Slovakia

Slovakia is a mountain country: the High Tatras rise to jagged 2,600 m peaks barely an hour from medieval Spiš Castle, one of central Europe's largest fortress complexes. Bratislava sits on the Danube within sight of Austria, mining-era Banská Štiavnica climbs a volcanic caldera, and hundreds of wooden churches and ice caves hide in the valleys between.

Capital

Bratislava

Population

5.4M

Area

49,035 km²

Currency

Euro (EUR)

Language

Slovak

Time zone

CET (UTC+1) / CEST (UTC+2)

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  01

  Bratislava Region

  Danube capital, castle hill and Small Carpathian wine

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  02

  Trnava Region

  Little Rome's churches, Červený Kameň and Danube plains

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  03

  Trenčín Region

  Cliff-top Trenčín castle, Bojnice and Vlkolínec's folk houses

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  04

  Nitra Region

  Slovakia's oldest town, Nitra castle and thermal Podhájska

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  05

  Žilina Region

  High and Western Tatras, Orava castle and Vrátna valley

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  06

  Banská Bystrica Region

  Mining UNESCO Banská Štiavnica and Low Tatras

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  07

  Prešov Region

  High Tatras, Spiš Castle, Levoča and Slovak Paradise

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  08

  Košice Region

  Eastern cultural capital, Tokaj slopes and Domica caves

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  Historic Site

  Banská Bystrica

  Banská Bystrica is a city in central Slovakia, located on the Hron River in a long and wide valley encircled by the mountain chains of the Low Tatras, the Veľká Fatra, and the Kremnica Mountains. With approximately 76,000 inhabitants, Banská Bystrica is the sixth most populous municipality in Slovakia.

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  Historic Site

  Banská Štiavnica

  Banská Štiavnica (Slovak pronunciation:; German: Schemnitz; Hungarian: Selmecbánya (Selmec), pronounced ) is a town in central Slovakia, in the middle of an immense caldera created by the collapse of an ancient volcano. For its size, the caldera is known as the Štiavnica Mountains.

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  Cave

  Bystrianska Cave

  Bystrianska Cave is a limestone cave located on the southern slopes of the Nizke Tatry Mountains, along the road towards Banska Bystrica, at the southern edge of the town of Bystrá, in the Brezno District, Banskobystrický region, in Slovakia.

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  Historic Site

  Čertovica

  Čertovica is a mountain pass in the Low Tatras mountain range in Slovakia. It connects regions of Liptov and Horehronie.

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  Historic Site

  Dereše

  Dereše (Hungarian: Deres(original name), 2,004 m) is the third highest peak of the Low Tatra range, in central Slovakia. It is located on the way between the highest mountains of the range, Ďumbier and Chopok in the east, and Chabenec in the west.

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  Historic Site

  Devil's Rock, Budča

  Devil's Rock is a naturally formed stone structure that stands on the edge of a mountain in the Boky national nature reserve near Budča in Slovakia. It is unique in Central Europe. Čertova skala was formed through the weathering of a volcanic bomb made of andesite.

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  Historic Site

  Ďumbier

  Ďumbier (2,043 m or 6,703 ft) is the highest mountain in the Low Tatra range, in central Slovakia. Despite the remains of medieval mines (gold, iron, antimony), the massif is now protected as a part of the Low Tatras National Park.

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  Cave

  Harmanecká Cave

  Harmanecká Cave or Harmanec Cave is a stalactite cave in Central Slovakia. It is located on the northern side of the Kotolnica massif in the Staré Hory and Kremnica mountain ranges and south of the Veľká Fatra mountains.

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  Historic Site

  Hodruša Reservoir

  Hodruša Reservoir is a tajchy in the Štiavnické vrchy mountain range in the cadastral area of the village Hodruša-Hámre. Registered as one of the objects on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List within the Banská Štiavnica and its surroundings area.

• Bratislava

  Compact Danube capital under a white castle.

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• Košice

  Gothic St Elisabeth cathedral and Slovakia's longest main square.

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• Banská Štiavnica

  UNESCO mining town in a collapsed volcano.

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• Levoča

  Walled town with the world's tallest Gothic altar.

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• Žilina

  Gateway to Vrátna valley and the north-west castles.

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• Poprad

  Base camp for the High Tatras and Aquacity.

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• High Tatras

  Alpine lakes, huts and Slovakia's highest summits.

• Slovak Paradise

  Ladder-and-waterfall gorges through forested canyons.

• Low Tatras

  Demänovská caves, Chopok ridge and ski country.

• Malá Fatra

  Vrátna valley, Jánošík's gorges and rocky ridgelines.

• Gerlachovský štít

  The Carpathians' highest peak at 2,655 m, guide required.

• Chopok

  Low Tatras ridge with lifts from both sides.

• Súľov Rocks

  Conglomerate towers and arches above a castle ruin.

• Bryndzové halušky

  Potato dumplings with sheep's cheese and bacon.

• Kapustnica

  Sauerkraut soup with sausage and mushrooms, a Christmas staple.

• Žinčica

  Tart whey drink from shepherds' huts.

• Tokaj Slovak wines

  Volcanic-soil whites from the eastern Tokaj slopes.

• 01

  Slovakia uses the euro, unlike its Czech, Polish and Hungarian neighbours.

• 02

  High Tatras trails above the huts close roughly November to mid-June.

• 03

  A motorway e-vignette is mandatory and bought online before driving.