Cycling Around Liptovská Mara: Loops, Distances and Climbing

How many km is the loop around Liptovská Mara

There is no single official length. Online you will find loops of 36, 45, 57, 58 and around 70 km, and they all have similar names. That is not a mistake: they are different routes around the same reservoir.

Variant	Length	Climbing	Route
Small loop by the water	36 km	no long climbs	Liptovský Mikuláš - Liptovský Trnovec - Liptovská Sielnica - Bobrovník - Vlachy - Galovany
Loop via Bešeňová	about 45 km	moderate	Liptovský Trnovec - Liptovská Sielnica - Bešeňová - Liptovský Mikuláš, on asphalt
Big loop (Bikemap)	57 km	906 m of climbing	foothill villages around the reservoir, lowest point 519 m, highest 776 m above sea level
Big loop (Visit Liptov)	58 km	834 m of climbing and of descent	starts at the bus station in Liptovský Mikuláš, about 8 hours
Longest descriptions	around 70 km	377 m of climbing, 336 m of descent	on class II and III roads and farm tracks

Three things make the difference. The first is whether the route follows roads close to the water or climbs up into the foothill villages. The big loop also goes through Bukovina, Vlašky, Krmeš, Fiačice, Svätý Kríž and Lazisko, which is why it is over 20 km longer than the small loop and has hundreds of metres more climbing. The second is the start: some routes begin in Liptovský Mikuláš, others in Bešeňová or Ružomberok. The third is measurement. Different apps calculate climbing differently, which is why the 57 km loop on Bikemap has 906 m of climbing and the 58 km loop on Visit Liptov 834 m.

With the longest variant of around 70 km, note that the climbing and descent do not match (377 m and 336 m). On a closed loop they should be the same, so take that figure as a rough guide only.

Surface and where you ride among cars

The big loop runs on less busy class II and III roads and on paved and unpaved farm tracks. That is why Visit Liptov recommends it mainly for mountain bikes or e-bikes. The terrain is rolling, but without long or very demanding climbs. On a road bike, stick to the asphalt variants, for example the loop via Bešeňová.

There is no separate cycle path around Liptovská Mara yet. You will meet the most cars on the road along the north shore, which links Liptov with Orava. It is narrow, has no hard shoulder and, according to SME Liptov, thousands of vehicles use it every day.

• Ride in single file and as close to the right-hand edge as you can.
• Do this section at the start, while you are fresh and focused.
• Wear something bright and give the children a hi-vis vest.

Things are slowly getting better. The Žilina Self-Governing Region is preparing a cycle route about 14 km long between the reservoir and the class II and III roads and wants to have the zoning decision by the end of 2026 at the latest.

Starting right from the cabin in Liptovský Trnovec

Liptovský Trnovec lies right on the loop, so you get on your bike in front of the house and leave the car where it is. We recommend riding the small 36 km loop anticlockwise, that is heading west first:

1. Liptovský Trnovec - Liptovská Sielnica: a section on the road with cars, which you want behind you in the morning.
2. Church of the Virgin Mary and Havránok: the little white church stands right by the water and has refreshments next to it. Opposite, across the road on a steeper hill, is the Havránok Archaeological Open-Air Museum.
3. Bobrovník, Vlachy and Galovany: around the western tip of the reservoir you cross to the south shore.
4. Liptovský Mikuláš and back: through the town and past Tatralandia back to Trnovec.

Allow an hour to an hour and a half for Havránok. It is open from 1 May to 31 October; you will find opening hours and admission in our guide to the Havránok open-air museum.

If you have an e-bike and fancy a full day out, do the big loop. According to Visit Liptov, you can join the route in any village and split it into several parts.

The loop with children and a bike trailer

Do not do the full loop with small children. The problem is not the length but the sections on the narrow road with cars. With a children’s bike trailer it is even less pleasant there: the trailer is wide and cars overtake you closely.

For families, the Celtic Expedition with kids on wheels route (Keltská výprava s deťmi na kolesách) from Visit Liptov is better:

• 10.7 km, 223 m of climbing, about 2 hours,
• start at the car park by the municipal office in Vlachy,
• gently uphill through the village, right after the bridge and more steeply up to the dam,
• to the little church by the water with refreshments, to Havránok and to Marina Liptov.

The steeper climb to the dam is short. If you need to, push the bike or trailer for a bit. Your reward is Havránok, where the children can walk around the dwellings and ramparts.

Where to swim and rest

The easiest thing is to finish where you started. The pebble beach is 50 m from the cabin, so when you get back you just put the bikes away and go straight into the water. Where else you can swim at Mara, what the water is like and what to do about blue-green algae, we have written up in our guide to swimming at Liptovská Mara.

On the route you can take a break at the little church below Havránok, where there are refreshments and a view of the reservoir from a different side than from Trnovec. Take drinks with you anyway; in summer you really get baked on the open stretches by the water.

What to combine it with

At the little church and on the dam, it is worth knowing what lies beneath the surface. We explain it in our guide to Liptovská Mara: history and the flooded villages. If you want to cool down after the ride somewhere other than the lake, Tatralandia is 2.5 km from the cabin. You will find more summer tips by the water on our summer at Liptovská Mara page.

You can keep your bikes at the log cabin in the enclosed grounds and, after a whole day in the saddle, enjoy the infrared sauna in the evening. We are a local host and nobody pays us for our recommendations.