Slovakia · Local picks
100+ Places to Visit in Slovakia
These are the places worth your time in Slovakia, from Bratislava's castle, cafés and wine bars to the lakes and huts of the High Tatras, the mining town of Banská Štiavnica, the castles of Spiš and the lively streets of Košice. Classics sit beside quiet corners many travellers miss, so every kind of visitor finds something to love.
Places to Visit in Bratislava
Arts and Culture
- Bratislava Castle (Castle Hill)
The white four-towered palace with views over the Danube to Austria. - St Martin's Cathedral (Old Town)
The Gothic coronation church of Hungarian kings for nearly three centuries. - Primate's Palace (Old Town)
A pink neoclassical palace with the Hall of Mirrors and rare English tapestries. - Blue Church (Old Town)
The pastel art nouveau Church of St Elizabeth, painted entirely in blue. - Danubiana Meulensteen Art Museum (Čunovo)
A modern art gallery on a Danube peninsula with a sculpture garden. - Slovak National Gallery (Riverfront)
The country's main art collection in a striking renovated riverside building.
Things to Do
- Devín Castle (Devín)
Cliff-top ruins where the Morava meets the Danube, a short bus ride from town. - UFO Observation Deck (Most SNP)
A viewing deck atop the flying saucer bridge tower with the best city panorama. - Čumil statue (Old Town)
The bronze sewer worker peeping from a manhole, a favourite photo stop. - Michael's Gate (Old Town)
The last surviving medieval town gate, with a tower you can climb. - Svätý Jur wine village (Small Carpathians)
A small wine town with family cellars on the edge of the capital.
Nature and Outdoors
- Kamzík Hill (Koliba)
Forest trails, a TV tower lookout and a summer bobsled track above the city. - Železná studnička (Bratislava Forest Park)
A wooded valley with ponds and walking and cycling paths loved by locals.
Restaurants
- Slovak Pub (Obchodná)
Hearty halušky and Slovak classics in a big, rustic and busy pub. - Modrá hviezda (Castle Hill)
Traditional Slovak cooking in a cosy vaulted house below the castle. - Flagship Restaurant (Námestie SNP)
A huge beer hall with Slovak dishes and its own brewed beer. - Bratislavský meštiansky pivovar (Drevená)
A city brewery serving home-brewed beer and Slovak food in a lively hall.
Cafés
- Kaffee Mayer (Hlavné námestie)
A historic café on the Main Square famous for cakes since the nineteenth century.
Bars and Nightlife
- Michalská and Venturska wine bars (Old Town)
Lanes lined with bars where you can taste Small Carpathian wines. - KC Dunaj (Nedbalova)
A rooftop cultural centre with concerts, parties and terrace views.
Shopping and Markets
- Old Market Hall (Námestie SNP)
A restored market hall hosting weekend food markets and events. - Eurovea (Riverfront)
A riverside shopping area with a promenade and Slovakia's first skyscraper nearby.
Events
- Bratislava Christmas Market (Main Square)
Mulled wine, lokše pancakes and crafts on the old town squares in December.
Stays
- Grand Hotel River Park (Riverfront)
A modern riverside hotel with a spa and Danube views. - Hotel Marrol's (Old Town)
A classic boutique hotel close to the river and the old town.
Places to Visit in High Tatras
Nature and Outdoors
- Štrbské Pleso (Štrbské Pleso)
A large glacial lake with a lakeside path and peaks reflected in the water. - Popradské Pleso (Mengusovská dolina)
The classic easy hike to a mountain lake and its hut. - Lomnický štít cable car (Tatranská Lomnica)
A cable car towards a summit with one of the best views in central Europe. - Studený potok waterfalls (Hrebienok)
A family-friendly walk past roaring waterfalls from the funicular top station. - Symbolic Cemetery (Popradské Pleso)
A moving forest memorial to those who died in the mountains. - Rysy (High Tatras)
The demanding hike to a peak on the Polish border with a famous hut below. - Kriváň (High Tatras)
The national symbol mountain, a long and rewarding climb. - Belianska Cave (Tatranská Kotlina)
A show cave with dripstone halls and a lake, open to visitors for over a century. - Belianske Tatras (Ždiar)
Limestone mountains with a scenic ridge path and wildflowers. - Tatranská Lomnica ski area (Tatranská Lomnica)
The largest ski area in the Tatras, with lifts and ski schools. - Aquacity Poprad (Poprad)
A thermal water park with pools, slides and Tatra views.
