Introducing East Slovakia

Wooden churches, sprawling castle ruins, crashing waterfalls – just beyond the High Tatras lies the most intriguing, and least accessible, region in Slovakia. Its isolation has for centuries preserved many folk customs, as well as protected a rich architectural heritage and natural beauty. Here you can step back into the 15th century in Spiš, or explore one of four national parks. Visit the wooden churches, or a skanzen (open-air village museum) in the borderlands and Sariš areas to experience the traditional culture.

If you’re craving city life, the east has that too. Košice, the country’s second-largest city, is a grand mix of old and new, with a lively bar and café scene and a towering Gothic cathedral. Among all this eastern beauty is spread a fair share of industrial ugliness, but in general the region still has a rural tranquillity and sense of remove worth discovering.

Much of the Spiš region is within easy day-trip distance from the resort towns of the High Tatras.