky Raj as the locals call it. To give you a fair idea of what this is like, I’d say, it’ll make you feel like you stepped inside a Lord of the Rings book.
STAY:
Spisska Nova Ves has a lot of Airbnbs and I will advise you to opt for one since you’d need some handholding by locals/Airbnb hosts to get around. Before you make your booking, check if the hosts are fluent in English since communication can be a challenge here, with most people speaking the local language. My husband and I stayed at this Airbnb called Apartmany Rudolf, which was indeed a cosy little place with a lovely view.
EAT:
As you walk by the streets, a lot of these tiny eateries will whistle at you invitingly. A particularly nice eating joint was an Italian restaurant called Nostalgia, where we enjoyed a delicious pasta, a steak and washed it down with some local wine. However, there are these lovely farmers’ markets offering the best produce in the area which we cooked at our bnb.
Sausages, fresh butter, local bread and vegetables are highly recommended from these markets. This way, the food you eat is healthy, fresh and extremely easy on the pocket. Restaurants are not recommended if you are on a shoestring budget.
TRY:
The reason why many people visit this town is as a base for the hikes in Slovak Paradise National Park. Spisska Nova Ves is at the foothills of the High Tarta Mountains, and is close to the National Park where the trail rests. The Sucha Bela hike is highly recommended, but proceed with caution as I’d rate it as a fairly difficult trek. Extremely picturesque in setting, the entire trek has canyons, waterfalls and water bodies running through the greenery of the vegetation carpeting the gorge that is Sucha Bela.
You’d have to step on wooden logs and bridges, climb 4-floor high metal ladders, clasp onto iron chains to drag yourself up 90 degree inclines, to reach the top, which is essentially a plateau where people chill out and families picnic.
SHOP:
There is not much to buy in Spisska but at the base of the Sucha Bela trek, there is a small park, where you can do some souvenir shopping. Also, do not forget to treat yourself to a huge mug of beer at this park after conquering the daunting 15-km trek.
TRANSIT:
Reaching Spisska is a bit of a challenge as it needs a lot of coordination and planning. If you can rent a private vehicle and drive down to this town, that will be ideal. All you need to drive in this region is a driver’s license in English. We, however, reached via a bus from Poprad, Poland.
At Spisska, you can again rent a car or travel around in buses. A quick tip here - it is advisable to use Google translate for reading every bus/train schedules and double checking with someone who understands English as you do not want to miss your transport due to any miscommunication.
WALLET:
For two people, including accommodation charges for two-three days, you need to keep a budget of $68.
Images via @priyadarshinimitra
