Places to visit

In this chapter we will give suggestions on how to spend a holiday in Slovakia, so that you have an unforgettable experience and learn more about the splendid nature of this country, its people, and its culture.

There are many places worth seeing in Slovakia, and of course we can only offer you a small selection. For further details visit this website.

Castles and manor houses

Slovakia is a country rich in different fortifications and castles. Many were entered into the List of World Cultural and Natural Heritage of UNESCO, including Spiš Castle, which is one of the largest castle complexes in Central Europe. The most beautiful castle in the Small Carpathians is Červený kameň. On the other hand, Devín Castle gives us a tangible link with the Slovak nation's most distant history.

In spite of efforts to reconstruct as many castles as possible, many are ruins. One response to this situation was the establishment of Miniature Park in Podolie, whose owners decided to create scaled-down models of Slovak castles, as they appeared at their peak.

For further details on Slovak castles visit this website.

Caves

Slovakia ranks among the countries richest in karst formations, with 7014 known caves on the 31th of December 2014. They are mostly concentrated in the Slovenský kras and many are known throughout Europe and the world. Forty-four caves and chasms in Slovakia have been declared national natural monuments. Twelve caves are accessible to the public, five are accessible to tourists and 30 more are freely accessible. Caves allow us to embark on an interesting journey to beauty and knowledge. Many caves are also used for the treatment of respiratory diseases, known as speleotherapy.

The longest cave system in Slovakia is in the Žilina region; its underground spaces extend for 24 km. Of nine caves, two are open to the public - the Demänovská ice cave and the Cave of Freedom, which is the most visited cave in Slovakia.

For further details visit this website.

Outdoor museums

If you want to know how people lived in Slovakia in the past, don't miss the opportunity to visit an outdoor museum. Outdoor museums preserve and display extraordinary works of original architecture of all sorts.

The largest outdoor museum in Slovakia is the Museum of the Slovak Village in Martin. Others are situated in Banská Štiavnica, Bardejovské Kúpele, Nitra, Zuberec – Museum of Orava Village, Vychylovka – Museum of Kysuce Village, Pribylina, Svidník, Humenné, and other municipalities.

You can learn more about the lives of our predecessors in the villages of Vlkolínec and Čičmany. In 1977, the lower side of Čičmany was declared a conservation area to prevent the destruction of rare buildings. It has 110 buildings, of which 37 are national cultural monuments.

The settlement of Vlkolínec is part of the city of Ružomberok. It is a conservation area for folk architecture and a UNESCO World Heritage site. It represents a type of rural medieval settlement with the wooden architecture characteristic of mountain and foothill regions.

intro.slovakia.general.source http://sk.wikipedia.org

Tourism in the mountains

Whether in summer or winter, the Slovak mountains always offer many ways to spend your holidays.

The most important tourist destination is the High Tatra mountains. It is the highest Slovak mountain chain, and home to many rare animal and plant species. In the High Tatra mountains there are three main resorts - Štrbské Pleso, Tatranská Lomnica and Starý Smokovec.

The Low Tatra mountains are the second highest mountain chain in Slovakia and a sought-after resort throughout the year. Tourists are particularly attracted by Kráľova hoľa, a celebrated mountain that is shrouded with many legends.

Thanks to its natural beauty, Slovenský raj is regarded as one of the most beautiful natural areas in Slovakia. It is characterised by rugged topography, with gorges, streams with waterfalls and karst formations that are made accessible to the public by footpaths, and over more difficult terrain with chains and ladders. The gorges and gullies of Slovenský raj hide a large number of waterfalls - from small ones to to others that are dozens of metres high.

intro.slovakia.general.source http://sk.wikipedia.org

Thermal pools

A welcome supplement to an active holiday is to relax in numerous Slovak thermal pools. In the Bešeňová or Aquapark Tatralandia thermal resorts, you can relax and have a good time year round, and sample the healing power of hot springs.

Another popular tourist destination is the thermal pool of Podhájska, which has unique geothermal healing water with a mineral composition similar to that of the Dead Sea. Additional thermal pools with healing water can be found in Nové Zámky, Komárno, Veľký Meder, Rajecké Teplice and other cities.

intro.slovakia.general.source http://sk.wikipedia.org