Find places in Slovakia

Must-Haves

• 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.

Fun for Everyone

• Blue Church (Old Town)
  The pastel art nouveau Church of St Elizabeth, painted entirely in blue.

Off the Beaten Path

• Danubiana Meulensteen Art Museum (Čunovo)
  A modern art gallery on a Danube peninsula with a sculpture garden.

Must-Haves

• Devín Castle (Devín)
  Cliff-top ruins where the Morava meets the Danube, a short bus ride from town.
• Michael's Gate (Old Town)
  The last surviving medieval town gate, with a tower you can climb.

Fun for Everyone

• 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.

Off the Beaten Path

• Svätý Jur wine village (Small Carpathians)
  A small wine town with family cellars on the edge of the capital.

Fun for Everyone

• Kamzík Hill (Koliba)
  Forest trails, a TV tower lookout and a summer bobsled track above the city.

Off the Beaten Path

• Železná studnička (Bratislava Forest Park)
  A wooded valley with ponds and walking and cycling paths loved by locals.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Slovak Pub (Obchodná)
  Hearty halušky and Slovak classics in a big, rustic and busy pub.
• Flagship Restaurant (Námestie SNP)
  A huge beer hall with Slovak dishes and its own brewed beer.

Great for Date Night

• Modrá hviezda (Castle Hill)
  Traditional Slovak cooking in a cosy vaulted house below the castle.
• Bratislavský meštiansky pivovar (Drevená)
  A city brewery serving home-brewed beer and Slovak food in a lively hall.

Must-Haves

• Kaffee Mayer (Hlavné námestie)
  A historic café on the Main Square famous for cakes since the nineteenth century.

Great for Date Night

• Michalská and Venturska wine bars (Old Town)
  Lanes lined with bars where you can taste Small Carpathian wines.

Fun for Everyone

• KC Dunaj (Nedbalova)
  A rooftop cultural centre with concerts, parties and terrace views.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Old Market Hall (Námestie SNP)
  A restored market hall hosting weekend food markets and events.

Must-Haves

• Eurovea (Riverfront)
  A riverside shopping area with a promenade and Slovakia's first skyscraper nearby.

Fun for Everyone

• Bratislava Christmas Market (Main Square)
  Mulled wine, lokše pancakes and crafts on the old town squares in December.

Great for Date Night

• Grand Hotel River Park (Riverfront)
  A modern riverside hotel with a spa and Danube views.

Must-Haves

• Hotel Marrol's (Old Town)
  A classic boutique hotel close to the river and the old town.

Must-Haves

• 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.

Fun for Everyone

• Studený potok waterfalls (Hrebienok)
  A family-friendly walk past roaring waterfalls from the funicular top station.

Off the Beaten Path

• Symbolic Cemetery (Popradské Pleso)
  A moving forest memorial to those who died in the mountains.

Fun for Everyone

• 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.

Must-Haves

• Poprad Spišská Sobota (Poprad)
  A quiet historic square of Spiš houses near the Tatras gateway.

Low Cost and Authentic

• 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.

Off the Beaten Path

• Zbojnícka chata (Veľká Studená dolina)
  A remote hut in a high valley of lakes, reached on foot only.

Off the Beaten Path

• Ždiar village (Ždiar)
  Painted Goral wooden houses in a village under the mountains.

Fun for Everyone

• Tatra Ice Cathedral (Hrebienok)
  An ice sculpture built each winter at Hrebienok.

Great for Date Night

• Grand Hotel Kempinski High Tatras (Štrbské Pleso)
  A historic lakeside grand hotel with a spa and mountain views.

Must-Haves

• Grandhotel Starý Smokovec (Starý Smokovec)
  A classic old resort hotel at the heart of the Tatras.

Fun for Everyone

• Grandhotel Praha (Tatranská Lomnica)
  A grand early twentieth century hotel near the cable car.

Must-Haves

• 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.

Off the Beaten Path

• Lower Gate Underground Museum (Hlavná)
  Medieval town foundations and fortifications beneath the main street.
• Kunsthalle Košice (Rumanova)
  Contemporary art in a converted swimming pool building.

Fun for Everyone

• Kasárne Kulturpark (Kukučínova)
  Former barracks turned arts centre with exhibitions, concerts and workshops.

Must-Haves

• Hlavná ulica (Old Town)
  The long pedestrian main street lined with baroque and art nouveau facades.

Fun for Everyone

• Singing Fountain (Hlavná)
  A musical light-and-water show in front of the State Theatre on summer evenings.
• Children's Railway Čermeľ (Čermeľ)
  A narrow gauge forest railway run partly by children.

Off the Beaten Path

• Hrnčiarska street (Old Town)
  A lane of craft workshops where artisans work in old houses.

Great for Date Night

• Med Malina (Hlavná)
  Polish and Slovak home cooking in a warm, popular restaurant.

Must-Haves

• Café Slávia (Hlavná)
  An art nouveau café with a grand historic interior.

Great for Date Night

• Golem Pivovar (Hlavná)
  A brewpub serving its own beer in a large cellar.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Košice Christmas Market (Hlavná)
  Stalls of crafts, mulled wine and lokše along the main street.

Must-Haves

• Košice Peace Marathon (Old Town)
  One of Europe's oldest marathons, run every October.

Off the Beaten Path

• Herľany Geyser (Herľany)
  A cold water geyser that erupts every few days.

Fun for Everyone

• 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.

Must-Haves

• Hotel Bankov (Bankov)
  A historic hotel in the forest above the city.

Great for Date Night

• Hotel Yasmin (Old Town)
  A modern hotel close to the cathedral.

Must-Haves

• 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.

Fun for Everyone

• 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.

Must-Haves

• Banská Štiavnica Calvary (Scharfenberg)
  A baroque hilltop complex of chapels with sweeping views.

Fun for Everyone

• Open Air Mining Museum (Banská Štiavnica)
  Go underground in helmets along real historic mine shafts.

Fun for Everyone

• 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.

Off the Beaten Path

• 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.

Must-Haves

• Salamander festival (Old Town)
  A costumed night parade of miners held every September.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Pivovar Erb (Old Town)
  A town brewery with Slovak food and its own beer.

Must-Haves

• 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.

Off the Beaten Path

• 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.

Fun for Everyone

• Mariánska hora (Levoča)
  A hilltop pilgrimage church with views over the town.

Must-Haves

• Levoča Main Square (Levoča)
  A Renaissance square of merchant houses and a historic town hall.

Fun for Everyone

• Dunajec rafting (Červený Kláštor)
  Traditional wooden rafts on a river gorge in the Pieniny.

Must-Haves

• Suchá Belá gorge (Slovenský raj)
  The classic ladder and waterfall gorge in the Slovak Paradise.
• Dobšiná Ice Cave (Dobšinská Ľadová Jaskyňa)
  A UNESCO listed cave filled with ice all year round.

Fun for Everyone

• Prielom Hornádu (Slovenský raj)
  A river canyon path along chains and footbridges.
• Tomášovský výhľad (Čingov)
  An easy walk to a rock viewpoint over the Hornád valley.

Off the Beaten Path

• Piecky gorge (Slovenský raj)
  A wilder gorge with ladders up waterfalls.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Spišská Nová Ves square (Spišská Nová Ves)
  One of the longest squares in Slovakia with shops and cafés.

Must-Haves

• Hotel Arkáda (Levoča)
  A hotel in a Gothic house on the square.

Fun for Everyone

• Podlesok camping (Hrabušice)
  A campsite and cabins at the edge of the national park.