{"id":187792,"date":"2018-02-09T20:39:47","date_gmt":"2018-02-09T19:39:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/?p=187792"},"modified":"2026-06-05T21:05:58","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T19:05:58","slug":"stranded-tatras-poland-slovakia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/en\/stranded-tatras-poland-slovakia\/","title":{"rendered":"How We Got Stranded in the Tatras Poland: A Cross-Border Misadventure"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">&#8220;Getting from the Tatras Poland side to Slovakia isn&#8217;t exactly easy. There are virtually no connections, and even though politicians keep talking about how something needs to be done, nothing ever changes.&#8221; Those were the words of our Slovak friend Dagmar, tossed into conversation almost as an afterthought \u2014 and we really should have paid far more attention. We might not have ended up stranded in the Polish Tatras, hopelessly waiting for a way to get to Slovakia in time.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure id=\"attachment_51561\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-51561\" style=\"width: 2000px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-51561\" src=\"https:\/\/www.loudavymkrokem.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/20180131-IMG_1800.jpg\" alt=\"Our first stop: Krakow\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" title=\"\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-51561\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Our first stop: Krakow<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_83 ez-toc-wrap-left counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/en\/stranded-tatras-poland-slovakia\/#If_You_Work_Online_Dont_Count_on_Working_on_Trains\" >If You Work Online, Don&#8217;t Count on Working on Trains<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/en\/stranded-tatras-poland-slovakia\/#Is_Poland_Better_Than_Switzerland\" >Is Poland Better Than Switzerland?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/en\/stranded-tatras-poland-slovakia\/#We_Queued_for_Tickets_and_Ended_Up_at_a_Psychologists\" >We Queued for Tickets and Ended Up at a Psychologist&#8217;s<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/en\/stranded-tatras-poland-slovakia\/#Head_to_the_Leaky_Cauldron_for_a_Butterbeer\" >Head to the Leaky Cauldron for a Butterbeer!<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/en\/stranded-tatras-poland-slovakia\/#The_Language_Barrier_What_Language_Barrier\" >The Language Barrier? What Language Barrier?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/en\/stranded-tatras-poland-slovakia\/#When_Life_Gives_You_Warning_Signs_You_Should_Listen\" >When Life Gives You Warning Signs, You Should Listen<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/en\/stranded-tatras-poland-slovakia\/#Our_Nickname_for_Travelling_in_Poland_Delays\" >Our Nickname for Travelling in Poland: Delays<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/en\/stranded-tatras-poland-slovakia\/#Getting_from_the_Tatras_Poland_to_Slovakia_by_Public_Transport_Its_Not_Easy\" >Getting from the Tatras Poland to Slovakia by Public Transport? It&#8217;s Not Easy<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/en\/stranded-tatras-poland-slovakia\/#Waiting_for_Godot\" >Waiting for Godot<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/en\/stranded-tatras-poland-slovakia\/#The_Big_Little_City_of_Bratislava_Pancake_Paradise\" >The Big Little City of Bratislava: Pancake Paradise<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/en\/stranded-tatras-poland-slovakia\/#Looking_for_Something_Different_Visit_the_Flat_Gallery\" >Looking for Something Different? Visit the Flat Gallery<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"If_You_Work_Online_Dont_Count_on_Working_on_Trains\"><\/span>If You Work Online, Don&#8217;t Count on Working on Trains<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Our trip actually started somewhere else entirely. We set off from Moravia heading to Krakow. On a whim, we decided this time we&#8217;d do a road trip by trains and buses so we could get some work done along the way.<\/p>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-51560\" src=\"https:\/\/www.loudavymkrokem.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/20180130-IMG_1500.jpg\" alt=\"It started with beautiful weather in Moravia. Spoiler: the weather didn&#039;t last\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" title=\"\">\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Sounds lovely in theory, right? But if your job, like mine, requires fast internet about 95% of the time, maybe just forget about it. By the end of that week I&#8217;d racked up so much overdue work that I spent the entire following week glued to my laptop from 8 a.m. until midnight.<\/p>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-51565\" src=\"https:\/\/www.loudavymkrokem.