Best of Slovakia Tour 2023

Itinerary

The Best of Slovakia tour is for everyone who is looking for a short trip out of Bratislava. It is also ideal for those who want to discover more about Slovakia and its history, culture, and splendid places.

Within four days, you will discover the most impressive monuments of Slovakia. Gain an insight into the medieval features of the country, and visit UNESCO world heritage sites.

Our stops are in the most popular places in Slovakia. Bratislava - the capital of the Slovak Republic, also referred to as the Beauty on the Danube. Levoca with the tallest wooden altar in the world. Hronsek, one of the largest wooden churches in Slovakia inscribed in the list of UNESCO heritage. The High Tatras, the smallest alpine-like mountain range in the world. Spis castle - the largest castle in Central Europe, UNESCO site. Banska Stiavnica is one of the most beautiful and most visited UNESCO towns in Slovakia.

Besides, you will also taste local cuisine and explore the diversity of Slovak cultural heritage.
So, do not hesitate and join us to discover the heart of Europe!

The tour can be extended in 5 and more days by including visiting other interesting places/cities as in Grand Tour of Slovakia.

1. Day 1 Bratislava city sightseeing: The old town, Bratislava castle and Devin castle. Transfer to Banska Stiavnica town.

   - Meeting with the guide in Bratislava
   - Bratislava Old town and the castle sightseeing
   - Devin castle visit
   - Afternoon transfer to Banska Stiavnica
   
   Bratislava castle dominates the center of Bratislava, and its four towers became the symbol of the city. The castle hill was inhabited from the neolithic Hallstadt and Roman eras. It reached its highest importance during the reign of Austro-Hungarian Queen Maria Theresa. In 1761 - 1766 the fortress was rebuilt into a typical royal residence. Today, after reconstruction, the castle shelters a historical part of the Slovak National Museum.
   
   Old town tour includes many monuments. The top visited sites are:
   St Martin's Cathedral, the Primates' Palace with historic Hall of Mirrors and the famous Bratislava tapestries, and Michalska Gate with a panoramic view of the Old town.
   
   Devin castle ruins tower over the confluence of the rivers Danube and Morava. The fortress, used as a watchtower by the Slavonic count Rastislav Dovina, was mentioned in the manuscripts as early as the 9th century AD. After the fall of the Great Moravian Empire of the ancient Slavs, the Devin fortress became an important strategic fortification of the Hungarian Kingdom. In 1809, advancing Napoleon's troops destroyed the castle. Since 1965 an archaeological research has been carried out in the castle area. The castle ruins have been partially reconstructed under the auspices of the Municipal Museum in Bratislava.

2. Day 2 Banska Stiavnica town sightseeing, UNESCO. Hronsek woden church and folk architecture in Vlkolinec, UNESCO. Transfer to Levoca town.

   - Breakfast
   - Banska Stiavnica UNESCO town sightseeing
   - Hronsek wooden church visit, UNESCO site
   - Vlkolinec Monument Reserve of Folk Architecture, UNESCO site
   - Afternoon transfer to Levoca
   
   Banska Stiavnica is a former mining town and lies amid the forests of the Stiavnicke mountains. Banska Stiavnica is one of the most beautiful and historically one of the most beautiful towns in Slovakia. The town is on the list of the World Cultural Heritage of UNESCO.
   Banska Stavnica progressively became the dominant mining center in the Habsburg Monarchy in the 18th century. Banska Stiavnica monument town reserve comprises as many as 360 structures. Together they present a unique set of high cultural and historical value, placed into the pleasant environment of the Stiavnicke mountains.
   
   Wooden articled church in Hronsek is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List since 2008. The wooden church and wooden belfry originate from 1726. The capacity of the church is 1,100 chairs. In early November 2000, Prince Charles from British Royal Family visited the church.
   
   Vlkolinec village - Monument Reserve of Folk Architecture is the extraordinary and remarkable oasis of folk architecture and on the UNESCO list since 1993.
   The first written record of the community is from 1376. Originally it was the settlement of loggers, shepherds, and farmers. Its unique compound of original folk buildings remains untouched by modern construction.
   ICOMOS (International Council for Monuments and Settlements) classified it as the best-reserved settlement of this time within the Carpathian Arch.

3. Day 3 UNESCO sights: Levoca town, Spis castle, Spisska Kapitula town.

   - Breakfast
   - Levoca town sightseeing
   - Spis castle visit
   - Spisska Kapitula sightseeing
   - Return to Levoca
   
   The historic Levoca lies in the east of the Spis region. The town represents a true cultural and historic jewel among the Slovak towns compounding numerous historical architectural monuments. The dominant part of Levoca is a large rectangular square with the Roman-Catholic St James church from the 14th century, one of the most important sacral buildings in Slovakia.
   The late Gothic wooden main altar of St James with 18.6 m is the tallest of its kind in the world. It was made of lime wood in 1507 - 1517 in the workshop of Master Paul of Levoca.
   
   Spis Castle is the largest medieval castle in Central Europe located on a travertine rock hill. The castle hill was populated as early as the 5th century BC; it is one the most unique archaeological and historical gems of Central Europe and is under UNESCO protection.
   
   Spisska Kapitula is sometimes also referred to as the Slovak Vatican. Church life not only in Spisska Kapitula (Spis Chapter) was organized from here by the bishops, provosts, and canonists.
   The most important building of Spisska Kapitula is the Late-Romanesque St Martin cathedral from the 13th century.

4. Day 4 Walking in the High Tatra Mountains: mountain villages, Strbske pleso glacial lake and easy hike.

   - Breakfast
   - High Tatras short walking
   - Transfer back to Bratislava
   - End of the tour
   
   The High Tatras are the highest mountain range of Slovakia and the most popular tourist center for the summer and winter holidays.
   There are about 35 valleys, 110 mountain lakes, but the most amazing is the Tatra peaks. There are more than 500 peaks in the High Tatras, out of which ten peaks are above 2,600 meters high.
   The silence of the valleys, mountain lakes, silky sheen of the waterfalls, and simultaneously monumental touches with the heights of the peaks - all of that is the magical world of Tatra National Park.

Overview