Skiing near the High Tatras: a quiet cabin two minutes from the slope in the Levoča valley

01/08/2026

A winter morning. You load the skis into the car, scrape the windows, crawl along in the queue to the resort and hunt for a parking space. By the time you reach the slope the children are grumpy and you are tired before your first run.

Now turn it around. You step out of the cabin, walk two minutes, and you're standing at the lift. Skis on, children still cheerful, your first run done before you'd even have parked anywhere else. That is what a ski cabin next to the slope feels like.

Chalet Martuška stands in the Levoča Valley, two minutes from the Resort Levočská dolina ski centre and a short drive from the big peaks of the High Tatras. In this article you'll find everything worth knowing about skiing here: the slopes, who they suit, opening times, what you can hire, and where to head for bigger mountains.

While others hunt for parking, you're already on the slope. And in the evening you come home two minutes away, to your own sauna.

The slope right in the valley

The resort is small, family-run and easy to take in. Exactly the kind of place where you won't lose sight of the children or stand half an hour in a lift queue.

There are four slopes to choose from. The children's run is 270 metres and made for first turns. The family run is over a kilometre long and gentle, just right for easy descents with the little ones. The race slope is shorter and steeper for those who want more, and the longest traverse runs over 1,100 metres. Together, roughly 3.6 kilometres of pistes with a vertical drop of up to 240 metres.

Four lifts carry you up, including a children's rope tow, so even the smallest skiers ride on their own. There is no chairlift here, it's a tow-lift resort, and that is exactly why it stays calm and free of crowds.

The snow-covered Chalet Martuška log cabin in the Levoča Valley.

Who the slope suits

Families with children and beginners get the most out of it. The children's run, the children's lift and the ski kindergarten mean a child gets onto skis safely and at their own pace. The gentle family run is the next step, once those first turns come easily.

Anyone who has skied longer will find room to open up on the race slope and the long traverse. It isn't a resort for a whole day of demanding skiing, but for a family holiday, an evening run or a warm-up before the Tatras it fits perfectly.

Rental, ski school and refreshments

You don't have to bring a thing. Right at the resort there's a ski and snowboard rental and a ski service, for when something needs sharpening or waxing.

Children and adult beginners have a ski school and a children's kindergarten, where an instructor gets them onto skis from scratch. When hunger strikes, there's a restaurant, a snack bar and a bar on the slope, parking is by the lift, and you can pay by card too. And after a day on the snow you needn't go anywhere, the resort's relax centre has a pool, a sauna and bowling.

When it's open and what it costs

The season usually starts around Christmas and holds until mid-March, snow permitting. The slopes are covered with machine-made snow along their full length, so you can ski even when it's bare elsewhere.

By day, skiing runs as a rule from nine in the morning until four in the afternoon. And then comes the loveliest part - night skiing. On Tuesday, Friday and Saturday the slopes are floodlit until nine in the evening.

A ski slope two minutes from the cottage in Spiš.

An empty piste under the lights, the hush of the snowy valley, and you almost alone on it.

Last season a day skipass for an adult was around €35, and about €31 for a child, with a four-hour ticket a little cheaper. Prices change from season to season, so do check the current list before you travel.

Groomed cross-country trails in the Levoča Hills with the High Tatras on the horizon

Cross-country skiing and other winter sports

Downhill isn't all the valley has to offer.

Cross-country skiers will be glad of around ten kilometres of groomed trails right by the resort. And a little further on, in the Levoča Hills, is the Levoča Nordic Centrum: eight loops from half a kilometre to five, groomed for both classic and skate skiing. The trails wind through the quiet of a former military zone where you'll meet almost no one, with the High Tatras, Spiš Castle and Branisko on the horizon.

Children can let off steam on sledges on the valley's gentle slopes. Anyone who loves quiet can set out on a winter hike, or on snowshoes into the snow-laden forests above the cabin. When the weather doesn't favour the slope, Levoča has a covered ice rink with public skating. And a lovely short walk leads up to Mariánska hora, about three-quarters of an hour from town, to the white basilica with a view over a snow-covered Spiš region.

Skiing near the High Tatras

The High Tatras are a stone's throw away. Tatranská Lomnica is about forty kilometres, with a cable car all the way up to Skalnaté pleso and long carving pistes. Štrbské Pleso, the highest resort in Slovakia, is about an hour away and, besides its slopes, has extensive cross-country trails. Closer, but smaller, are Plejsy near Krompachy and the family-friendly Vernár. One day an easy ski in the valley, another day the big Tatra pistes, and every evening you come back to the quiet.

The view of the Levoča Valley from the slope is magical in winter.

The whole cabin, total peace

After a day on the snow you return to the whole timber cabin (drevenica), yours alone for your group. Four bedrooms, each with its own bathroom, a fireplace, a fitted kitchen and a terrace above the forest. Eleven beds, no neighbours through the wall, warmth to dry your ski gear, and a small dog welcome.
The cabin stands in the Levoča Valley, six kilometres from Levoča. When the snow falls, the valley looks like a postcard, and you're in the middle of it, in a whole cabin for eleven guests that is yours alone.

When to book and what it costs

Winter in the Spiš region is booked months ahead. The most sought-after weekends and holiday dates are often gone by autumn, so don't leave it late. If you're planning to ski over the holidays, take a look at Christmas at the cabin too - those book up first.

Chalet Martuška is a whole wooden cabin (drevenica) rented to a single group at a time - no reception, no neighbours through the wall. A sauna, a fireplace, bikes at the door, and the whole valley to yourselves. Levoča is 6 km away, the High Tatras a 45-minute drive, and four UNESCO sites are day trips you come home from each evening.

A whole log cabin with a sauna starts at 32 euros per person per night; the minimum stay is three nights. When you book directly with us, you get the best price and the entire place to yourself.

Book a stay

Frequently asked questions

How far is the cabin from the slope?

The Resort Levočská dolina ski centre is a five-minute walk from the cabin, that's the whole appeal of a ski cabin next to the slope.

What slopes are there in the Levoča Valley?

Four: a children's run (270 m), a gentle family run (over 1 km), a shorter race slope and the longest traverse at over 1,100 m. Together roughly 3.6 km of pistes with a vertical drop of up to 240 m, served by four lifts including a children's tow.

Who is the resort suitable for?

Above all families with children and beginners - it has a children's run, a children's lift and a ski kindergarten. More advanced skiers can enjoy the race slope and the long traverse.

What are the opening hours, and is there night skiing?

By day, as a rule 9:00 to 16:00; night skiing on floodlit slopes is usually on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday until 21:00. Do check exact times before you travel.

How much is a skipass?

Last season a day skipass was around €35 for an adult and about €31 for a child. Prices change, so you'll find the current list on the resort's website.

When is the best time to visit?

Yes. Right at the resort there's a ski and snowboard rental, a ski service, a ski school and a children's kindergarten, plus a restaurant and snack bar.

Are there cross-country trails nearby?

Yes, around 10 km of groomed trails by the resort, and eight loops (0.5 to 5 km) at the Levoča Nordic Centrum in the Levoča Hills, groomed for both classic and skate skiing.

Are there cross-country trails nearby?

For skiing near the High Tatras, Tatranská Lomnica is about 40 km and Štrbské Pleso about an hour. Closer are the smaller Plejsy near Krompachy and Vernár.