18 Best Places to Visit in Slovakia
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Loading... - Kathy Grant
- 21 Apr 2022
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If you’re planning on visiting Central Europe, Slovakia is an amazing destination, and frequently overlooked. These are the best places to visit in Slovakia. In Bratislava, there’s a castle with a museum of medieval weapons that offers tours for history buffs or those who just want to explore the grounds.
For outdoor enthusiasts, head into the high Tatra Mountains where hiking trails offer views of wildflowers and herds of sheep grazing on mountain meadows during summer months.
This is a crying shame, as Slovakia is filled with terrific wonders, landmarks, and attractions, including beautiful castles, ski resorts, hiking trails, nine national parks, historical monuments, beautiful nature, folk architecture, and amazing cities.
For those who want to know more about the places to visit in Slovakia, here is a list of 18 of the best places to visit in Slovakia, each one perfect for travelers looking for a new experience.
Whether you’re into hiking or skiing, Slovakia has something for everyone.
The country offers some of the most beautiful scenery and rich history in Central Europe – but still remains largely undiscovered by tourists.
Slovaks themselves love their homeland and explore it with gusto: 82% of them spend at least one day per month exploring their country’s natural beauty on foot!
List of the Best Places to Visit in Slovakia
1. Banská Štiavnica Calvary
Address: Pod Kalváriou, 969 01 Banská Štiavnica, Slovakia
The Banská Štiavnica Calvary is among the most stunning historical landmarks in the entire country. It is a baroque-style calvary monument perched on the hill of Scharfenberg.
Due to its location, it is a fascinating sight to see from afar and a great location to admire the stunning scenery from. Don’t forget your camera!
The beauty of this historical landmark and its history should not be missed. Banská Štiavnica Calvary is among the landmarks in the region that gets the most visitors.
Banská Štiavnica Calvary is home to various exhibits from one of its churches and provides an engaging tour of the region’s past.
The calvary is a gem that the town of Banská Štiavnica owns and preserves. For its unique beauty and historical significance, it was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1996.
2.Slovak Paradise National Park
Address: Slovakia
The Slovak Paradise National Park is a hidden treasure that every first-time visitor to Slovakia should explore. It is one of Slovakia’s most beautiful national parks, and it is among the country’s most visited national landmarks.
The park is part of the Slovenské Rudohorie Mountains (Slovak Paradise Mountains), which run along the Czech border in northern Slovakia, in the northeast corner of the range.
Slovak Paradise National Park has an area of 300 km of marked trails stretching through this enchanting paradise, and nature lovers flock to this place for good reason. The national park is true to its name; it is truly a verdant paradise, straight out of an adventure novel or Disney movie.
It is among the best places to visit to enjoy green space and an array of exciting and thrilling outdoor activities, such as climbing through its rocky gorges, skirting around cliff faces above rivers, and reaching the highest rocky outcrops to stare at beautiful scenery for miles. Some of these treks and hikes aren’t for the faint of heart!
In addition to more active excursions, it’s also a great place to take relaxing walks among grand scenery or enjoy the most sightly picnic you’ll ever munch on.
The park features vast forests, rocky canyons, rolling meadows, interesting rock formations, waterfalls of all shapes and sizes, mind-blowing views for DAYS, and an estimated 350 underground caves.
I’d love to go on, but this list of landmarks won’t write itself, so I’ll clue you in real quick; Among the most beautiful spots, are Dobšinská Ice Cave, Suchá Belá Gorge, and Prielom Hornádu Canyon.
3. Castle of Beckov
Address: Beckov 180, 916 38 Beckov, Slovakia
This ruined castle near Beckov, in the Nové Mesto nad Váhom District, Trenn Region is a national cultural monument, that has seen recent renovations since 2002.
This ruined castle, perched on a cliff above the Váh River, near the small town of Beckov, served as a strategic stronghold in Great Moravia.
The castle’s history is fascinating. Legend has it, that one of the castle’s lords, Stibor of Stiboricz, threw his jester from the cliff because he had the audacity to protect his child from being mauled by the lord’s favorite dog.
The jester cursed the lord as he fell, screaming “a year and a day!”
Supposedly, a year and a day after Stibor of Stiboricz had murdered his jester, he was taking a stroll along the cliff when a snake (of all things) leaped at him out of nowhere, biting him in the eye and causing him to fall to his death in the same spot he had flung the jester.
It’s likely all nonsense, but it’s all good, poetic justice nonsense!
Tourists commonly visit the ruins of the castle, especially during the castle’s festival in July. A superb exhibition of local history is also housed in the ancient Ambro Curia beneath the castle.
4. Castle of Spirits (Bojnice Castle)
Address: Zámok a okolie 1, 972 01 Bojnice, Slovakia
Bojnice Castle, also known as the Castle of Spirits, is among the most visited and notable castles in the historical town of Bojnice, 167 kilometers northeast of the capital city of Bratislava.
The exterior of this high-spired, spellbinding castle is utterly remarkable, and its interior is just as spectacular. Little wonder it is frequently used shooting location for fantasy films starring as one of the silver screen’s prettiest fairytale castles.
The castle includes well-maintained chambers that can be toured, and fantastic exhibits showcasing all sorts of medieval tools of arsenal, including swords, armor, halberds, and maces. Other highlights include the enormous ceramics collection and beautiful hand-painted Turkish tiles.
A wonderful museum of art and local history is housed within the castle’s château. This exhibition includes authentic furniture, numerous artifacts, and artworks, such as the late gothic collection Bojnice Altar from the 14th Century and many more hidden mysteries.
A tour of the castle includes a trip to the beautiful stalactite cave beneath the castle connected to the castle wall, which is 26 meters deep. Another attraction of this fairy-tale castle is the castle park, which is home to the Bojnice Zoo, Slovakia’s oldest zoo.
The castle park also leads onto a forest park in the nearby Strážov Mountains, which is great for keen hikers. Read More…
