Must-see attractions in Slovakia

  • Holocaust Memorial

    Eastern Slovakia

    An evocative memorial comprising steel, stone and a section of railway tracks is secreted away in a courtyard that was once part of Bardejov's thriving…

  • Ždiar House Museum

    Tatra Mountains

    Displayed within a creaky and quaint house built in Goral (Slovak and Polish shepherd) style, this small museum paints a colourful picture of Ždiar's…

  • Hunkovce Church

    Eastern Slovakia

    The 16th-century village of Hunkovce has a Greek Catholic church at its heart. With baroque features and topped with wooden onion domes, this late-18th…

  • Synagogue

    Slovakia

    Trenčín’s broad, domed synagogue, built in 1913, is one of the most impressive features of the town's skyline. These days it plays host to occasional…

  • Michael's Gate & Weapons Museum

    Bratislava

    Of Bratislava's original 13th-century walls, Michael's is the last gate standing. Capped with an onion dome, the gate's tower was rebuilt in baroque style…

  • Transport Museum

    Bratislava

    This transport museum is housed in a 19th-century steam-train station. There is not much explanation in English – or in general – but it's good for kids …

  • Dom Majstra Pavla

    Eastern Slovakia

    Levoča's most hallowed son is 'Master Paul', the 16th-century woodcarver whose masterpieces of religious art can be found around Slovakia and Poland. This…

  • Námestie Slobody

    Bratislava

    Bratislava's underused 'Freedom Square' was one of the country's first to be renamed after the Velvet Revolution. Sadly, the centrepiece of this Soviet…

  • Burian's Tower

    Slovakia

    During the 16th century, cries from this tower were the first warning of an approaching army. These days, visitors ascend this baroque-style former bell…

  • Holy Trinity Cathedral

    Slovakia

    Consecrated in 1586, this triple-nave cathedral has a coppery spire that dominates A Hlinku nám together with its twin, Burian's Tower, an Italian-style…

  • Krajné Čierno Church

    Eastern Slovakia

    This pyramid-shaped Greek Catholic church, dating to 1730 and consecrated by St Basil the Great, houses rare icons including a depiction of Jesus…

  • Slovak Radio Building

    Bratislava

    Shaped like an upside-down pyramid, this memorable building is either an eyesore or a marvel of brutalist design, depending on who you ask. The 80m-tall…

  • Monument of the Slovak National Uprising

    Bratislava

    The central feature of broad Nám SNP is a bronze monument honouring the antifascist revolt for which the square is named. In November 1989 huge crowds…

  • Mihal Gallery

    Košice

    Within the zanily colourful walls of Múza Hotel is a collection of Andy Warhol originals; call ahead to arrange a visit, including an interesting…

  • St Michael's Chapel

    Košice

    To the south of the Cathedral of St Elizabeth you can admire the outside of 14th-century St Michael's, a Gothic chapel dedicated to the patron saint of…

  • Historic Town Hall

    Eastern Slovakia

    The showpiece of Levoča's main square is the 15th-century town hall, which received a flamboyant 19th-century makeover.

  • Kunsthalle

    Košice

    Like the steely, brutalist gallery building itself (a former swimming pool), the rotating contemporary art exhibitions at the Kunsthalle are matter of…

  • Slovak National Museum

    Bratislava

    The history of music, from ornate carved violins to the art of Slovak tango, is covered in detail on the 1st floor of this branch of the national museum…

  • Museum of Clocks

    Bratislava

    All burning questions about 17th- to 19th-century clockmaking will be answered within this narrow, rococo-style building, known as the 'House of the Good…

  • Schöner Náci

    Bratislava

    The only silvery statue in Bratislava's bevy of bronzes, this sculpture commemorates a mid-20th-century local character. Ignác Lamár is remembered for his…

  • Turiec Gallery

    Slovakia

    Trace Slovak identity through the last century or so of modern art at this diverting gallery, the best in central Martin. There's a permanent collection…

  • Galéria Bazovského

    Slovakia

    A 1000-strong collection of paintings and sketches by Miloš Alexander Bazovský, forefather of modern Slovak painting, is the core attraction of this…

  • Old City Walls

    Eastern Slovakia

    Follow Na hradbách, which branches from the main square's northeastern corner, to take a stroll around Bardejov’s old city walls. Ruins include the lower…

  • New Evangelical Church

    Eastern Slovakia

    The red-and-green, pseudo-Moorish New Evangelical Church, completed in 1894, dominates the south end of town.

  • Elizabeth's Room

    Eastern Slovakia

    Inside the Hotel Elizabeth, a baroque-dressed room offers a glimpse of the style that would have greeted Austrian Empress Sisi, who came to this spa town…

  • Tokaj Observation Tower

    Eastern Slovakia

    Shaped like a wine barrel, this lookout tower is a good vantage point to admire Tokaj's verdant wine country (and perhaps point out distant wineries).

  • Clock Tower

    Slovakia

    One of the old town's crowning constructions, Banská Bystrica's baroque clock tower was built in 1552; climb it for views over the central square.

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    Jesuit Church

    Bratislava

    The Jesuit Church of the Holy Saviour, just off Hlavné nám, was built in the 17th century. It's worth peeping inside to see the baroque altar.

  • Sándor Márai Memorial Room

    Košice

    The city's greatest literary giant is Sándor Márai, who was born in Košice (then Kassa, part of the Kingdom of Hungary). Peep at the ornate balcony of the…

  • Museum of Pharmacy

    Bratislava

    In an original burgher house, a tiny museum gives a glimpse of the unguents and ghoulish cures that would have been offered by the pharmacy that stood…

  • Napoleon's Soldier

    Bratislava

    Napoleon's army besieged Bratislava in 1809. According to local lore, one of his soldiers fell in love with a local girl and stayed in Bratislava. He's…

  • Považké Museum

    Slovakia

    Check out the exhibits (Slovak only) depicting the notorious highwayman Juraj Jánošík's exploits (and gruesome death) at this small museum in Terchová,…

  • Shire Hall

    Košice

    One of the main square's grandest buildings is this 1779 hall crowned with a coat of arms; today it's home to the East Slovak Gallery.

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