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Trenčín Castle was built in the 10th century. Since 11th century it was the royal castle, which not only withstood Tatar invasions, but also served as a fortress against the Turks. It was gradually rebuilt and expanded, but the castle burnt down in 1790. Its reconstruction began just after 1945.

Trenčín Castle is accessible all year-round except for Mondays. You can get there directly from the city centre by following the street leading from the main city’s square (Mierové námestie). The castle is nicely illuminated at night.

Various events are held on the castle during the summer, such as folk exhibitions, fencing tournaments, live music concerts and more. One part of the castle serves as a gallery where you can see oil paintings of local nobility, emblems and seals.

The biggest attraction of the castle is 80 metres deep well, called Well of Love. The well is excavated into the hard rock and it is said that the well was built by Turkish Omar Pasha. Stephen Zápoľský held in captivity a beautiful girl Fatima, loved by Omar, and Zápoľský promised him that if he sink a well at the castle, he will let her go. The works lasted three years and then Fatima and Omar could really leave the castle.

In Trenčín you can also find many other historical sites. It is one of the most beautiful cities in Slovakia and certainly worth a visit.

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Malá Fatra is located in the northern part of the country. Its tourist centre is Terchová village. Accommodation is offered mostly by private owners in their home areas or cottages. The prices are around €10 per night. There are also several hotels with prices around €35 per night. In every village around the park you can find local restaurants offering delicious meals for little money.

Charming small waterfalls and gorges in Vrátna Valley

One of the most interesting trips that can be undertaken in a national park, is a visit to two waterfalls. One of them is Šútovský waterfall which is set at the river Sut in Šútovská dolina valley. The stream is more than 2 meters wide and falls to 38 meters deep gorge.

Another one, which is one of the rarest Slovak falls, is 10 meters high Klacký waterfall, declared a national natural monument. There is stunning countryside around with wild rapids and a giant pots (holes carved by water).

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Gorges in Vrátna valley and Terchová valley are popular hiking attractions thanks to a beautiful scenery of rocky formations but also to local folklore festivities. They are held here every year in honor of Juraj Jánošík, a native of Terchová village.

You can also visit Crystal cave in Malý Rozsutec or climb to the highest peak of Malá Fatra – Veľký Kriváň (1709 m). If you get tired you can relax in nearby thermal park Meander Park in Oravice featuring geothermal water with temperature ranging from 35 to 37°C, or in another thermal park Bešeňová.

If you wish to learn more about famous Juraj Jánošík you can visit museum in Terchová or another popular open air museum in the village Nová Bystrica – Vychylovce. It documents the local folk architecture and life in the past. An interesting exhibition is the historic forest railways from the early 20th century.

Malá Fatra National Park with the equally interesting surroundings is simply the perfect place for a nice and cheap holiday. If you want to save some money in these hectic days and enjoy great nature at the same time, come to Slovakia.

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Termalpark Veľký Meder offers 9 pools with thermal water, with a temperature of 26-38 °C. The complex consists of indoor and outdoor sections. Indoor swimming complex offers 4 pools, bubble bath, massage, biosolarium, sauna world, bioptron treatment, beauty salon, magnotherapy, self-service restaurant and bar. There are 5 water slides, two of them are open whole year round, rope park, sports pitch, table tennis, playground or you can try aqua aerobic.

Children can have fun in new indoor entertainment pool, where they can find a unique attraction: an interactive water playground “Water Tower”. Waterfalls, showers, water curtain, water cannons, and slides for children offer unforgettable moments and maximum fun for the whole family.

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The basic whole-day ticket costs €8 but it’s little bit higher on weekends and summer. However there are several discounts e.g. if you stay overnight in the complex or in some of the partners’ hotels nearby. The indoor complex is open daily from 9am to 9pm whole year round and outdoor complex only from May to October – but you can use outdoor thermal pools without any restrictions also in winter. It is really worth to warm your body in these cold days!

For further information visit the official website of Thermalpark Veľký Meder.

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Pieniny is spread in the northern part of the country called Spiš, in the region of Zamagurie. It is about 30 km long and belongs to Beskydy mountain range. In 1932, Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk established here the first international natural park in Europe. It was formed by National park of Pieniny in Poland and Nature Reserve of Pieniny in Slovakia. In 1967 was declared a National Park. Most tourists to Slovakia often stop in the High Tatras Mountains only, without knowing how beautiful nature is hidden behind them.

