A Guide to Slovakia: What to Do and Where to Stay

Landlocked Slovakia is an enticing medley of precipitous peaks, thickly forested parks and medieval towns. Lively Bratislava is a must, but try to find time to explore the wider country, from the pretty towns of Banská Štiavnica and Banská Bystrica to the hiker’s wonderland of the High Tatras, the enchanting Špis region – location for lovely Levoča and the immense Spiš Castle – and the historical university town of Košice.

The best places to visit in Slovakia

Bratislava

Friendly Bratislava is one of Europe's most enjoyable capitals and a pleasure to explore on foot (Photo: Getty Images)

Brushing the Austrian border, astride the mighty Danube, friendly Bratislava is one of the most charming capital cities in Europe. Start in the medieval Old Town: take a walk around St Martin’s Cathedral – a dinky Gothic edifice – and its neighbouring streets, in particular Kapitulská, which is full of atmospheric old buildings. Next, take a leisurely stroll up to the handsome, heavily turreted castle, from where you can see both Hungary and Austria. 

There are more fabulous views of Bratislava from the top floor of the Sky Bar, which offers an accomplished menu of Slovakian-influenced snacks and mains to enjoy while you gaze out at the city. Some of the best places to stay in Bratislava include AC Hotel Bratislava Old Town, a stylish option within the very heart of the city, while both the Sheraton Bratislava Hotel and the Grand Hotel River Park, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Bratislava offer fabulous river views, the former incorporated within a shopping boulevard, the latter with a luxury spa.

Central Slovakia: Banská Bystrica

Pearl of central Slovakia, charming Banská Bystrica is all bustling cafés and neat burgher houses (Photo: Getty Images)

Banská Bystrica’s gentle European charm is manifest in its bustling pavement cafes, neat rows of burgher houses and handsome Baroque churches. The city’s most conspicuous attraction is the Clock Tower, which, at eight minutes to every hour, plays a dainty jewellery-box jingle to waiting crowds; there are terrific views from the top, too. Picturesquely sited a few kilometres north is Špania Dolina, where a copper mining museum is further testament to the region’s one-time status as an industrial powerhouse.

High Tatras and Slovensky Raj

With dozens of peaks of around 2500 metres, Slovakia's High Tatras region is a hiker's paradise (Photo: Getty Images)

The northwesternmost stretch of the Carpathian mountain range, Slovakia’s High Tatras region is studded with dozens of peaks hovering around the 2500-metre mark. There are also beautiful pine-cloaked forests and icy mountain lakes that make this a hiker’s wonderland. More than a thousand bears have made these mountains their home, so you have a decent chance of spotting one, although you’re more likely to see other wildlife like red deer, marmots and chamois. If they won’t do, dedicated bear-tracking trips are available. 

From the Tatras, you can continue east along the border with Poland to the Slovensky Raj National Park, which showcases all the classic Karst landforms: sinkholes, waterfalls and deep caves bearing stalactite-filled chambers. Look out, too, for rare alpine orchids and birds of prey wheeling overhead.

Špis and Košice

UNESCO-listed Špis Castle is one of the mightiest of all central European fortresses (Photo: Getty Images)

Southeast of the High Tatras lies the beautiful but little-known Špis region. Its most worthwhile destination is the Renaissance walled town of Levoča, centred on the lovely, wooded Master Paul’s Square, site of the Gothic Church of St James and the curious Cage of Shame, where petty criminals would be incarcerated and left on view for public humiliation. Levoča is a useful springboard for a visit to the UNESCO-listed Špis Castle, one of the mightiest of all central European fortresses.

Seventy-five kilometres southwest of Špis awaits Slovakia’s second city, Košice. Take a walk through Hlavná (the longest promenade in the country) peppered with a pleasing mix of Baroque, Rococo and Art Nouveau buildings, many now housing cafés and bars. The magnificent St Elisabeth’s Cathedral is Slovakia’s largest place of worship, but don’t miss the Vojtech Löffler Museum, dedicated to the renowned local sculptor, or the singing fountain next to the State Theatre. It’s great fun to take a guided tour – in a Škoda – of some of the city’s Communist-era relics, including a fallout shelter and magnesite factory. End the day with a well-earned glass of local wine at Löffler. 

What to eat and drink in Slovakia

Be sure to enjoy a bowl of hearty kapustnica soup, topped with a dollop of soured cream, when visiting Slovakia (Photo: Getty Images)

When in Bratislava, round off a busy day's sightseeing with a meal at Koliba Kamzik. Try a steaming bowl of kapustnica – sauerkraut soup with dried mushrooms, sliced sausages and onions, all topped with a dollop of sour cream.

After rambling in the Tatras, refuel with bryndzové halušky – gnocchi with sheep’s curd and fried bacon – and a swig or two of herbal liquor such as Becherovka, which Slovakian hikers swear by.

Top things to do in Slovakia

The Kalvária Banská Štiavnica is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (Photo: Getty Images)

For a really immersive experience in Bratislava, head to Kláštorny Pivovar brewery, where fascinating tours take in the whole site including its magnificent Baroque cellars. You'll end the tour, naturally, with a sample or two of the house ale.

If you plan to venture into central Slovakia to visit Banská Bystrica, stop off at Banská Štiavnica en route. The town once owed its prosperity to the local mining industry, as portrayed in the outstanding Mining Museum of Nature, which includes a guided tour of the old tunnels. A really unique spot in Banská Štiavnica is the Clapping Tower, an enormous contraption that was used to wake up miners; today it functions solely for the pleasure of tourists. Before bidding Banská Štiavnica farewell, you might enjoy taking a long, relaxing soak at the Sklené Teplice thermal baths north of town.

Hidden gems in Slovakia

There are hidden gems galore in Slovakia, both urban and rural. North of central Bratislava, for instance, the wooded hills around Devinska Kobyla – part of the Little Carpathians mountain range – conceal hidden Cold War bunkers and an observation tower. Dramatically sited on a small peninsula south of the centre, meanwhile, lies the architecturally superb Danubiana Museum of Modern Art.

Buttressed up against the Polish and Ukrainian borders, Poloniny National Park is a wonderfully remote region of low mountains, high alpine meadows and the largest complex of native beech-fir forests anywhere in Europe. True wilderness awaits, as do bears and bison, the latter found only here in Slovakia. Poloniny, which roughly translates as ‘alpine meadow’, is also an internationally important dark sky reserve, so would-be stargazers should be sure to bring their telescopes, or binoculars at least. The landscape is dotted with sweet little villages, like Nová Sedlica and Runina, and exquisite wooden churches, characterised by their massive sloping roofs and tall, needle-like spires.

Go deeper

The Slovak tongue, which didn't exist until the late eighteenth century, is mutually intelligible with Czech, the two countries being one and the same until 1993. In fact, Slovak has been called the 'Slavic Esperanto', because anyone fluent in a Slavic language – Russian, Ukrainian, Belorussian, Polish, Czech, Slovenian, Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian, Macedonian and Bulgarian – will be able to decipher aspects of Slovak.

Published: October 07, 2024

Article Tags:  Slovakia