Prešov (July 3) - The Railway Company Slovakia (ZSSK) in cooperation with the Ministry of Transport and Construction of the Slovak Republic and regional tourism organisations will launch forty-four extraordinary train connections on 10 lines during the summer. In the Prešov Region, the biggest attraction will be the summer express on the route Prešov - Plaveč - Stará Ľubovňa. It will run every Saturday and Sunday in two pairs, valid from 4 July to 12 September 2020.
The summer express departs from Prešov at 7:54, arrival to Stara Ľubovňa is scheduled for 9:09. The next train set will transport passengers to specific locations with an eight-hour interval, i.e. Prešov (15:54) - Stará Ľubovňa (17:09). There are also connections ready to take passengers back:
- Stará Ľubovňa (10:58) - Presov (12:15)
- Stará Ľubovňa (17:58) - Presov (19:15)
"We are very pleased that the Ministry of Transport and Construction of the Slovak Republic together with ZSSK have incorporated our proposal of this train connection among seasonal expresses. Visitors of the Prešov Region have the opportunity to comfortably get to the Ľubovňa Castle, for example, as the town of Stará Ľubovňa will dispatch bus connections from the railway station directly to the castle. We believe that these seasonal trains will only increase in the future, as seasonal train connections could be used in other locations. For example, we have long been dealing with the idea of running a Cycloexpress on the route Prešov - Humenné - Stakčín," adds Martin Janoško, Executive Director of the Regional Tourism Organisation (KOCR) Northeast of Slovakia, about the summer expresses.
Seasonal offer of train connections
The destination station of the summer express is the town of Stará Ľubovňa, which is proud of its dominant feature - Ľubovňa Castle. Visitors can get there by a city bus, which they change directly at the railway station.
"You can tour the exhibitions at Ľubovňa Castle with a guide or through the accompanying texts in 9 language versions, also accessible for the blind and deaf. Below the Ľubovňa Castle there is the Ľubovnian open-air museum representing the beauty of folk architecture of Spiš and Šariš. As well as convenience, travelling by train also brings other benefits, such as the possibility of transporting bicycles. This is a very attractive alternative in the region of northern Spiš and Pieniny," Jakub Ondrej, Executive Director of the Regional Tourism Organisation (OOCR) North Spiš Pieniny, explains the offer of trips.
It is also possible to explore the beauty of the region thanks to the cycling routes built within the AQUAVELO project, which connects several spa towns of the Slovak-Polish border region within the Poprad valley. Passengers can use the option to transport their bicycles directly on board the train. On Saturdays there will be 20 places for bicycles, on Sundays there will be 50.
"For cycling enthusiasts who prefer adrenaline rides, we recommend visiting the mountain bike trails called singletrails of varying difficulty built in Stara Ľubovňa or in the nearby Lechnice in Pieniny National Park. When visiting Pieniny, however, do not forget to visit the famous Three Crowns and experience the traditional rafting on the Danube. Active leisure time can thus be replaced by rest and recharging of life force at the pilgrimage site of Hore Zvir in Litmanova," adds Ondrej.
Tourists can get to know the Prešov Region by the summer express during their journey to Stara Ľubovňa. On the route the castle of Šariš, the Oscar-winning town of Sabinov or the castle of Plaveč. In Plavec, there are also connections to the Polish town of Krynica-Zdrój via Muszyna. In Stara Ľubovňa tourists can continue by bus to the spa Vyšné Ružby every Saturday and Sunday with departure at 9:57 from Stara Ľubovňa, in the opposite direction with departure at 11:35 or 15:35 from Vyšné Ružby to Stara Ľubovňa, Prešov or Košice. More interesting information about individual locations can be found on the website www.presovregion.travel
More summer express options and timetables
Prešov - Plaveč - Stará Ľubovňa
- Zr 1940 (Prešov 07:54 - Stará Ľubovňa 09:09)
- Zr 1941 (Stará Ľubovňa 10:58 - Presov 12:15)
calendar restriction Zr 1940, Zr 1941 à goes in (6) and (+) in period 4. VII. - 15. IX.
- Zr 1942 (Presov 15:54 - Stará Ľubovňa 17:09)
- Zr 1943 (Stará Ľubovňa 17:58 - Presov 19:15)
calendar restriction Zr 1942, Zr 1943 à goes in (6) and (+) in period 4. VII. - 30. VIII., goes 5. and 12. IX.
Spišská Nová Ves - Spišské Vlachy - Spišské podhradie
- Zr 1790 (Spišské Podhradie 10:44 - Spišské Vlachy 10:59)
- Zr 1791 (Spišská Nová Ves 10:03 - Spišské Podhradie 10:40)
- Zr 1792 (Spišské Podhradie 11:24 - Spišská Nová Ves 12:00)
- Zr 1793 (Spišské Vlachy 11:03 - Spišské Podhradie 11:18)
- Zr 1794 (Spišské Podhradie 14:15 - Spišská Nová Ves 14:53)
- Zr 1795 (Spišská Nová Ves 13:09 - Spišské Podhradie 13:44)
- Zr 1796 (Spišské Podhradie 16:15 - Spišská Nová Ves 16:53)
- Zr 1797 (Spišská Nová Ves 15:09 - Spišské Podhradie 15:44)
- Zr 1798 (Spišské Podhradie 18:15 - Spišská Nová Ves 18:53)
- Zr 1799 (Spišská Nová Ves 17:09 - Spišské Podhradie 17:44)
calendar constraint Zr 1790 - Zr 1799 à goes in (6) and (+) in period 4. VII. - 15. IX.
Prešov - Margecany - Červená Skala - Banská Bystrica
- Zr 824 (Prešov 08:10 - Banská Bystrica 12:24)
- Zr 827 (Banská Bystrica 13:31 - Presov 17:46)
calendar constraint Zr 824, Zr 827 à goes in (7) in period 5. VII. - 13. IX., 1. and 15. IX.
Author František Baláž, KOCR North-East of Slovakia; ZSSK
