Poprad

Understand

Poprad is in the middle of Podtatranská kotlina ("Basin under Tatras"). Its area is 63 km². It is the 10th biggest town in Slovakia and the largest town of the Spiš region. Poprad is an important economic, tourist and cultural center of the Spiš region. The river Poprad flows through the town with its small tributary Velický Potok. Poprad is called “gateway to High Tatras“.

The town has about 53,000 inhabitants. The majority of inhabitants are Slovak but the dominant positions among the ethnic minorities are held by Romas and Czechs.

See

thumb|Church of St. George in Spišská Sobota Historical buildings – Classic and Baroque houses, Renaissance houses, Burgher's habitation and church of St. John the Baptist (Ján Krstiteľ) in Stráže, church of St. Ján Evanjelista in Veľká, Renaissance bell tower from 17th century and church of St. Štefan in Matejovce, ruin of Poprad castle from 15th century in Zámčisko nad Kvetnicou.

Do

thumb|Interior of the Aqua City Poprad offers a lot of pleasure activities for its tourists and citizens.

Poprad has good conditions for sports such as swimming, football, basketball, tennis, and skating, bowling or extreme sports. If you like cycling, Poprad and Svit are connected with bike paths. It is also very popular with roller skaters.

In the winter there is skiing or snowboarding to High Tatras, Svit – Lopušná Dolina, Kubašok – Spiššké Bystré or Poprad – Kvetnica.

If sports are not for you there is shopping from clothes to souvenirs. Young people should visit the International Festival of Mountain Films and the music festival Okey Leto.

Eat

In Poprad you can find restaurants which cook traditional Slovak Slovenská Reštaurácia, Italian Cafe Razy Reštaurácia, or Country food Country Reštaurácia. If you like a pizza you can visit Pizzeria Utopia, Pizzeria U Jozefa, Pizzeria Palermo or Pizzeria Albano. On the square of St. Egídius, you can visit the sweetshops - Domenico, Izairi Bidaet, J a R, Jusipi Hajdar or Ramida.

Tipping customs are similar to those in Europe and America though tips are slightly smaller; five percent is usually sufficient in restaurants.

Credit cards are quite commonly used in restaurants in Poprad but always ask if it's important to know before hand.

Drink

If you want a good drink and fun you should visit Gamma Ray Pub, Surprise Club, CafeRazy or Subway. Subway is perfect for cocktails and karaoke.

Sleep

You can lodge at a range of facilities, from cheap boarding houses to expensive hotels.

Boarding houses are Penzión Elizabet, Penzión Sabato, Penzión Tatry, Penzión Átrium or Penzión Fortuna.

For those on a tight budget, Penzión Fantazia, or Hostel Slavia (behind Penzión Fantazia) are a good bet. Both are about 15 min walk from the bus station.

Hotels are Hotel Európa, Hotel Garni, Hotel Gerlach, Hotel Satel or Hotel Poprad.

Go next

There are many attractive places of cultural and historical interest, or of natural beauty to visit within half an hour of Poprad, including Levoča, Spiš Castle, Kežmarok, Vysoké Tatry, the Tatra Mountains and the Slovak Paradise National Park.