Stará Ľubovňa

Stará Ľubovňa District · Prešov Region · Slovakia
Stará Ľubovňa — photo 1 Stará Ľubovňa — photo 2 Stará Ľubovňa — photo 3 Stará Ľubovňa — photo 4 Stará Ľubovňa — photo 5 6

Photos: Anna Regelsberger, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons); Jakob Alt, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons); Andrzej Harassek, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons); Andrzej Harassek, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons); Mariusz Raniszewski, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons); Klarqa, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)

Stará Ľubovňa is a town in the Spiš region, located in northeastern Slovakia on the Poprad River, at an elevation of 532 m in the Western Carpathians. It is the administrative centre of the Stará Ľubovňa District in the Prešov Region, near the Slovak–Polish–Ukrainian ethnic borderland. Stará Ľubovňa is one of the oldest towns in historic Spiš.

The town was first mentioned in 1292. From 1412 to 1772, Stará Ľubovňa was the main town among 15 Spiš towns pledged by King Sigismund of Hungary to Poland. On 8 November 1918, a local council of Rusyns–Ukrainians was established here, expressing support for joining the Ukrainian state.

Stará Ľubovňa is known for its medieval Ľubovňa Castle, which dominates the town from a nearby hill, and for the open-air museum (skanzen) below the castle, showcasing regional folk architecture. The town is also notable for its religious monuments: the Church of St. Nicolas from the late 13th century, the churches of St. Peter and Paul, St. Joseph, and a Greek Catholic church. Orthodox and Protestant communities are also present.

Visitors can explore Ľubovňa Castle and the skanzen, or discover local crafts at Castle Distillery beneath the castle or the Spiš distillery in town. Hiking enthusiasts can choose from several marked trails, such as Stará Ľubovňa – Orlovská Magura or the Pieniny Road. Nearby, the Vyšné Ružbachy spa resort offers thermal pools, and the Čierna hora peak (Levoča Mountains) is accessible for nature lovers.

Getting there from Ukraine

From Lviv, Stará Ľubovňa is about 382 km (≈5 h 15 min without queues): via M-10 to Krakovets, then A4 to Brzesko, DK75 to Nowy Sącz, DK87 via Piwniczna-Zdrój to the Piwniczna – Mníšek nad Popradom crossing, and I/68 to the town. From Uzhhorod, it is 183 km (≈3 h) via Vyšné Nemecké, Košice, Prešov, Sabinov, and Lipany. The D1 motorway requires an e-vignette (eznamka.sk).

Sources: Wikipedia, Wikidata, OpenStreetMap, Karpaty.rocks data. More on Wikipedia

What's nearby

Trails nearby

All trails
Kotník, transmitter – Sulínka, mineral springModerateTwo-dayMarkedKotník, transmitter Sulínka, mineral springElevation profile416–883 m25.3 kmascent 452 m≈ 7 h walkingunder 1 km from the centreStará Ľubovňa – Orlovská MaguraModerateOne-dayMarkedStará Ľubovňa Orlovská MaguraElevation profile519–830 m14.4 kmascent 221 m≈ 4 h walkingunder 1 km from the centreĽubovnianske kúpele – ÚbočEasyOne-dayMarkedĽubovnianske kúpele ÚbočElevation profile557–726 m7.7 kmascent 152 m≈ 2 h walking2.3 km from the centreHliniská – Sedlo MarmonEasyOne-dayMarkedHliniská Sedlo MarmonElevation profile755–824 m2.2 kmascent 18 m≈ 30 min walking3.7 km from the centreOsly – Eliášovka, state borderModerateOne-dayMarkedOsly Eliášovka, state borderElevation profile747–1 026 m11.1 kmascent 424 m≈ 3.5 h walking4.1 km from the centreOsly – Mníšek nad Popradom, KačeEasyOne-dayMarkedOsly Mníšek nad Popradom, KačeElevation profile400–859 m10.2 kmascent 133 m≈ 3 h walking4.4 km from the centre

Peaks nearby

All peaks
Čierna hora (Levoča Mountains)PeakČierna hora (Levoča Mountains)Jakubanyaltitude 1 289 m13 km from the centreČierna hora is a 1289.4 m summit, the highest point of the Slovak Levoča Mountains (Levočské vrchy) – a flysch range of the Podhôľno-magurská region in eastern...Ihla (Levoča Hills)PeakIhla (Levoča Hills)Ihľanyaltitude 1 283 m14 km from the centreIhla (Slovak for "needle"; German Nadel) is a 1283 m summit in the Levoča Hills (Levočské vrchy) in eastern Slovakia, the third highest in the range.Minčol (Čergov)PeakMinčol (Čergov)Kyjovaltitude 1 157 m23 km from the centreMinčol (Hungarian Mincsol) is the highest summit of the Čergov mountains in eastern Slovakia, 1157 m high.