Things to Do
- Hrebienok funicular (Starý Smokovec)
The little railway from Starý Smokovec up to the trailheads at Hrebienok. - Tatra Electric Railway (Poprad to Štrbské Pleso)
The little electric train linking all the mountain resorts. - Poprad Spišská Sobota (Poprad)
A quiet historic square of Spiš houses near the Tatras gateway.
Restaurants
- Chata pri Zelenom plese (Zelené pleso)
A mountain hut beside a green lake under the walls of Jahňací štít. - Téryho chata (Malá Studená dolina)
A high stone hut supplied by porters, with soup and tea after a long climb. - Rainerova chata (Studená dolina)
The oldest hut in the Tatras, with a small porters' museum. - Zbojnícka chata (Veľká Studená dolina)
A remote hut in a high valley of lakes, reached on foot only.
Arts and Culture
- Ždiar village (Ždiar)
Painted Goral wooden houses in a village under the mountains.
Events
- Tatra Ice Cathedral (Hrebienok)
An ice sculpture built each winter at Hrebienok.
Stays
- Grand Hotel Kempinski High Tatras (Štrbské Pleso)
A historic lakeside grand hotel with a spa and mountain views. - Grandhotel Starý Smokovec (Starý Smokovec)
A classic old resort hotel at the heart of the Tatras. - Grandhotel Praha (Tatranská Lomnica)
A grand early twentieth century hotel near the cable car.
Places to Visit in Košice
Arts and Culture
- St Elisabeth Cathedral (Hlavná)
Slovakia's largest church, with a tower to climb and a royal crypt. - State Theatre Košice (Hlavná)
A neo-baroque theatre for opera, ballet and drama. - Lower Gate Underground Museum (Hlavná)
Medieval town foundations and fortifications beneath the main street. - Kasárne Kulturpark (Kukučínova)
Former barracks turned arts centre with exhibitions, concerts and workshops. - Kunsthalle Košice (Rumanova)
Contemporary art in a converted swimming pool building. - East Slovak Museum (Námestie Maratónu mieru)
Regional history with a famous hoard of gold coins. - Slovak Technical Museum (Hlavná)
Old machines, clocks and a planetarium, great for families.
Things to Do
- Hlavná ulica (Old Town)
The long pedestrian main street lined with baroque and art nouveau facades. - Singing Fountain (Hlavná)
A musical light-and-water show in front of the State Theatre on summer evenings. - Hrnčiarska street (Old Town)
A lane of craft workshops where artisans work in old houses. - Children's Railway Čermeľ (Čermeľ)
A narrow gauge forest railway run partly by children.
Restaurants
- Med Malina (Hlavná)
Polish and Slovak home cooking in a warm, popular restaurant.
Cafés
- Café Slávia (Hlavná)
An art nouveau café with a grand historic interior.
Bars and Nightlife
- Golem Pivovar (Hlavná)
A brewpub serving its own beer in a large cellar.
Shopping and Markets
- Košice Christmas Market (Hlavná)
Stalls of crafts, mulled wine and lokše along the main street.
Events
- Košice Peace Marathon (Old Town)
One of Europe's oldest marathons, run every October.
Nature and Outdoors
- Herľany Geyser (Herľany)
A cold water geyser that erupts every few days. - Domica Cave (Slovak Karst)
A UNESCO listed cave with a boat ride on an underground river. - Gombasecká Cave (Slovak Karst)
A cave known for delicate thin straw stalactites.
Stays
- Hotel Bankov (Bankov)
A historic hotel in the forest above the city. - Hotel Yasmin (Old Town)
A modern hotel close to the cathedral.
Places to Visit in Banská Štiavnica
Arts and Culture
- Old Castle (Old Town)
A Romanesque church turned fortress, now the town museum. - New Castle (Old Town)
A white lookout tower with exhibitions on the Ottoman wars. - Holy Trinity Square (Old Town)
The sloping main square with its plague column and merchant houses. - Svätý Anton Manor (Svätý Anton)
A baroque manor with a hunting museum and gardens. - Mining Museum Berggericht (Old Town)
Exhibits on the technology of Štiavnica's mines. - Botanical Garden (Banská Štiavnica)
A historic academy garden with exotic trees.
Things to Do
- Banská Štiavnica Calvary (Scharfenberg)
A baroque hilltop complex of chapels with sweeping views. - Open Air Mining Museum (Banská Štiavnica)
Go underground in helmets along real historic mine shafts.