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/20180201-IMG_1895.jpg\" alt=\"We felt like Alice in Wonderland \u2014 Poland is magical. They even have the Leaky Cauldron from Harry Potter.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" title=\"\">\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Is_Poland_Better_Than_Switzerland\"><\/span>Is Poland Better Than Switzerland?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Krakow is a stunning city. I&#8217;m a huge fan of Poland in general \u2014 it never fails to charm us both. We wandered around the city like a pair of wide-eyed kids in a sweet shop. Krakow actually reminded us of Switzerland: the streets were spotless everywhere, and we couldn&#8217;t decide which of the countless caf\u00e9s and restaurants to pick.<\/p>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-51563\" src=\"https:\/\/www.loudavymkrokem.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/20180131-IMG_1855.jpg\" alt=\"If you love modern art like we do, don&#039;t miss MOCAK in Krakow\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" title=\"\">\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">I felt quite nostalgic \u2014 some of the places could have been carbon copies of spots in the US or Canada. A true paradise for hipsters and caf\u00e9 loungers, capped off perfectly by the MOCAK Museum of Contemporary Art.<\/p>\n\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"We_Queued_for_Tickets_and_Ended_Up_at_a_Psychologists\"><\/span>We Queued for Tickets and Ended Up at a Psychologist&#8217;s<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">History lovers won&#8217;t be disappointed either. There&#8217;s nothing quite like strolling around Wawel Hill, home to the Royal Castle and the Cathedral of Saints Stanislaus and Wenceslaus.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure id=\"attachment_51564\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-51564\" style=\"width: 2000px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-51564 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.loudavymkrokem.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/20180201-IMG_1890.jpg\" alt=\"Hipster spots on every corner in Krakow\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" title=\"\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-51564\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Hipster spots on every corner in Krakow<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Make sure you also visit St. Mary&#8217;s Basilica, where the breathtaking blue-painted ceiling arguably overshadows even its most prized treasure \u2014 the 13-metre altarpiece by Veit Stoss from 1489. You do have to pay a small admission fee, but it&#8217;s so cheap you really shouldn&#8217;t hesitate.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure id=\"attachment_51576\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-51576\" style=\"width: 2000px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-51576 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.loudavymkrokem.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/20180201-IMG_1902.jpg\" alt=\"The ceiling of St. Mary&#039;s Basilica\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" title=\"\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-51576\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The ceiling of St. Mary&#8217;s Basilica<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Head_to_the_Leaky_Cauldron_for_a_Butterbeer\"><\/span>Head to the Leaky Cauldron for a Butterbeer!<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">One word of warning: make sure you don&#8217;t accidentally queue up at a psychologist&#8217;s office instead of the ticket counter. That&#8217;s exactly what happened to us. We only realised we were waiting in the wrong line when they started seating us around little tables. And if you&#8217;re a Harry Potter fan, you absolutely must visit the Leaky Cauldron for a butterbeer.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure id=\"attachment_51562\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-51562\" style=\"width: 2000px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-51562 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.loudavymkrokem.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/20180131-IMG_1808-2.jpg\" alt=\"The views of Wawel never get old\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" title=\"\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-51562\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The views of Wawel never get old<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Language_Barrier_What_Language_Barrier\"><\/span>The Language Barrier? What Language Barrier?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Travelling to Slavic countries has its perks when you speak a Slavic language. On day one, Luk\u00e1\u0161 spoke English with the locals. By day two, he was mixing in Czech words. By day three, he&#8217;d ditched English entirely and was just speaking Czech. The Polish girls were blushing, and I was thinking that if we stayed another week, he might actually start speaking fluent Polish \u2014 and I&#8217;d have a wedding to worry about. For English speakers, don&#8217;t worry \u2014 most young Poles in Krakow and Zakopane speak excellent English, so you&#8217;ll get by just fine.