Malinô Brdo: Cable Car from Ružomberok, 2026 Prices and the Walk to Vlkolínec

How to get to Malinô Brdo

Malinô Brdo is a resort above Ružomberok on the edge of the Veľká Fatra mountains. An eight-seater gondola takes you up from Hrabovo, about 2.6 km from the town centre. The cable car is 1,770 m long, climbs 415 m and the ride takes just under 5 minutes. The bottom station is at 545 m above sea level, the top station at 960 m.

From the cabin to Hrabovo it is about 35 minutes by car. Since October 2026, through traffic has been using the new Ružomberok bypass, so the drive through town is less busy. By the bottom station there are three free car parks: the upper one by the cable car with 300 spaces, the lower one with 200 spaces and the car park by the football stadium with 100 spaces. If you come by train, get off in Ružomberok at the Rybárpole stop and continue to Hrabovo on town bus line 5.

In summer, a chairlift continues from the top station to the summit of Malinné (1,209 m above sea level). In good weather you can see the Western, Low and High Tatras, the Malá Fatra and the Chočské vrchy hills from there.

How much is the cable car in 2026

Return ticket prices vary by season:

• Until 26 June and from 1 September 2026 (gondola): adults €16, juniors and seniors €14, children €11. One euro less online.
• From 27 June to 31 August 2026 (gondola and chairlift to Malinné): adults €18, juniors and seniors €16, children €13. Online €16, €14 and €12.
• Children up to 5.99 years ride free with an adult.

In September 2026 the cable car ran 9:00 - 16:00 on weekdays and 9:00 - 17:00 at weekends. The opening hours change with the season, so check them on the resort’s website before you go. It is worth buying your ticket in advance in the resort’s online shop; you save one or two euros per person.

What to do at the top: bike park, mountain carts and children

• Bike park: 11 trails of varying difficulty, more than 30 km in total. An adult day ticket costs €30 at the ticket desk and €28 in the online shop, juniors and seniors €27 (€25), children €20 (€18). In the lower part of the bike park there is the Fun&Skill Park practice area for beginner riders.
• Mountain carts and off-road scooters: the cart track is more than 5 km long and drops almost 400 m. The resort says it is the longest in Slovakia.
• For smaller children: electric buggies and a bouncy castle with a slide. Parents can sit on the terrace in the meantime.
• Rope park: in Hrabovo there is the Tarzania rope park. We did not find its prices in official sources, so check them on the spot.
• Events: in summer there is the Behaj lesmi trail race, the Za 7 horami fairy-tale festival and the SPDH downhill races.

On foot from Malinô Brdo to Vlkolínec

For many people this is the main reason to go to Malinô Brdo. From the top station of the cable car to Vlkolínec it is about 2 km and a little over 45 minutes on foot, mostly downhill.

1. From the top station, take the path down to Chata Daria, where there is a trail signpost.
2. Continue on the blue trail below the Halín rock formation.
3. At the Vlkolínske lúky meadows, turn right, leave the tarmac road and follow the yellow trail past a shelter and information boards towards the farm below Sidorovo.
4. The yellow trail takes you to Vlkolínec.

The way back to the cable car is uphill, so with children allow extra time for it. Wear sturdy shoes.

In winter: skiing for families

In winter Malinô Brdo is a smaller and quieter ski area than Jasná. In the 2025/26 main season (from 7 January to 8 March 2026) an adult day pass cost €41 at the ticket desk and €38 in the online shop, and a child’s pass €26 and €22. In the 2025/26 season the ski school cost from €37 per lesson for one person, less per person for two or more. As of 21 October 2026 the resort had not published its day pass prices for winter 2026/27; so far only the Magická sezónka 26/27 season pass is on sale.

If your children are just learning, read our overview of skiing with kids and beginners too. For a full day on big pistes, Jasná is closer.

How to combine it with Likava Castle

Malinô Brdo, Vlkolínec and Likava Castle are all near Ružomberok, so you can make one day out of them. However, Likava Castle above the village of Likavka has been closed for restoration since March 2025, and the work is due to finish by the end of 2026. Until it reopens, do not even take the access path to the castle; just look at it from below, from the road to Orava.

A day around Ružomberok could look like this:

• Morning: up by cable car, walk to Vlkolínec and look around the village.
• Afternoon: back to the cable car, then the chairlift to Malinné or the bike park and mountain carts.
• Once Likava reopens: add the castle as a separate morning, and allow at least two hours for the climb and the visit.

What to combine it with

You will find more family trips in our guide to Liptov with kids. From our log cabin in Liptovský Trnovec it is about half an hour to Ružomberok, so in the evening you are back by Liptovská Mara, by the fire in the fireplace or in the sauna.