Ždiar

Ždiar sits in a saddle below the Belianske Tatras on the road to Poland, and it is a Goral village: the highlander culture that spans this border, with its own dialect, dress and building. The houses are timber, whitewashed and then painted around the windows and along the boards in blue and red geometric patterns, and enough of them survive that the village is a protected reservation. A Goral house is open as a museum with its interior as it was.

What you actually see

• The painted houses - white timber decorated in blue and red geometric patterns.
• The Goral house museum - an interior kept as the family had it.
• The Belianske Tatras - the limestone range rising directly above the village.
• The Goral culture - dialect, dress and music spanning the Polish border.

When to go

June to September is the walking season and December to March brings skiing at the small local area. The village is busiest in both. Spring and autumn are quiet.

Honest expectations

New building along the road has diluted the village considerably and the painted houses are scattered among modern pensions. The museum is small and keeps limited hours. Traffic on the Poland road is heavy.

Nearby

Bachledka is nearby, and Osturna is east.