Route
The E8-trail traverses the territory of Slovakia from S-W to N-E.
After crossing the Austrian-Slovak border the E8 has to pass the capital city Bratislava at first following the frequent transport radials under the Bratislava castle, but soon the trail follows to narrow streets and parks and leaves the capital into the deep forests of Malé Karpaty through the recreational area Kamzik. Except of shorter sections of asphalt routes (mostly with not frequent transport) the trail follows on mountain ranges of Malé Karpaty (highest point – Záruby 768 m), Myjavská pahorkatina (Bradlo – 500 m), Biele Karpaty (Veľká Javrina-970 m), Považský Inovec (Inovec-1042 m), Strážovské vrchy (Strážov-1213 m), Malá Fatra (Závozy – 912 m), Žiar (Vyšehrad-829 m), Kremnické vrchy (Vyhnatová-1283 m), Veľká Fatra (Krížna-1574m), Nízke Tatry (Ďumbier – 2046 m), Slovenské rudohorie (Volovec-Skalisko – 1293 m), Čierna hora (Vysoký vrch-851 m), Čergovské vrchy (Čergov-1050 m), Ondavská vrchovina (Čierna hora – 667 m) to the Slovak-Polish border on Dukla-pass.
The second section of the E8 route comes to Slovakia from Poland in the Bukovské vrchy (Poloniny National Park), via Wielka Rawka to the three-border peak of Kremenec (1208 m) and continues through the Beskydy foothills to Ubľa, border crossing.
The trail follows mountain ranges, i.e. the hikers stay in mountains for some days without possibility to buy food or find the accommodation or restaurant directly on the trail.
Starting Point
The first Slovak section starts at:
Bratislava-Jelení háj (Austrian-Slovak border), red marked route
The second Slovak section starts at:
Kremenec (Polish-Slovak border), red marked route
End Point
The first Slovak section:
Dukliansky priesmyk (Dukla pass, SK/PL border crossing), red marked path
The second Slovak section ends at:
Ubľa (SK/UA border crossing), red marked path
Which cities and towns does the E-path pass through
Route E8 in Slovakia goes through: Bratislava, Brezová pod Bradlom, Myjava, Cetuna, Lubina, Hrušové, Višňové, Nové Mesto nad Váhom, Beckov, Selec, Mníchova Lehota, Soblahov, Trenčín, Trenčianske Teplice, Horná Poruba, Zliechov, Čičmany, Kunešov, Kremnické Bane, Donovaly, Telgárt, Štós, Košice, Kysak, Ľubovec, Radatice, Malý Šariš, Veľký Šariš, Kanaš, Terňa, Hradisko, Hervartov, Bardejov, Bardejovské Kúpele, Zborov, Andrejová, Kurimka, Svidník, Kapišová, Nižná Písaná, Medvedie, Vyšný Komárnik, Nová Sedlica, Zboj, Uličské Krivé, Malá Ubľa.
Length
First section: 787 km, elevation 32 574 m
Second section: 36 km, elevation 630 m
Ground path of the E-path
The E8 trail in Slovakia follows on the most part the red marked trail Cesta hrdinov SNP -Trail of heroes of the Slovak National Uprising (August 1944) and Štefánikova magistrála (Štefanik´s Magistral).
Responsible organisation
Klub slovenských turistov (Slovak Tourists Club) is responsible for the whole distance of the trail E8 on the territory of Slovak republic.
Klub slovenských turistov (Slovak Tourist Club)
Záborského 33
SK-83103 Bratislava
T: +421 2 444 511 21
F: + 421 2 444 511 41
ustredie@kst.sk
www.kst.sk
Publications
There are some publications about the trail Cesta hrdinov SNP (Trail of heroes of the Slovak National Uprising), which is almost identical with E8:
Milan Lackovič, Juraj Tevec – Z Devína na Duklu in 29 days dajamabooks.sk/produkt/z-devina-na-duklu/ ; DAJAMA, 2016; Slovak language.
Jorn & Petra Kaufhold – Slowakei: Weg der Helden (E 8); outdoor Handbuch aus der Reihe „Der Weg ist das Ziel“, band 308; Conrad Stein Verlag, 2016; German language.
Maps
The whole area of the Slovak Republic is covered by maps from the VKU Harmanec map-publisher. Maps can be bought in e-shop: www.vku-mapy.sk ;
Maps needed for E8 trail in Slovakia (sorted in order from West to East:
| VKU map number | Range of mountains/part |
| 127 | Malé Karpaty – Bratislava |
| 128 | Malé Karpaty – Záruby |
| 129 | Malé Karpaty – Bradlo |
| 130 | Považský Inovec – Piešťany |
| 119 | Strážovské vrchy – Trenčianske Teplice |
| 120 | Malá Fatra – Martinské hole |
| 132 | Kremnické vrchy |
| 121 | Veľká Fatra |
| 122 | Nízke Tatry – Chopok |
| 123 | Nízke Tatry – Kráľova hoľa |
| 124 | Slovenský raj |
| 125 | Volovské vrchy – Krompachy |
| 136 | Volovské vrchy – Košice |
| 115 | Šarišská vrchovina – Branisko |
| 104 | Čergov |
| 105 | Ondavská vrchovina – Bardejov |
| 106 | Laborecká vrchovina – Dukla |
| 118 | Bukovské vrchy |
Maps on internet:
Freemap portal: mapy.kst.sk/?p=48.94199|19.59391|13|T
ShoCart portal: mapy.hiking.sk/ – after registration the user can find information about E8.