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure id=\"attachment_51567\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-51567\" style=\"width: 2000px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-51567 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.loudavymkrokem.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/20180202-IMG_1939.jpg\" alt=\"The view from our charming villa in Zakopane\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" title=\"\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-51567\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The view from our charming villa in Zakopane<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"When_Life_Gives_You_Warning_Signs_You_Should_Listen\"><\/span>When Life Gives You Warning Signs, You Should Listen<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">It wasn&#8217;t just Dagmar&#8217;s words that hinted at trouble ahead. Things went wrong from the very start. We arrived in Krakow at half past two and decided to take an Uber to our accommodation to save time and explore the city in daylight. The Uber was supposed to arrive in five minutes \u2014 we waited twenty. In the app, it looked like we&#8217;d vanished into thin air. We ended up cancelling and grabbing an overpriced taxi, though we probably would have been faster just walking.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure id=\"attachment_51566\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-51566\" style=\"width: 2000px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-51566\" src=\"https:\/\/www.loudavymkrokem.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/20180202-IMG_1936.jpg\" alt=\"We didn&#039;t see the Tatras, but we had a good rest at the villa.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" title=\"\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-51566\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">We didn&#8217;t see the Tatras, but we had a great rest at the villa.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Our_Nickname_for_Travelling_in_Poland_Delays\"><\/span>Our Nickname for Travelling in Poland: Delays<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Back at the station after a gorgeous day in Krakow, we nearly froze solid because the bus to Zakopane was late. At that point, we were still surprised. But the idea of anything running on time during those winter days in Poland soon became a distant dream.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure id=\"attachment_51568\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-51568\" style=\"width: 2000px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-51568 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.loudavymkrokem.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/20180202-IMG_1949.jpg\" alt=\"Typical architecture in Zakopane\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" title=\"\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-51568\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Typical architecture in Zakopane<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Zakopane is a gorgeous little town in the Poland Tatras mountains, full of Instagram-worthy wooden villas. We stayed in one of them \u2014 a place that was supposed to have a mountain view. We didn&#8217;t see the mountains. Let me spare you the suspense: we didn&#8217;t see the mountains once during our entire time in Poland. But it didn&#8217;t matter. We enjoyed the villa, the caf\u00e9s, and the snowstorms, and the next day we were looking forward to crossing over to Slovakia.<\/p>\n\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Getting_from_the_Tatras_Poland_to_Slovakia_by_Public_Transport_Its_Not_Easy\"><\/span>Getting from the Tatras Poland to Slovakia by Public Transport? It&#8217;s Not Easy<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">To reach Poprad in Slovakia, we had to get to Bukowina Tatrza\u0144ska, which was supposed to be a 20-minute bus ride from Zakopane. We&#8217;d allowed an hour for the connection. We didn&#8217;t want to risk any more time out in the Polish winter cold. But that was a mistake. Instead of 20 minutes, the bus took 2 hours, and we found ourselves in the dark in the middle of a ski town with no accommodation and absolutely no prospect of getting to Slovakia.<\/p>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-51569\" src=\"https:\/\/www.loudavymkrokem.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/20180203-IMG_1987-2.jpg\" alt=\"At this point we knew we wouldn&#039;t be seeing the Tatras\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" title=\"\">\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">It was starting to feel like Poland and Slovakia weren&#8217;t on speaking terms. Only three Leo Express services run from the Polish Tatras to Slovakia \u2014 and they&#8217;re not buses, they&#8217;re minivans with just 7 seats. Naturally, everything was sold out.