Things to see and do Central Slovakia

Not far from the confluence of the Slatina and Hron rivers, in the old town of Zvolen, there is an urban castle, built between 1370 and 1382 under the reign of King Louis the Great of Hungary. It was then renovated during the 16th century and more recently in the 1960s. Today, it houses a beautiful collection of Renaissance paintings belonging to the national gallery as well as temporary exhibitions of artists or young art students.

One of the most beautiful castles in Slovakia. Originally mentioned in the ^12th century, the castle was built of wood before being completely rebuilt in stone in the ^13th century. In 1643, it passed into the hands of the Pálffy family, to whom the castle owes its current magnificence. Between 1889 and 1910, John Francis Pálffy devoted a considerable part of his fortune to embellishing the castle. The architect Joseph Hubert, known for his taste for the neo-Gothic style, was in charge of the work. On John Francis Pálffy's death, the château came under state ownership. Its successive embellishments make Bojnice the finest example of Slovakian castle renovation in the ^19th-century Romantic style. The castle's interiors still display the original decorations of the Pálffy family, whose portraits adorn the walls. Highlights of the visit include a beautiful chapel with magnificent ^14th-century murals, the winter garden, an incredible Oriental salon with Arabesque ornaments and Buddhist statuettes, the gilded hall with its ceilings inlaid with gold leaf, and the castle caves where a spring carved the rock and in which the skeleton of a Neanderthal man was discovered. Various types of tours are available, including night visits, sometimes by candlelight only, with a guide in period costume - an original way to discover this unique building and its legends.

From the 16th to the 19th century, Banská Štiavnica developed a revolutionary system: a hydrographic network of 60 artificial lakes dug to pump water from mines and run machinery. Today, this system is a World Heritage Site and 23 lakes are frequented by tourists in summer for walks and swimming. The lake Počúvadlo is the largest of them. A beautiful hike links the lake Počúvadlo to Mount Sitno for 3 km, about 2 hours of walking.

List of proposed accommodation around the lake. Chata Dorotka, Chata Hron, Chata Katka, Chata Lodiar, Chata West, Hotel Topky, Koliba Veronika, Penzión Anna, Penzión Omad, Penzión pod Sitnom, Terasa u Blaškov.

The Demänovská Ice Cave is one of the oldest known caves in Europe. This cave is particularly remarkable for its surreal ice formations that were formed as a result of a landslide about five hundred years ago. The air cooled and the waterfalls and lakes gradually froze. The visit lasts about 45 minutes for a circuit of 650 meters. Bring a good sweater, the temperature constantly oscillates between 0 °C and 3 °C.

The Brestová Cave is the first cave in the Orava region that is open to the public. It is about 1,450 m long and only 217 m open (round trip), which means a visit of 434 m. It contains an underground river and nine species of bats. The visit lasts about 50 minutes and the temperature inside varies between 4.9°C and 5.4°C. For safety reasons, entry is limited to groups of no more than 15 people.

The village is situated in the suburbs of the Industrielle industrial town, at the foot of the Great Mess and Mount Sidorovo, at 718 m above sea level. Vlkolinec is accessible by regular buses from Strbske Mikuláš and Ski, and by car via E 50 and by E 77. It is best to park its car at the bottom of the hiking and walk up to the village the parking garage of the village entrance is paid 1 €/hour.

This small village located 27 km west of Strbske Mikuláš was classified as UNESCO Heritage in 1993. It is the best preserved and most complete of traditional wooden houses throughout Central Europe in a completely preserved environment too. Its wooden houses dating from most of the th century have the unique style of the region, made from a wooden structure, clay walls and stone basement. In houses 16 and 17 there is an exhibition of life and habitat. The name of Vlkolinec has as its origin the obligation of its inhabitants in the Middle Ages to pose traps with wolf, vlk, in Slovak.

The village and the valley are starting points for 6 hiking and 2 mountain biking paths.

One of the only accessible mines in the Liptov region, in which one can apprehend the hard work of miners in the hope of finding gold. A visit you will remember for a long time, in these galleries built over decades thanks to the hard work of man. A headlamp will be given to each visitor before entering, no special clothing or shoes are required. By car, a paid parking is available 200 m from the site.

The entrance is located on the northwestern slope of Smrekovice. It is not the best known cave in the country, but it is one of the oldest in the region. Discovered in 1720, it was formed by erosion and corrosion of an underground stream. In a beautiful valley, the visit is interesting even if the guides do not speak (or little) English. The temperature inside the cave is always stable, around 6°C, so bring a little wool, especially in summer.