There is a special sheet where springs and other water sources, shelters and picnic places can be found. After clicking on the icon you get info about GPS, some pictures and info about the place (in Slovak).
Mapy CZ portal: sk.mapy.cz/zakladni?x=21.2322720&y=48.7175060&z=11
Marking system
There is the uniform marking system in the whole Slovakia. The trails are marked with strip-marks in 4 colours – red, blue, green, yellow.
Except of a short part in the western Slovakia, the whole trail is marked with red colour. There is the symbol E8 written on each direction table on the trail.
First section:
Green Berg/border to Austria – Jelení háj
Red Jelení háj – Javorina
Blue Javorina – Lubina
Green Lubina – Čachtice-castle
Yellow Čachtice-castle – Nove Mesto nad Váhom
Green Nové Mesto nad Váhom – Pod Inovcom
Red Pod Inovcom – Dukla pass/border to Poland
Second section:
Red Kremenec – Ubľa, border crossing
Crossing other E-paths
E8 in Slovakia crosses the E3 path in the Eastern Slovakia on 2 places – E3 follows the same path from Cemjata to Čergov and it meets E8 in Dukla again – on the place, where E8 leaves Slovakia and E3 continues on the Slovakian-Poland border to the east..
Practical
Basic information can be found on web snptrail.com/ – the information is collected in a very practical itinerary folloving the SNP trail from east to the west (relatively fresh information based on personal experience from 2019)
Accomodation
There are more possibilities for accommodation:
- hotel, pensions, hostels in bigger towns on the trail – Bratislava, Brezová pod Bradlom, Nové Mesto nad Váhom, Trenčín, Trenčianske Teplice, Čičmany, Kremnické Bane, Donovaly, Telgárt, Štós, Košice, Veľký Šariš, Bardejov, Bardejovské Kúpele, Svidník
- mountain chalets – they can be found in
Biele Karpaty chalet Holubyho chata www.holubyhochata.sk/
Veľká Fatra – hotel and chalet Kráľova studňa www.kralovastudna.com/
Nízke Tatry – chalet M.R.Štefánika www.chatamrs.sk/,
Slovenské rudohorie – chalet Pod Volovcom www.lacneubytovanie.net/ubytovanie/chata-volovec/
- tourist shelters with service
Nízke Tatry – Ďurková – www.nizketatry.sk/chaty/upchabencom/upchabencom.html
Nízke Tatry – Andrejcová – www.nizketatry.sk/chaty/uandrejcova/uandrejcova.html
- Camping and bivouac is possible on the whole route except of National parks (Veľká Fatra, Nízke Tatry, Slovenský raj) and nature reserves (marked on the map with green line). The national parks have special rules for bivouac.
Veľká Fatra – near to the chalet Kráľová studňa and near to SNP-memorial on Kráľová studňa
Nízke Tatry – Hiadeľské sedlo near shelter, Ďurková near Shelter, Čertovica near the chalet Horská služba, Ramža near shelter, Andrejcova – near shelter
Slovenský raj – no possibility for camping on the E8 trail in National park.
Food
Restaurants are in towns on the trail and on chalets.
In small villages there are groceries with opening hours daily (mostly except Sunday) and pubs – opening hour in the afternoon, mostly after 14:00-16:00, but no food is served there.
Travel
Trains and public buses can be used during on the trail.
Buses communicate quiet often during working days (esp. early in the morning to go to work and school and in the afternoon at about 3:00-4:00PM to come home). There can be a problem to find any bus-connection on weekends and public holidays.
Web for bus and railway connections: cp.hnonline.sk/en/vlakbusmhdsk/spojenie/
Gear
From late spring to autumn, no special equipment is needed. In winter, late autumn and early spring the special winter gear should be necessary in highest part of the trail – in Veľká Fatra and Nízke Tatry.
In Slovakia, the tap water is drinkable anywhere. People on villages on the trail are very helpful and offer the rambler drinking water in their houses.
There are plenty springs with good and tasty water (often even mineral water) along the trail, but they are regularly neither tested nor certified. So, if you are afraid with water quality, you should have water filter.
Links
Weather report
Slovak weather forcasting portal, short-term forecast according to the location under Model ALADIN, storms radar – www.shmu.sk/sk/?page=1
Global weather forecasting portal from Norway www.yr.no/place/Slovakia/Bratislava/Bratislava/
Web sites
snptrail.com/ a very detailed English description of the SNP trail with the itinerary with many actual advices (acc. to the situation in 2019). Recommended for E8 track too.
cestasnp.sk/ travelogues and experiences of ramblers, live tracking, you can see there, where the ramblers use to camp and read their actuall comments (this site is in Slovak only).