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">To add to our luck, the hotel we&#8217;d booked in Poprad via <a class=\"thirstylink\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Booking.com\" href=\"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/doporucujeme\/booking-com\/\" data-shortcode=\"true\">Booking.com<\/a> had no record of our reservation \u2014 and was fully booked anyway. So at least we didn&#8217;t have to worry about cancelling. What was worse, though, was that the only available hotel in Bukowina was over a kilometre from the bus stop. Through the woods. On ice. We slid our way there \u2014 occasionally on our backsides \u2014 and slept hoping for better luck the next day.<\/p>\n\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Waiting_for_Godot\"><\/span>Waiting for Godot<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Better luck did eventually come. We managed to find a connection, but not until half past one in the afternoon. That meant we&#8217;d make it to Bratislava, but our tickets for the cable car to Lomnick\u00fd \u0160t\u00edt \u2014 which we&#8217;d been so excited about \u2014 would go to waste. The only thing standing between us and Slovakia was a five-kilometre walk to the bus stop where this minivan departed. We powered through it in about an hour, and then we waited.<\/p>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-51577\" src=\"https:\/\/www.loudavymkrokem.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/20180203-IMG_1977.jpg\" alt=\"We felt like we were at the end of the world\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" title=\"\">\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Five minutes. Ten. Fifteen. By then we&#8217;d made friends with a local cheese seller, our eyes and noses were streaming, but the bus was nowhere to be seen. After forty minutes, I was in genuine pain from the cold \u2014 the kind I&#8217;d only ever experienced at minus 30 in Canada.<\/p>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-51583\" src=\"https:\/\/www.loudavymkrokem.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/20180202-IMG_1961.jpg\" alt=\"Caf\u00e9 life even in the Polish Tatras\" width=\"1800\" height=\"1200\" title=\"\">\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">We called Leo Express to ask if we&#8217;d missed it. &#8220;Probably not,&#8221; came the reply. &#8220;We can&#8217;t see the GPS location \u2014 you&#8217;ll have to call the Polish helpline.&#8221; After a full hour, the minivan for 7 passengers finally picked up two human icicles.<\/p>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-51584\" src=\"https:\/\/www.loudavymkrokem.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/20180204-IMG_2042.jpg\" alt=\"Caf\u00e9s in Bratislava \u2014 this is what we&#039;d been waiting for\" width=\"1800\" height=\"1200\" title=\"\">\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">We&#8217;d had enough winter to last us the whole year. And when the Slovak Tatras finally opened up before us in Poprad, we \u2014 self-proclaimed mountain lovers \u2014 couldn&#8217;t have cared less. We bolted into the nearest caf\u00e9, tried every type of tea on the menu, and waited for our train.<\/p>\n\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Big_Little_City_of_Bratislava_Pancake_Paradise\"><\/span>The Big Little City of Bratislava: Pancake Paradise<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Bratislava cheered us right up. We stayed in a perfect hipster flat right in the centre for next to nothing and had an amazing breakfast at the retro bistro \u017dufa\u0148a. Bratislava is one of my favourite nearby destinations.<\/p>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-51571\" src=\"https:\/\/www.loudavymkrokem.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/20180204-IMG_2004.jpg\" alt=\"Safe and sound in Bratislava\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" title=\"\">\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Popping into Lacinka \u2014 a restaurant that hasn&#8217;t changed in decades \u2014 for mountains of stuffed pancakes, lingering in bookshop caf\u00e9s that were hipster long before the trend hit the mainstream, is an absolute must whenever I visit Slovakia&#8217;s &#8220;big little&#8221; city.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure id=\"attachment_51574\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-51574\" style=\"width: 2000px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-51574 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.loudavymkrokem.