Pieniny National Park is an area with unspoilt nature, where meadows blend with the forest, villages are subtly incorporated into the landscape. It is a country full of rock formations, amazing rivers and high-mountain streams. Although there are not any high rocky peaks, but anyway this park will enchant everyone who come here. It’s a place where you can still see freely grazing herds of sheep and remote villages where time has stopped tens years ago, both in terms of architectural and cultural. It is not unusual to see a wooden horse-drawn carriages carrying hay, as well as a hundred years ago, or old ladies sitting in traditional festive costumes in the front of their homes.

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The mountain range is composed of Jurassic and Cretaceous limestones with younger sandstones, shales and conglomerates, which together creates very impressive character. The rugged relief with deep valleys, gorges and remarkable rock formations was created mainly due to the activities of water, frost, erosion and climate fluctuations. There are also numerous cave systems.

Nature in Pieniny National Park is very diverse, with a number of plant and animal species. From the protected animals you can see here such as Goshawk, Eurasian Eagle-Owl, falcon, raven, crayfish or Eurasian Lynx. There are also rare and endemic species, such as springtails, several species of grasshoppers, centipedes and butterflies. The forests are mostly mixed (firs, pine, spruce, beech, maple, and European yew).

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Pieniny National Park offers relatively dense network of well marked trails with the possibility to choose the optimal route according to your capabilities. Most famous and most visited area in the Pieniny is certainly Breakthrough of Dunajec, located between the towns Szczawnica and Červený Kláštor. Dunajec river created a wonderful valley and you can try rafting on the wooden rafts here, which is the biggest tourist attraction. When sailing, you can see beautiful surrounding scenery. If you do not like water very much, you can go through the Breakthrough of Dunajec on foot or ride a bike.

The highest peak of Pieniny is Vysoké skalky measuring 1050 meters above sea level and lying at the borders with Poland. The top is beautiful, offering panoramic view of the surroundings. Much better known and more significant, however, are dominant Tri Koruny with a height of 982 meters above sea level, located above the Dunajec river. It is formed by rocky towers, whose walls are about 100 meters high and have the form of a crown. The summit offers a magnificent view over the whole area of ​​Pieniny, Spisska Magura, Belianske Tatras and even the High Tatras.

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Very interesting is also well preserved folk architecture in the villages Osturňa, Havka, Veľká Lesná and Jezersko.

A large part of the Pieniny National Park is still a God forgotten region, which is accessible to the ordinary tourist, mostly in the summer. There are not any large hotel complexes or resorts. It is ideal for hikers, cyclists, lovers of traditional culture or history, climbers, adventurers or simply for people fleeing from everyday bustle of the city.

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For those who might not know what is it, should be noted that it is a lake of glacial origin. In the Slovak High Tatras there are in a total of 87 glacial lakes, but the most famous one is certainly Štrbské Pleso. It is not the largest or deepest one, nor the highest situated, but it’s just typical.

It lies at the connected point of Furkotská and Mlynická valley at the altitude of 1346.6 metres above sea level. It covers an area of 19.76 hectares and its maximum depth reaches about 20 meters. The lake is almost half of the year covered by ice.

The lakes were created in the Pleistocene by the action of glaciers, which dug them into the valleys. Due to the remoteness and high altitude such lakes have very clean water and are often a home to quite specific types of plants and animals. Štrbské Pleso is home to a fish called European whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus). This salmon-like fish is still widespread in many countries, but currently it can be found on the Red List of Threatened Species. It has been found yet, that whitefish from Štrbské Pleso is genetically purest of its kind in the world. The lake is also home to several other species of fish, some of them (especially perch and roach) are unfortunately direct food competitors to whitefish. The management of High Tatras national park therefore prepared a program to capture these fish, to save a rare population of whitefish.

