The Locals Guide To Slovakia

Our guide to Bratislava - Capital of Slovakia by our Slovakia local expert - Bratislava, the city with about half a million inhabitants, certainly belongs to Europe's most relaxed capitals. The city has its old-town charm, one of the best hotels in the world, great restaurants, traditional pubs, good music from jazz to opera, an impressive number of historical sights, and of course a human scale, which means that as a visitor you will not spend hours trekking in and out of underground stations or getting from the airport into the city. All this and Europe's greatest river as a backdrop. What more could you wish?

Our guide to Central Považie by our Slovakia local expert - The longest Slovak river, Váh, which represents the central axis of this region, has endowed central Považie with its typical character. The mountain ranges of the White Carpathians (Biele Karpaty), Small Carpathians (Malé Karpaty), Strážov Mountains (Strážovské vrchy), Považský Inovec and Myjavská pahorkatina are ideal for hiking, skiing, cycling and water sports, skirt the area.

Our guide to Danubeland by our Slovakia local expert - The Danube region with its special landscape is situated in the south of Slovakia. The southwestern and southern limits of the region follow the Slovak-Hungarian borders running along the stream of the river Danube. The lowland Podunajská nížina covers the major part of this region. As far as the ethnic structure is concerned, the Hungarian ethnicity predominates at present in this part of the country.

Our guide to Gemer and Malohont by our Slovakia local expert -  

Our guide to Horehronie by our Slovakia local expert - The river Hron, which gave the name to the territory of region, springs in the southern hillside of the majestic mountain Kráľova hoľa. It flows westward from this legendary mountain in the eastern end of the Low Tatras.

Our guide to Košice and Surroundings by our Slovakia local expert - The region of Košice and its surroundings is situated in the east of Slovakia. Its core is the L-shaped basin Košická kotlina. This fertile and densely populated basin is surrounded by mountain ranges, which offer excellent possibilities of hiking and recreation.

Our guide to Liptov by our Slovakia local expert - The region of Liptov lies in the north of Slovakia and its northestern part borders on Poland. Its natural scenery is one of the most beautiful in the country. The Veľká Fatra Mountains, the ridge of the Choč Mountains. and the ridge of the West Tatras (Západné Tatry) form the northern limit of the region. The southern border of the region coincides with the ridge of the Low Tatras (Nízke Tatry) and the ridge of the Veľká Fatra Mountains marks the western border. 

Our guide to Lower Považie by our Slovakia local expert - The region of Lower Považie (Dolné Považie) has assumed the name of the river Váh flowing through the territory from north to south. Dolné Považie is among the earliest settled territories of Slovakia. Continuous historic settlement of the territory is testified to by numerous archaeological finds.

Our guide to Lower Zemplín by our Slovakia local expert - The region adopted the name of the Zemplín Castle built long before the Tartar invasion on the site of the former Old Slave fortified settlement on the bank of the river Bodrog north of the village of Somotor. It was the oldest castle in Zemplín.

Our guide to Nitra and Surroundings by our Slovakia local expert - Region of Nitra is one of the regions of Slovakia interesting not only for its natural beauty, but also and above all for its cultural as well as historical heritage. It has attracted our ancestors who left their traces all over the area. Especially, the arrival of the Slav tribes at the territory of Slovakia, their concentration in the area of Nitra and the foundation of the first Slav Principality increase importance of this territory.

Our guide to Orava by our Slovakia local expert - The region of Orava lies in the northwestern part of Slovakia, on the border with Poland. The border crossing in environs of the village of Oravská Polhora is also the northernmost point of Slovakia. The axis of the region is the river Orava.

Our guide to Pohronie by our Slovakia local expert - The axis of the central part of Pohronie is, as its name suggests (Pohronie in English means 'the land along the Hron'), the river Hron. The landscape surrounding it experienced volcanic eruptions of enormous magnitude in the Tertiary Age. The stratovolcano of Štiavnica with diameter of base amounting to more than 50 km (31 mi) was one of the biggest in Europe.

Our guide to Poiplie by our Slovakia local expert - The region bears the name of the river Ipeľ, great part of which flows along the frontier between Slovakia and Hungary.

