A
country full of castles, restored palaces as well as ruins.
Slovakia's history as a meeting point of many cultures brought
it both the wealth needed to build these structures, and the
battles fought between and around them.
Vysoke Tatry
Strbske Pleso, Vysoke TatryThe High Tatras are the most compact
mountains of alpine type in Europe, located on Slovakia’s
northern border with Poland. The resort is a popular destinaton
for hiking in summer and skiing in winter. The village of
Zdiar offers the chance to enjoy traditional Slovak folk culture,
especially at its local museum.
The neighbouring national parks
of Slovak Paradise, Low Tatras and Pieniny all provide distinctive
and memorable outdoor experiences. The UNESCO World Heritage
sites of Spis Castle and Bardejov town are close enough for
day trips, as are the cities of Kosice and Presov.
How to Get There
Unless you travel by car, you will probably get to Vysoke
Tatry via Poprad: the airport (with connections to Prague
and London), train station (on the main line from Bratislava
to Kosice) and bus station (connecting smaller towns) are
all easy arrival points.
To get up into the foothills,
trains run from Poprad to all settlements, and from Strba
to Strbske Pleso. The fastest road, E50, also runs through
Poprad, but scenic approaches are also possible from other
directions.
Bratislava
Slovakia's capital city is
at last coming to life. Tourists are coming to love the freshly
restored old town, now almost entirely closed to cars. Business
of all kinds is booming in one of the European Union's most
rapidly-expanding capitals. The population of some half-million
inhabitants is quickly adapting to its new role in the expanded
Europe.
Bratislava is a small historical
city, growing capably (if sometimes slowly) into its new role
of capital city of a new European Union member. Its communist
past dominates its large-scale appearance, but at its core
is a reemerging sparkler of history, culture, business and
recreation.
Piestany
The quiet spa resort town of
Piestany was founded in the picturesque valley of the Vah
River. The spa is renowned for successful treatment of arthritis.
Many treatment methods are based on the extraordinary therapeutic
effects of the area's thermal springs and curative mud.
Piestany boasts beautiful
parks and recreational areas. Piestany attracts many who seek
health-oriented spa treatment, especially those who seek high
value for the cost. Guests from eastern Europe and Arab countries
have been coming for many years, but increasingly western
Europeans also appreciate Piestany.
This is because Piestany offers
so many old-fashioned cures which Europeans have found effective
for generations, at truly affordable prices.
How to Get There
Most trains on the main line
north from Bratislava (about an hour away) stop at Piestany’s
train station, from where it is a pleasant walk or short taxi
ride to the spas and hotels. It is also each to reach Piestany
by car via the main E75 highway. There are many bus connections
from other points.
Kosice
This metropolis of Eastern
Slovakia is a regional administrative centre and hub of industry,
commerce, science and culture. The country's second largest
city, Kosice curently has a population of more than 250,000
inhabitants. Attractions in Kosice focus around the pedestrians-only
main square, one of Slovakia’s liveliest.
The epicentre is the gothic
Cathedral of St Elizabeth, and its neighbour the empire-era
State Theatre, home to opera and ballet. Theatrical performances
in Slovak, Hungarian and Roma languages, or by puppets, are
all in the vicinity. The city’s museums concentrate
on historical aspects of art, culture and technology, and
most of them are walking distance from the main square.
Beneath the square itself lies
more to see: extensive excavations have unveiled unique remnants
of medieval fortifications and other traces of the city’s
past.
How to Get There
Kosice may be one of Slovakia’s
most easterly cities, but its airport offers daily connections
to Prague and Bratislava; and its main train station has direct
daily connections to Prague, Bratislava, Budapest, Krakow
and Kiev. A highway (E50) runs to Presov and part-way to the
High Tatras and Spis regions, and other roads connect it to
all other directions.
Nearby attractions, all within
about an hour’s drive, include the beautifully-restored
Krasna Horka castle, and the huge 19th-century hunting chateau
of Betliar. Natural attractions include several caves registered
as UNESCO Cultural Heritage sites, a mineral geyser, and extensive
hiking trails – as well as the aptly-named Slovak Paradise.
Slovensky raj
This gorgeous region, which
quite deservedly has been recognised and protected as a national
park, is indeed a paradise for visitors. Among the most beautiful
of the ravines are Kysel, Sokolia dolina, Velky and Maly Sokol,
Piecka and Sucha Bela.
One place not to be missed
is a section of the River Hornad where it produced a canyon
known as Prielom Hornadu. The fierce current of the Hornad
is impeded by rock faces falling directly into the river itself,
and negotiating this requires great skill.
Many hotels, pensions, camp-sites
and private houses offer accommodation in the tourist areas
of Slovensky raj National Park.
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