In terms of nature is the human presence on the shores of lake negligibly short, but more intense. The first mention of a lake comes from David Frölich in 1644. Later there came hunters, loggers and miners. A lake has almost ceased to exist in 1860. It was due to the residents of nearby Štrba town, who tried to drain the lake and use that “useless puddle” for new pastures! Fortunately, they didn’t do it well …

The same-name settlement of Štrbské Pleso was founded in 1872, when there was a hunting lodge built by Jozef Szentiványi. Other buildings were then built at the instigation of Hungarian Carpathian Association. At present, a town of Štrbské Pleso is a popular winter and summer resort with many hotels and restaurants, and also serves as a climatic spa centre. With its altitude it is also the highest situated resort in Slovakia. There are lots of opportunities for hiking and skiing, including ski lifts and cable cars to Solisko peak.

Despite its mountainous location, you can get to Štrbské Pleso by both road and rail. The main gate to Štrbské Pleso and High Tatras is the city of Poprad where is an international airport as well.

Whether you come to Štrbské Pleso for hiking or skiing, you will be surely surprised with its beauty and surrounding nature. There are lots of hiking trails leading from this place to several important peaks – Kriváň (2,495 m) or Rysy (2,503 m) or you can visit the great 10 metres high waterfall Skok (1,725 m), or another popular lake Popradské pleso (1,494 m).

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I am talking about Vlkolínec, which is now a part of the city of Ružomberok. It lies at an altitude of 718 m in Revúca Valley, south of the rocky mountain massif Sidorovo, also called Žiar (1099 m asl), which belongs to the mountains of Veľká Fatra.

Vlkolínec is in fact a reservation of folk architecture, a kind of outdoor museum of medieval village with wooden houses, that are typical for the mountain areas. This is the best preserved, most complete and most original collection of folk buildings in the Slovak Republic, spreading on an area of ​​797 hectares.

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Archaeological findings confirm the existence of a fort on the hill Sidorovo already 2,500 years ago. The name of the village is supposedly derived from the ancient presence of wolves in the area (these animals can be still seen here). The first written mention of Vlkolínec dates from 1376, where is mentioned as one of the streets of Ružomberok. Originally, there were just a few houses, although the number of houses and population gradually increased.

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At present, there are 73 listed buildings, 55 residential houses. Of these, 18 are now permanently settled with 35 inhabitants. Owners of other houses are here just seasonally. Everything is built of wood, including a local landmark – a two-storey wooden belfry from 1770.

Interesting is also a timbered well from 1860, previously the only source of drinking water for the whole village. One of the few brick buildings is a local Classicist-Baroque Church from 1875. Also the local cemetery is worth a visit.

The whole complex is rare also due to the fact that it was not affected by any new constructions. Already in 1977 the village of Vlkolínec was declared the Reservation of Folk Architecture Monuments, and in 1993 inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

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Prešov features Observatory and Planetarium where you can enjoy a variety of audio-visual programs, lectures, video projections, exhibitions, but also observing the evening sky with a telescope.

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Prešov region was already inhabited in prehistoric times. Settlements have been here already at the time of the Roman Empire. Slavs migrated here in the 6th century. The first written document about the city dating back to 1247, and in 1347 Prešov was a free royal city. During this period, the major trade routes crossed here, so the city grew up. Its first decline came around the 16th to 17th centuries. Further development of the city came with the establishment of Czechoslovakia.

The historic city centre is a national cultural monument, where are situated all architectural landmarks of Prešov. The most significant historical landmark of Prešov is undoubtedly the Church of St. Nicholas, which is also the oldest and only surviving Gothic building in the city. During the 18th century, its interior was completed with several Baroque fragments.

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Neptune Fountain is the only surviving original urban tank. It has a statue of Neptune with a trident, surrounded by sea creatures, whose author is a stonemason and sculptor from Košice – Vincet Staviarský (1784 – 1847). The statue of Neptune was ordered in the early 19th century by Jewish businessman Mark Holländer as an expression of gratitude for the city council allowed him to settle and do business in Prešov.

If you spend more than just a day in Prešov, you can visit Sigord, which is the best known holiday resort and a good starting point for hikes in Prešov surroundings. Not far from Prešov, you can also visit extensive ruins of Šariš Castle, which is one of the largest Slovak castles.

Prešov is also a birthplace of many famous Slovak singers and bands, like Ivan Tásler (I.M.T. Smile), Katka Knechtová (Peha), Peter Nagy, Chiki Liki Tu-a, Komajota and others.