Our guide to Southern Spiš by our Slovakia local expert - Spiš is the historical territory in the northern part of Slovakia. Spiš boasts of all basic natural attributes proper to the typical Carpathian landscape. It is arranged in varied mosaics while basins occupy the central position in this composition. Spiš consisted historically of three regions. Environs of Stará Ľubovňa along with Zamagurie from the northern Spiš, the basin Popradská kotlina represents the central Spiš. The territory drained by the river Hornád and its tributaries constitutes the southern Spiš. 

Our guide to Surroundings of Bratislava by our Slovakia local expert - The surroundings of Bratislava are situated in the southwest of Slovakia. Its southern part stretches along the river Danube, follows the Slovak-Hungarian border, while its western extreme traces the river Morava and simultaneously the Slovak-Austrian border. The Little Carpathians (Malé Karpaty) and the lowland Podunajská nížina cover the prevailing part of the territory.

Our guide to Tatras and Northern Spiš by our Slovakia local expert - The region of the Tatras and northern Spiš, lying in the north of Slovakia, is the most attractive tourist area of Slovakia. It consists of two subregions, Tatras and northern Spiš. The Tatras are a boundary mountain range divided into the High, Belianske and West Tatras. Four fifths of the Tatras are in the Slovak territory. The Slovak-Polish frontier runs in the north of the Tatras. In the south, the Tatras abruptly pass to the basin Podtatranská kotlina.

Our guide to Turiec by our Slovakia local expert - The region of Turiec spreads in the north-western part of Slovakia in the Turčianska kotlina (basin) surrounded by the mountain ranges of Malá and Veľká Fatra, Kremnické vrchy and Žiar. The axis of the valley is the river Turiec. For its beauty and natural assets, this region is one of the most picturesque in the territory of Slovakia and it is sometimes referred as the 'garden of Turiec'.

Our guide to Upper Nitra by our Slovakia local expert - As the name suggests, the region of Upper Nitra lies next to the upper reach of the river Nitra, which connects the northern and southern parts of the region. The main communications run parallel to its stream. The region is known above all for its cultural as well as historical heritage and offers testimony and rich historical relics from the Stone Age, which creates an unusual and varied the attractiveness of this region for both foreign and domestic visitors.

Our guide to Upper Zemplín by our Slovakia local expert - Upper Zemplín is the most eastern region of Slovakia. The region borders on Poland in the north and with Ukraine in the east. The typical Carpathian landscape with original virgin forest and rare fauna spreads in the north of the region. It offers intact nature, extensive oasis of silence with far-reaching views and picturesque little villages in the region of the Eastern Carpathian Mountains (Východné Karpaty).

Our guide to Welcome to Slovakia, a truly authentic country by our Slovakia local expert - Incredibly beautiful and in many places nature is still untouched. The mountains are full of native species of fauna and flora with colorful, gorgeous blooming meadows below them. There are plains and fields, all interlaced with clean, vibrant rivers and streams in several national parks.

Our guide to Záhorie by our Slovakia local expert - The name Záhorie (Transmountain) appeared for the first time in the 17th century and it is based in the Latin name Processus Transmontanus, which referred to the area situated beyond the Small Carpathians or the Little Carpathians. The region is situated in the western part of Slovakia next to the frontier with Austria and Czech Republic. The territory is limited in the west by the state frontier with Austria and it runs along the river Morava while in the northwest and southeast its borders coincide with the frontier with the Czech Republic and the ridge of the Small Carpathians, respectively.

Our guide to Šariš by our Slovakia local expert - Šariš is situated in the northern part of eastern Slovakia. In the west and northwest it borders on the region of Spiš, in the west it stretches as far as the northern part of the region of Zemplín. Šariš is moderately mountainous and the depressions regularly alternate with mountain ranges. The southern part of its territory is occupied by the basin Košická kotlina connected with the territory next to the Black Sea and the countries lying on the shore of the Baltic Sea by an old trade route called Via regale (the Royal Road).

Our guide to Žilina and Kysuce by our Slovakia local expert - The unique natural setting and abundant historic and cultural monuments make the region very attractive. Mountains rich in forests cover most of its surface. The most valuable natural assets are protected in the National Park of Malá Fatra as well as the protected landscape areas of Kysuce and the Strážov Mountains.