Nature and Outdoors
- Počúvadlo lake (Štiavnica Mountains)
A historic mining lake for swimming and forest walks. - Veľká Vodárenská (Banská Štiavnica)
A swimming lake on the edge of town. - Richňava lakes (Štiavnické Bane)
Quiet mining lakes with clear water and fewer crowds. - Sitno (Štiavnica Mountains)
The highest peak of the range, with a lookout tower and legends.
Events
- Salamander festival (Old Town)
A costumed night parade of miners held every September.
Restaurants
- Pivovar Erb (Old Town)
A town brewery with Slovak food and its own beer.
Places to Visit in Spiš
Arts and Culture
- Spiš Castle (Spišské Podhradie)
One of central Europe's largest castle complexes, on a bare limestone hill. - Basilica of St James (Levoča)
Home to the tallest Gothic wooden altar in the world. - Church of the Holy Spirit (Žehra)
A small church with medieval wall paintings below the castle. - Spišská Kapitula (Spišské Podhradie)
A walled street of canons' houses around a Romanesque cathedral. - Mariánska hora (Levoča)
A hilltop pilgrimage church with views over the town. - Kežmarok Castle (Kežmarok)
A Renaissance castle in a charming Spiš town. - Wooden Articular Church (Kežmarok)
A UNESCO listed wooden Protestant church. - Spiš Museum (Levoča)
Regional history in the old town hall.
Things to Do
- Levoča Main Square (Levoča)
A Renaissance square of merchant houses and a historic town hall. - Dunajec rafting (Červený Kláštor)
Traditional wooden rafts on a river gorge in the Pieniny.
Nature and Outdoors
- Suchá Belá gorge (Slovenský raj)
The classic ladder and waterfall gorge in the Slovak Paradise. - Prielom Hornádu (Slovenský raj)
A river canyon path along chains and footbridges. - Piecky gorge (Slovenský raj)
A wilder gorge with ladders up waterfalls. - Tomášovský výhľad (Čingov)
An easy walk to a rock viewpoint over the Hornád valley. - Dobšiná Ice Cave (Dobšinská Ľadová Jaskyňa)
A UNESCO listed cave filled with ice all year round.
Shopping and Markets
- Spišská Nová Ves square (Spišská Nová Ves)
One of the longest squares in Slovakia with shops and cafés.
Stays
- Hotel Arkáda (Levoča)
A hotel in a Gothic house on the square. - Podlesok camping (Hrabušice)
A campsite and cabins at the edge of the national park.
More to Explore
We are still checking these with fresh sources, so confirm opening times before you go.
- Foxford (Old Town, Bratislava)
A relaxed Irish-run café known for brunch and good coffee. - Coronation Festivities (Old Town, Bratislava)
A summer weekend re-enactment of the historic Hungarian coronations. - Koliba Patria (Štrbské Pleso, High Tatras)
A wooden restaurant with Slovak dishes by the lake. - Republika Východu (Hlavná, Košice)
Eastern Slovak comfort food and local beer in a lively setting. - Villa Regia (Dominikánske námestie, Košice)
Traditional dishes in a historic cellar. - Kafé Pod Bránou (Old Town, Košice)
A small café loved for its coffee and quiet atmosphere. - Hostinec (Hlavná, Košice)
A popular local pub with Slovak beer and simple food. - Divná pani (Old Town, Banská Štiavnica)
Creative Slovak cooking in a historic house. - Café Divná pani (Old Town, Banská Štiavnica)
A creative café with a garden in the historic centre. - Libresso (Old Town, Banská Štiavnica)
A café and bookshop in the heart of town. - Cukráreň Fortuna (Old Town, Banská Štiavnica)
A local pastry shop for cakes and ice cream. - Art Café (Old Town, Banská Štiavnica)
A cultural café and bar with live music. - Štiavnica Farmers Market (Old Town, Banská Štiavnica)
Local cheeses, honey and crafts sold in town. - Hotel Grand Matej (Old Town, Banská Štiavnica)
A historic hotel in the centre of town. - Penzión Kachelman (Old Town, Banská Štiavnica)
A guesthouse with a restaurant in the old town. - U 3 apoštolov (Levoča, Spiš)
Traditional Slovak food in a historic house on the square. - U Leva (Levoča, Spiš)
A hotel restaurant in a historic house on the square. - Podlesok huts (Hrabušice, Spiš)
Simple pubs and grills at the start of the gorge trails. - Hotel Flora (Čingov, Spiš)
A simple hotel close to the Hornád trails.