Hrebienok in winter: sledging, the Ice Dome and winter hikes

Hrebienok in winter at a glance

• Getting up: by funicular from Starý Smokovec in under five minutes, or on foot along the green-marked trail in about an hour.
• Sledging: 2.5 km from Hrebienok down to Starý Smokovec, daily 8:30–16:00, evenings on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday. A two-hour ticket costs €17–22 and sledges rent from €14 a day; our guests can borrow one from us.
• Tatra Ice Dome: free entry, opens in mid-November and stands until spring.
• Shortest walk: 20 minutes to the frozen waterfalls and Rainer's hut.
• From Villa Severka: a 7-minute walk to the lower funicular station.

In summer Hrebienok is our gateway to the Studená dolina valleys. We described the five trails that start there in Hikes from Hrebienok. In winter Hrebienok changes. The high-alpine trails are closed from 1 November, but at Hrebienok itself and around it there is more to do than fits into one day. From Villa Severka you are at the lower funicular station in 7 minutes on foot, so the car can stay parked at the apartment all day.

For me, Hrebienok in winter has a charm tied to the sledging trips of my childhood. Whole families used to meet up there and warm up at Rainer's hut and at Bilíkova chata. Today there is the Ice Dome on top of that, different every year and well worth seeing. And when it gets dark around four, the ice sculptures by the funicular light up, and on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays you can go sledging in the evening on the floodlit run.

How to get to Hrebienok

By funicular from Starý Smokovec. The funicular to Hrebienok has been running since 1908; the current cars have been in service since December 2007. It climbs 247 vertical metres and the ride takes just under five minutes. It runs in winter too. The operator publishes current departure times and prices at vt.sk.

On foot. A green-marked trail leads through the forest from Starý Smokovec to Hrebienok; at an easy pace you are up in 45 minutes to an hour. In snow, allow the full hour and put ice grips (microspikes) on your boots for the icy path. When there is a lot of snow and the trail is slippery, the asphalt road that starts right by the funicular station is more comfortable. In winter, however, it serves as the sledging run, so only walk on it when sledging is not operating.

You'll find the exact route from us to the funicular on our Location page.

Sledging from Hrebienok to Starý Smokovec

The sledging run leads from Hrebienok down to Starý Smokovec, is 2.5 kilometres long and drops 267 vertical metres. It is one of the longest in Slovakia and it is floodlit, so you can sledge in the evening as well. The gradient is gentle, and even people who last sat on a sledge as children manage it. Smaller children ride with a parent.

• During the day: daily 8:30–16:00, depending on snow and the state of the track. The track is checked each morning before it opens.
• Evening sledging: once the season is under way, every Tuesday, Friday and Saturday 18:30–21:00 on the floodlit track, again depending on snow conditions. The first evening funicular leaves at 19:00 and you need to arrive half an hour earlier.
• Tickets: sold at the Tatry Motion shop by the lower funicular station. A two-hour daytime funicular ticket costs €22 for an adult, €19 for a junior and €17 for a child; a four-hour ticket costs €25, €22 and €19. The two-hour evening ticket costs €25 for everyone, or €31 with a sledge.
• Sledges: sport sledges are rented at Tatry Motion by the lower station for €16 a day. Wooden sledges cost €14 a day and are rented only at the top, at Hrebienok, where you get off the funicular.
• Your own sledge is welcome; then you pay only for the funicular. Our guests are welcome to borrow a sledge from us.
• The finish is in Starý Smokovec by the lower funicular station, a 7-minute walk from our apartments.

Prices are from the operator's price list as of November 2026. To see whether the run is operating, check the track table at vt.sk; the sledging run is track number 13.

A few tips so the ride ends in laughter: brake with your feet, not your hands, don't stop in the bends, and if something stops you, move to the edge of the track as quickly as you can. A ski helmet is worth it for children. The run is quieter on weekdays and first thing in the morning after it opens.

Frozen waterfalls and Rainer's hut

The shortest winter walk from Hrebienok brings you in twenty minutes to the Studený potok waterfalls. In the frost they freeze into curtains and columns of ice you won't see in summer. Right beside them stands Rainer's hut (Rainerova chata) from 1863, the oldest hut in the Tatras. It is open year-round, you can warm up with tea, and every winter the hut keeper builds a nativity scene out of snow.

In winter the path is trodden down and icy in places. Ordinary winter boots are enough, but ice grips are worth having. Don't bring a pram here; for small children a carrier or a pull-along sledge works better.

If you need warmth and lunch without any more walking, the Hrebienok restaurant is right at the top. A few minutes' walk from the funicular there is also Bilíkova chata, a mountain hotel with a restaurant that is open year-round.

Longer winter hikes from Hrebienok

The trails to the mountain huts stay open in winter. The seasonal closure in the Tatra National Park from 1 November to 31 May applies to the sections above the huts, not to the routes leading to them.

• Zamkovský hut (Zamkovského chata, 1,475 m): from the waterfalls you continue to the mouth of the Malá Studená dolina valley. In summer it takes 45–60 minutes from Hrebienok; allow a little more in winter. The hut is open year-round. A good half-day goal for fitter families.
• Skalnaté pleso via the Magistrale: the Tatra Magistrale trail is open in winter as far as Skalnaté pleso. It takes 2–2.5 hours from Hrebienok; you ride the gondola down to Tatranská Lomnica and take the tram back to Smokovec.
• Téry hut (2,015 m) and Zbojnícka hut (1,960 m): accessible in winter too, but among the most demanding winter hut hikes in the High Tatras. Part of the route crosses avalanche terrain, so you need winter equipment including crampons, and you should check the avalanche forecast at laviny.sk beforehand. They are not for families with children or for people without winter mountain experience.

Hrebienok in winter — FAQ