What to visit

All
Spišská Pálenica, Stará Ľubovňa: distillery tour and Spiš borovičkaCraft producersSpišská Pálenica, Stará Ľubovňa: distillery tour and Spiš borovičkaStará Ľubovňaunder 1 km from the centreSpiš boasts perhaps the oldest history of distilling in Europe: at the hillfort of Myšia Hôrka near Spišský Štvrtok, part of a distillation vessel from around 1500 BC...Poprad RiverRiverPoprad RiverStará Ľubovňa1.2 km from the centreThe Poprad is a river of Slovakia and Poland and a right-bank tributary of the Dunajec. It is about 174 km long: 113 km flow through Slovakia, 31 km form the border...Castle Distillery below Ľubovňa Castle: fruit spirits and tastingsCraft producersCastle Distillery below Ľubovňa Castle: fruit spirits and tastingsStará Ľubovňa1.8 km from the centreStará Ľubovňa is a town in northern Spiš, overlooked by Ľubovňa Castle. For more than three and a half centuries Ľubovňa was one of the Spiš towns pledged to the...Ľubovňa Open-Air Museum below the castleMuseumĽubovňa Open-Air Museum below the castleStará Ľubovňa1.9 km from the centreThe open-air museum below Ľubovňa Castle (Ľubovniansky skanzen) opened in 1985 on the meadows beneath the castle hill in Stará Ľubovňa.Nestville Distillery, Hniezdne — Home of the First Slovak WhiskyCraft producersNestville Distillery, Hniezdne — Home of the First Slovak WhiskyHniezdne3.5 km from the centreThis tradition is the basis for BGV, a company founded in 2001, which built the Nestville Distillery here.The meadow of Čergov's Minčol, the highest peak of the Čergov mountainsMountain meadowThe meadow of Čergov's Minčol, the highest peak of the Čergov mountainsKyjovaltitude 1 157 m23 km from the centreČergov's Minčol (Minčol, 1,157 m) is the highest summit of the Čergov mountains in eastern Slovakia, where the districts of Bardejov, Sabinov and Stará Ľubovňa of the...

Craft nearby

All craft places
Vyšné Ružbachy Spa: Izabela Mountain Pools and Indoor Thermal PoolWater parks & thermal poolsVyšné Ružbachy Spa: Izabela Mountain Pools and Indoor Thermal PoolVyšné Ružbachy9.8 km from the centreVyšné Ružbachy is one of Slovakia’s oldest spas. It lies on the south-eastern slope of the Spišská Magura at about 617 m, surrounded by coniferous forest that merges...Farma Kamenica — Family Sheep Farm and Cheese Dairy in ŠarišCheese dairies & pasturesFarma Kamenica — Family Sheep Farm and Cheese Dairy in ŠarišKamenica22 km from the centreKamenica is a village in northern Šariš, in the valley of the Kameničanka stream, at about 483 m above sea level.Goral raftsmen of Červený Kláštor: wooden-raft trip on the DunajecEthno tours & guidesGoral raftsmen of Červený Kláštor: wooden-raft trip on the DunajecČervený Kláštor23 km from the centreBetween Červený Kláštor and Lesnica the Dunajec cuts a deep, winding gorge through the limestone Pieniny, and here the river becomes the border between Slovakia and...

Spas and thermal pools nearby

Vyšné Ružbachy Spa: Izabela Mountain Pools and Indoor Thermal PoolWater parks & thermal poolsVyšné Ružbachy Spa: Izabela Mountain Pools and Indoor Thermal PoolVyšné Ružbachy9.8 km from the centreVyšné Ružbachy is one of Slovakia’s oldest spas. It lies on the south-eastern slope of the Spišská Magura at about 617 m, surrounded by coniferous forest that merges...

Huts, shelters and springs nearby

590 mSpringSpring below Nemecký vrch (south-west slope), 590 mSądecki Beskids · SlovakiaNot verifiedOn a trail
463 mSpringVajcovka Spring, 463 mLevoča Mountains · SlovakiaNot verifiedOn a trailMarked as drinkable
804 mSpringSpring below Široký vrchSądecki Beskids · SlovakiaNot verifiedOn a trail
845 mSpringSpring below Osly (north-west slope), 845 mSądecki Beskids · SlovakiaNot verifiedOn a trail
579 mDrinking waterAndrej TapSpiš Magura · SlovakiaNot verifiedOn a trail
828 mHutHut below ŠpicaLevoča Mountains · SlovakiaNot verifiedOn a trail

All springs of the CarpathiansAll Carpathian huts

Getting there from Ukraine

Border crossings

  • Uzhhorod – Vyšné Nemecké — road, 24/7
  • Malyi Bereznyi – Ubľa — road, 24/7 For cars and buses; pedestrians not confirmed by the Ukrainian border service, lorries up to 3.5 t.
  • Mali Selmentsi – Veľké Slemence (pedestrian) — pedestrian, 09:00–21:00 Kyiv time Pedestrians and cyclists only; inconvenient for the Tatras without onward transport.
  • Chop – Čierna nad Tisou (rail) — rail, 24/7

By car

From Lviv ≈382 km, ≈5 h 15 min without queues: M-10 → Krakovets – Korczowa → A4 to Brzesko → DK75 to Nowy Sącz → DK87 via Piwniczna-Zdrój to the internal Schengen crossing Piwniczna – Mníšek nad Popradom → I/68 to Stará Ľubovňa (≈304 km, ≈3 h 50 min from the Ukrainian border). From Uzhhorod ≈183 km, ≈3 h: Vyšné Nemecké → I/19 to Košice → D1 to Prešov → I/68 via Sabinov and Lipany to Stará Ľubovňa. Via Uzhok and Ubľa ≈408 km, ≈6 h 55 min. The D1 requires an e-vignette (eznamka.sk).

Checked 23.10.2026; border crossing hours and timetables change — check before you travel.