Introducing Slovakia
Ancient castle ruins, traditional villages and mountainous national parks: visiting Slovakia is about experiencing a place where age-old folkways and nature still hold sway. In this compact country you can hike beside a waterfall-filled gorge one day and see nailless wooden churches in a village museum the next. The small capital, Bratislava, may not have the superlative sights of nearby Prague or Budapest, but it’s abuzz with development, each new riverfront dining and entertainment complex vying to outdo the next. The rabbit-warren Old Town centre is well worth a day or two of cafe hopping.
Just make sure you also venture east. In the countryside, fortresses tower over cities and rivers, hiking trails cover the hills and well-preserved medieval towns nestle below rocky peaks. Pull up a plate of bryndzove halušky (sheep’s-cheese dumplings) with a glass of slivovica (firewater-like plum brandy) and drink a toast for us – nazdravie!
Ready to go?
These tours & activities make it easy:
Sights in Slovakia
Activities in Slovakia
Bratislava
If you focus on the compact historic centre, you’ll see cobblestoned roads, pedestrian plazas, pastel 18th-century rococo buildings and street cafés galore.
Tours in Slovakia
East Slovakia
Wooden churches, sprawling castle ruins, crashing waterfalls – just beyond the High Tatras lies the most intriguing, and least accessible, region in Slovakia.
Slovakia destination guides
Košice
People just naturally seem to congregate along the long town square where café terraces line the streets and monumental architecture fills the centre.
Hotels in Slovakia
Budget Hotels & Hostels in Slovakia
Guesthouses and B&Bs in Slovakia
Apartments in Slovakia
West Slovakia
All of West Slovakia might be considered a day trip from Bratislava.
Entertainment in Slovakia
Trenčín
What’s not to like about a place with a mighty clifftop castle, pretty Renaissance buildings and a lively university population? Here you could easily spend a couple of days touring the Roman fortress, day-tripping out to Beckov castle or the spa...
Shopping in Slovakia