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/20180204-IMG_2044.jpg\" alt=\"I couldn&#039;t resist and brought back two books from Bratislava. I barely read print anymore, but when there are caf\u00e9s inside bookshops, resistance is futile\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" title=\"\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-51574\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">I couldn&#8217;t resist and brought back two books from Bratislava. I barely read print anymore, but when there are caf\u00e9s inside bookshops, resistance is futile<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Looking_for_Something_Different_Visit_the_Flat_Gallery\"><\/span>Looking for Something Different? Visit the Flat Gallery<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">For a change of pace, we headed to Bratislava Castle and the Slav\u00edn war memorial. And to leave you with one more tip from our adventure \u2014 hidden in the city centre is the Flat Gallery, the first apartment gallery in Bratislava.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure id=\"attachment_51573\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-51573\" style=\"width: 2000px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-51573 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.loudavymkrokem.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/20180204-IMG_2027.jpg\" alt=\"The Flat Gallery in Bratislava\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" title=\"\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-51573\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Flat Gallery in Bratislava<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">This concept is hugely popular in Berlin. Essentially, it&#8217;s a gallery inside a private flat \u2014 to get in, you ring the doorbell. Art historian Andrej Jaro\u0161 opens the door and gives you a personal tour of the exhibition. You can check what&#8217;s currently showing on their Facebook page.<\/p>\n&nbsp;\n\n<div class=\"youtube-embed\" data-video_id=\"UIpWpDXGYQA\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Vlakem do polsk\u00fdch a slovensk\u00fdch Tater: Krakow, Zakopane\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/UIpWpDXGYQA?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n\n&nbsp;\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><strong>Want to know how much a trip like this cost us? Drop us a message and we&#8217;ll put together an article for you!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n&nbsp;\n\nLike our photos? Read about how we edit them &gt;&gt;&gt;\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"uy7Tc7vWAM\"><a href=\"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/5-nejlepsich-lightroom-presetu\/\">5 tip\u016f na nejlep\u0161\u00ed presety pro Lightroom<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8222;5 tip\u016f na nejlep\u0161\u00ed presety pro Lightroom&#8220; &#8212; Loudav\u00fdm krokem\" src=\"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/5-nejlepsich-lightroom-presetu\/embed\/#?secret=Veaz3e62mv#?secret=uy7Tc7vWAM\" data-secret=\"uy7Tc7vWAM\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n\n<!-- LKM_GYG_CARD start q=\"vysoke tatry\" lang=\"en\" rendered=\"2026-06-02T06:33:06+00:00\" v=\"1\" -->\n<style id=\"lk-gyg-styles\">\n@import url(\"https:\/\/fonts.googleapis.com\/css2?family=Playfair+Display:wght@700&family=DM+Sans:wght@300;400;500;600&display=swap\");\n\/* === LK GYG karty \u2014 CRO redesign 2026-05 (namespace .lkx-) ===\n   C\u00edl: vy\u0161\u0161\u00ed CTR (hero + v\u00fdrazn\u00fd social proof + ak\u010dn\u00ed CTA, m\u00e9n\u011b \"reklamn\u00ed\").\n   Injektuje se inline do prvn\u00edho markeru postu (refresh_cards.py --inline-css). *\/\n.lkx-module, .lkx-module *{box-sizing:border-box;margin:0;padding:0}\n.lkx-module{\n  font-family:'DM Sans',-apple-system,Segoe UI,Roboto,Georgia,sans-serif;\n  max-width:860px;margin:2.5rem auto;color:#1f2328;\n}\n\n\/* HEADER \u2014 lehk\u00fd editorsk\u00fd, \u017e\u00e1dn\u00fd bannerov\u00fd blok; 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tickets: Vysoke Tatry<\/span>\n    <\/div>\n    <span class=\"lkx-head-meta\">traveler-rated \u00b7 <a class=\"thirstylink\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"GetYourGuide\" href=\"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/en\/doporucujeme\/getyourguide\/\" data-shortcode=\"true\">GetYourGuide<\/a><\/span>\n  <\/div><a class=\"lkx-hero\" href=\"https:\/\/www.getyourguide.com\/en-us\/zakopane-l1554\/from-zakopane-belianska-cave-stary-smokovec-day-trip-t1258714\/?partner_id=MKZ64IS&amp;utm_medium=online_publisher&amp;cmp=stranded-tatras-poland-slovakia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"sponsored noopener nofollow\">\n    <div class=\"lkx-hero-img\" style=\"background-image:url('https:\/\/cdn.getyourguide.com\/img\/tour\/4f577a9374230b7f38765295896b7c0adaec0ed1451f321d69d074464028d8a5.png\/132.jpg')\" role=\"img\" aria-label=\"from Zakopane: Belianska Cave &amp; Stary Smokovec Day Trip\">\n      <span class=\"lkx-pick\">\u2605 Our pick<\/span><\/div>\n    <div class=\"lkx-hero-body\">\n      <div class=\"lkx-title\">from