Autumn 2021. In theory we could travel to other continents, but destinations we had in mind such as Japan or the United Kingdom were impossible to plan ahead. Instead we organised a rail trip to Eastern Europe, travelling to Berlin, Gdańsk, Wrocław, Karlovy Vary, Pilsen, Bratislava, Poprad, Vienna, Linz and Salzburg. By travelling to Germany, Poland, Czechia, Slovakia and Austria, we explore an area which was in the (not too distant) past bonded together by the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation and by Austria-Hungary.

The train ride from Bratislava to Poprad Tatry didn’t go as planned. But that’s okay. In Poprad we stayed at at the Seasons hotel, part of AquaCity Poprad. AquaCity is a waterpark boasting thirteen pools and other fun infrastructure. 

The offer

“Welcome in AquaCity Poprad, an ecological resort, which provides luxury hotel accommodation, relaxation and wellness services, gastronomy and congress services”, the website says. 

“An aquapark, the Fire & Water Wellness & Spa centre, three hotels, the Cryocentre as well as other health, sports and entertainment facilities form a vital part of the resort.

The AquaCity Poprad Aquapark offers thirteen outdoor and indoor pools, toboggans, 350 water attractions, the largest wellness and spa centre in Slovakia, children’s corners, playgrounds, animation programmes for kids and state-of-the-art 3D laser show.”

“Wellness and Spa AquaCity Poprad with a floor area of 1,600m2 is a paradise for wellness and relaxation lovers. You will find several types of saunas, inhalations, whirlpools, the Bay of Love and the Ice Cave here.

“We offer luxury but affordable accommodation in the High Tatras. The luxury hotel Mountain View****, family-friendly hotel Seasons**** and modern hotel Riverside*** are part of the AquaCity Poprad resort. If you would like to be closer to nature, book a stay at the most modern wellness hotel Horizont Resort**** or the newest addition to our spectrum hotel Hills****.”

“At Aquacity Poprad we provide a wide range of services for an ideal family holiday with children, family trip, active holiday in Slovakia, corporate event or party.”

Well?

Sounds nice, no? It does sound nice and AquaCity ís nice.

We were there on a Tuesday afternoon in late September. The weather was fair and we could go in the heated outside pool. We enjoyed the heated outside pool, the Blue Diamond I and Blue Diamond II pool + poolbar area. We had a nice enough late lunch at Restaurant Lighthouse (in the ‘wet area’). I even went down the yellow toboggan once.

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The facilities are clean and in very good state. The check-in and payment systems are practical and work well. There are many staff members on hand. There are plenty of bathrooms and showers. 

But!

But I wanted to use as title ‘The thirteen pools of AquaCity Poprad’, but I can’t. Some pools were closed because it was not summer. It was the case of the Mayan Temple and pools for children. Fair enough.

But a large area was closed for… well we don’t know what for. Was COVID-19 the excuse? Renovation works? We don’t know. So there was no access to the Blue Sapphire pools. That should have been communicated better. 

Another disappointing element are the operation hours. Some areas open at 10 AM, but AquaCity is mostly closed until 12 PM. Why? So if you stay in the hotel, you can’t enjoy the pools ore even go to the gym before noon (10 AM on weekends). That’s just plainly annoying. 

So?

We did enjoy AquaCity. Many areas were not in use, which was disappointing. But low-season meant it wasn’t crowded. 

So we spend a couple of hours in the water enjoying ourselves. But the potential remained unfulfilled. 

Overview

• Pools of AquaCity.
• Timetable.
• Thermal Water.
• Area map.
• Gym and spinning.
• Other sports. 

2021 Rail Tour of Imperial Europe

1. POTSDAM 2021 | Schloss Sanssouci.
2. 1945 Potsdam Conference’s Cecilienhof Palace.
3. Potsdam 2021.
4. REVIEW | InterContinental Berlin.
5. BERLIN 2021 | Pergamon, ‘Das Panorama’.
6. BERLIN 2021 | Humboldt Forum in the Berlin Palace.
7. BERLIN 2021 | The Bundestag in the Reichstag.
8. Berlin 2021.
9. By train from Berlin to Gdansk via Szczecin.
10. Stopover in Szczecin.
11. REVIEW | Restauracja Ritz in Gdańsk.
12. REVIEW | Holiday Inn Gdansk.
13. GDAŃSK | Museum of the Second World War.
14. GDAŃSK | European Solidarity Centre or Europejskie Centrum Solidarności.
15. A walk through Gdańsk.
16. Gdańsk 2021.
17. POLAND | PKP Intercity Gdansk to Wroclaw via Warsaw.
18. Wrocław Museum of Architecture.
19. The Dwarfs of Wrocław.
20. Wrocław.
21. Poland 2021.
22. By train from Wroclaw to Karlovy Vary.
23. Karlovy Vary.
24. REVIEW | Hotel Imperial Karlovy Vary.
25. Czechia’s Great Spa Town of Europe Františkovy Lázně.
26. CZECHIA | Pilsen Historical Underground Tunnels.
27. CZECHIA | Pilsner Urquell Brewery Tour.
28. CZECHIA | Pilsen.
29. CZECHIA 2021 | Cheb and its castle.
30. Hotel room for one.
31. By train from Karlovy Vary to Prague via Pilsen.
32. Czechia 2021.
33. RegioJet from Prague to Bratislava.
34. Bratislava Castle.
35. REVIEW | Crowne Plaza Bratislava.
36. Bratislava on a rainy Monday.
37. ZSSK Fast Train Tatran from Bratislava to Strba.
38. The Tatra rack and electric Railway from Strba via Strbske Pleso to Poprad tatry.