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The largest and most visited monument and landmark of the city is Nitra castle (Nitriansky hrad) built on a rocky hill over the Nitra river. It is a huge building and was the seat of many princes and bishops. Today, visitors can admire its newer form, because it has undergone frequent repairs, the last of which changed its look to a Renaissance-Baroque style. Nitra castle contains of the cathedral, the episcopal residence and a system of fortifications. The interior is full of paintings from the 18th century, there are also the tombs of bishops, marble altar and baptismal font. Nitra Castle is currently the seat of the bishop’s residence and the Archaeological Institute of Slovak Academy of Sciences.

The so-called Lower Town (Dolné mesto) is now a lively center of Nitra. From the Theatre of Andrej Bagar which is located at Svätopluk’s Square leads the pedestrian zone. You can find here also a Romanesque St. Stephen’s Church from the 12th century, the Baroque Piarist monastery and the church of St Ladislav from the 18th century. On the hill in the southern part of the city you can walk up to Nitra’s Calvary and enjoy a nice view of the Old city.

Botanical Garden in Nitra is currently a place of Slovak University of Agriculture and its competence is a research and cultural-educational activities. The garden was founded in 1982 as a facility of the Agricultural University in Nitra. The actual area of ​​the Botanical Garden has an irregular shape in the middle of which is an artificial lake and several walking paths.

It boasts over 6,400 kinds of tropical plants. There are over 2,000 botanical species and 3,000 orchids, which come from all tropical regions of the world.

Besides the major attractions and institutions in the city like Nitra’s Public Gallery, museum of Nitra, Slovak Agricultural Museum, and others, tourists can also visit many places in the neighbourhood. Nitra is also the starting point for the tours around Ponitrie Protected Landscape Area, where is the network of marked hiking trails.

Directly from Nitra you can take the first part of cognitive Zobor pavement with 8 stops with a length of almost 4 km. The trail leads along the ruins of Zobor castle, Svorad’s cave and spring, which proves the presence of St. Svorad in this area.

In almost all parts of Nitra and its surroundings you will find a wide range of accommodation.

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It is certainly the biggest sporting celebration of Košice, when the whole city turns into a marathon atmosphere. The preparations of the exciting street circuit starts already few weeks in advance. Those of you who are not so brave to run all the 42 km long track, may try the half marathon in the length of 21 km or mini-marathon in the length of 4.2 km. The marathon includes also companies’ run and 20 km long races for skaters, wheelchair users and handbikers. In addition to the main competition there is a rich cultural program, so the visit is also suitable for non-runners.

You can register for the run during the whole year and the registration fee is €30-€50 (depends on the time of registration). You can do so online on the official website of Košice Peace Marathon (at least a week in advance) or personally – the last opportunity to register is this Saturday.

Organizer offers very cheap accommodation in student hostels or you can use the overnight services of one of the many hotels in Košice.

So if you still don’t have plans for this weekend, then come to the most beautiful city in Slovakia and enjoy unforgettable experiences.

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The thermal water in swimming pools
All pools in the resort are filled with the natural thermal water which rises from a depth of 1611 meters and has beneficial effects. Thermal water is highly mineralized sodium – calcium – magnesium – sulphurous with high iron content. Its composition helps to musculoskeletal disorders, urinary tract and kidneys. Water temperature ranges up to about 58 °C, so it must be cooled.

Thanks to the thermal water, Aquapark Oravice is available 12 months a year regardless on the weather conditions. It covers an area of 1545 square meters and you can find here a great sport – relaxing pool, large and small relaxation pool and cooling pool. The pools are equipped with water attractions such as artificial waves, bubble seats, bubble benches, a geyser, a water mushroom, spouts, massaging jets. Of course there is also a water slide.

Wellness and other services
Aquapark Oravice provide also wellness services, you can use sauna and massage center, as well as restaurants and sports facilities. Aquapark is closely connected with the local ski center, which is built on very good level and is among the most visited ski resorts in the Orava region.

Visiting Aquapark Oravice can be ideal for the hiking nad skiing lovers. I think there is no better option than rest in a hot thermal water after the whole-day mountain trip in summer or skiing in winter. On the other side, swimming in the water while there is a snow all around you could be also very nice experience!

There are also many attractions you can visit nearby, one of them is Orava Castle, which is one of the most beautiful and best preserved castles in Slovakia.

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