Zakopane: Belianska Cave &amp; Stary Smokovec Day Trip<\/div>\n      <div class=\"lkx-proof\">\n      <span class=\"lkx-stars\">\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/span>\n      <b>0.0<\/b> \u00b7 0 reviews\n    <\/div>\n      <div class=\"lkx-hero-bottom\"><div class=\"lkx-price\">from <b>\u20ac66<\/b><\/div><span class=\"lkx-cta lkx-cta-hero\">I want this experience \u2192<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/a><div class=\"lkx-grid\"><a class=\"lkx-card\" href=\"https:\/\/www.getyourguide.com\/en-us\/zakopane-l1554\/zakopane-day-trip-with-belianska-cave-waterfalls-t1249330\/?partner_id=MKZ64IS&amp;utm_medium=online_publisher&amp;cmp=stranded-tatras-poland-slovakia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"sponsored noopener nofollow\">\n      <div class=\"lkx-card-img\" style=\"background-image:url('https:\/\/cdn.getyourguide.com\/img\/tour\/501b3463e8351f68c961d2d60f439618fd4a40078aafa180c5b103fe371c3a7f.png\/132.jpg')\" role=\"img\" aria-label=\"Zakopane: Day Trip with Belianska Cave &amp; Waterfalls\"><\/div>\n      <div class=\"lkx-card-body\">\n        <div class=\"lkx-title lkx-title-sm\">Zakopane: Day Trip with Belianska Cave &amp; Waterfalls<\/div>\n        <div class=\"lkx-proof lkx-proof-sm\">\n      <span class=\"lkx-stars\">\u2605<\/span>\n      <b>5.0<\/b> \u00b7 1\n    <\/div>\n        <div class=\"lkx-card-bottom\"><span class=\"lkx-price lkx-price-sm\">from <b>\u20ac83<\/b><\/span><span class=\"lkx-cta lkx-cta-sm\">See dates \u2192<\/span>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/a><a class=\"lkx-card\" href=\"https:\/\/www.getyourguide.com\/en-us\/zakopane-l1554\/zakopane-extreme-quad-ride-highlander-bbq-thermal-pools-t937598\/?partner_id=MKZ64IS&amp;utm_medium=online_publisher&amp;cmp=stranded-tatras-poland-slovakia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"sponsored noopener nofollow\">\n      <div class=\"lkx-card-img\" style=\"background-image:url('https:\/\/cdn.getyourguide.com\/img\/tour\/4b8528c83e06236acc6388a55b86f8df5edd27adf5d535bb2f5d89c6c24e52e9.jpeg\/132.jpg')\" role=\"img\" aria-label=\"Zakopane: Extreme Quad Ride &amp; Highlander BBQ + Thermal Pools\"><\/div>\n      <div class=\"lkx-card-body\">\n        <div class=\"lkx-title lkx-title-sm\">Zakopane: Extreme Quad Ride &amp; Highlander BBQ + Thermal Pools<\/div>\n        <div class=\"lkx-proof lkx-proof-sm\">\n      <span class=\"lkx-stars\">\u2605<\/span>\n      <b>5.0<\/b> \u00b7 2\n    <\/div>\n        <div class=\"lkx-card-bottom\"><span class=\"lkx-price lkx-price-sm\">from <b>\u20ac144<\/b><\/span><span class=\"lkx-cta lkx-cta-sm\">See dates \u2192<\/span>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/a><\/div><div class=\"lkx-disclosure\">\ud83d\udd17 These are affiliate links \u2014 they don&#39;t change your price and help us create content. \u00b7 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.getyourguide.com\/en-us\/s\/?q=vysoke+tatry&amp;partner_id=MKZ64IS&amp;utm_medium=online_publisher\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"sponsored noopener nofollow\">All experiences \u2192<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- LKM_GYG_CARD end -->\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Getting from the Polish Tatras to Slovakia isn&#8217;t exactly easy. There are virtually no connections, and even though politicians keep talking about it, nothing ever changes.&#8221; Those words from our Slovak friend Dagmar should have been a much bigger warning than we realised.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":51561,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","rank_math_title":"Stranded in the Tatras Poland: Our Travel Misadventure","rank_math_description":"How we got stranded in the Tatras Poland trying to cross into Slovakia. A funny travel story with tips on Krakow, Zakopane & Bratislava. Read our adventure!","rank_math_focus_keyword":"tatras poland","rank_math_seo_score":""},"categories":[326,363,320],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-187792","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-europe","8":"category-poland","9":"category-travel"},"acf":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/20180131-IMG_1800.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"Lucie Kone\u010dn\u00e1","author_link":"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/en\/author\/lucie-konecna\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/187792","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=187792"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/187792\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":187811,"href":"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/187792\/revisions\/187811"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51561"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=187792"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=187792"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=187792"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}