Cultural discovery

Discover Slovakia

Discover Slovakia´s history, culture and heritage.
Holiday code: DSK
Countries: Slovakia
More info
1
Activity level
Guided or Self-Guided
Min. age: 16
7days
From 1195 € excl. flights
Dates & Prices
  • Jan
  • Feb
  • Mar
  • Apr
  • May
  • Jun
  • Jul
  • Aug
  • Sep
  • Oct
  • Nov
  • Dec

Discover Slovakia’s cultural and historical importance with visits to four UNESCO World Heritage Sites. We’ll take you to old mining villages, castles, medieval towns, and perfectly preserved settlements. You’ll follow in the footsteps of folklore uncovering fascinating tales in a beautiful setting. Enjoy easy walks in spectacular scenery of the High Tatras, Slovakia’s oldest national park with breath-taking fauna and flora, and more. This trip has it all.

Over eight days, you´ll discover:

  • Bratislava Slovakia´s capital.
  • Tatra Mountains Slovakia’s oldest and biggest national park.
  • Spissky Castle is the biggest UNESCO castle in Central-Eastern Europe.
  • Levoca UNESCO medieval town with the biggest wooden altar in the world.
  • Pieninsky national park, the natural border with Poland.
  • Spissky Jerusalem, which recalls ancient Jerusalem in on-to-one scale.
  • Scenic traditional rafting on wooden rafts in one of the longest canyons in Central Europe.
  • The mountain village of Vlkolinec (Wolf´s Place) with beautifully preserved log houses, UNESCO.
  • Banska Bystrica, the heart of Slovakia.
  • Banska Stiavnica – medieval mining town, UNESCO.

Map & itinerary

On your arrival, you will be met by your tour guide who will brief you about the programme for the next six days. After the introductory briefing, we´ll head to explore Bratislava´s old town.

Bratislava, often called the beauty of the Danube, has a very good strategic location, situated on both banks of the Danube at the foothills of Malé Karpaty (Little Carpathians), near Vienna. With this excellent location, Bratislava was always the centre of busy life.

During the Austrian-Hungarian Empire, Bratislava was in 1536 declared the capital of Hungary. Despite the rich history, Bratislava is one of the youngest capitals of the world. Visitors are attracted by the cosiness of the city and historical monuments.

The dominant feature is Bratislava Castle towering majestically above the Danube. During our guided tour, you will also see Michalska Brána Gate, Primate’s Palace and the President’s Palace, St Martin’s Cathedral, and more.

Hotel Devín **** (breakfast)

Today you head out of the city and into the heart of the Tatra Mountains. Travelling by train in Slovakia is a comfortable experience and, in a little over three and a half hours, you will arrive at Poprad Tatry, the gateway to the mountains.

The High Tatras are an area of exceptional natural beauty. The mountains are home to lakes, waterfalls, flowers, valleys, craggy peaks, ridges, and much more. All of this is the perfect habitat for mammals and birds, and over the next few days, you’ll explore this beautiful area and its attractions.

Meeting our driver in Poprad, we´ll transfer (20 min / 19 km) to Tatranska Lomnica, the biggest village in the Tatras, our home for the next four nights.

Hotel Kukučka **** (breakfast)

This morning you take a cable car to Skalnate Pleso lake (1 751 m), one of the most popular destinations in the Tatras. Here we will enjoy the fresh Tatra air and beautiful views of the Tatra villages below us.

Returning to Tatranska Lomnica, we´ll take a famous mountain tram to Stary (Old) Smokovec, the oldest village in the Tatras. Then, taking a short funicular ride to Hrebienok will be our starting point of a short, easy and enjoyable walk to Rainerova hut, the oldest hut in the Tatras, and impressive Cold creek waterfalls.

Our mountain tram journey then continues to Strbske Pleso, Slovakia´s highest village, home to a beautiful mountain lake, ski jumps, stadium for cross country skiers and many popular walks. After exploring the most beautiful corners of Strbske Pleso, we´ll take our mountain tram back to Tatranska Lomnica for a well-deserved dinner.

Hotel Kukučka **** (breakfast)

This morning you’ll transfer (38 km / 30 min) to the charming region of Spiš, which is home to a number of remarkable UNESCO sites. The first one on the list will be the medieval town of Levoca. This authentic town with beautifully preserved city walls is the jewel of the Spiš region. In the heart of the town you´ll find the ancient square of Master Paul, the creator of the highest wooden altar in the world, whose beauty you can admire during your visit in the basilica of St James. You´ll also visit the town’s hall.

The next highlight on the list will be Spissky castle, the biggest castle site in Central-Eastern Europe. Your tour then continues with a hike to Spisske Podhradie, a little town beautifully nestled below the castle.

After lunch in Spisske Podhradie you’ll continue hiking to Spisska Kapitula, the main seat of the church administration in the region in the 12th century. Today’s hike ends with a walk across Spissky Jerusalem, which recalls ancient Jerusalem in on-to-one scale. It’s a magical end to this walking adventure with stunning views over the Spisska Capitula, Spissky castle and the Tatra mountains. You’ll then return to Tatranska Lomnica.

Hotel Kukučka **** (breakfast)

After breakfast, we´ll drive to the national park of Pieniny, which forms a natural border with Poland. Here we’ll visit one of the most magical sites in Slovakia - Cerveny Klastor (the Red Monastery), home to the Cistercian monks. We´ll learn about the most famous monk, Cyprian, the inventor of a hang-glider and author of the oldest pharmacy in Central Europe.

The Pieninsky national park is also home to Dunajec Gorge. At 23km, it´s one of the longest gorges in Europe. A spectacular way to see it is from the water, so take to your rafts, grab an oar and head along the river surrounded by towering, forested peaks.

After our scenic and easy rafting adventure, it´s time for lunch in a traditional restaurant. Here we´ll meet our driver, who will drive us back to the High Tatras.

Hotel Kukučka **** (breakfast)

The first stop on our journey will be the mountain village of Vlkolinec (Wolves´ Place). This UNESCO settlement is hidden in the mountains of Velka Fatra with beautifully preserved coloured log houses is a must when visiting Slovakia.

Our journey then continues to the UNESCO medieval mining town of Banska Stiavnica. Banska Stiavnica lies in the middle of the Stiavnicke Mountains and is included in the UNESCO list. Once one of the wealthiest towns in Europe, this former mining town is one of the most beautiful and precious historical towns in Slovakia. Here we´ll find many historical sites including New and Old Castle and the Calvary.

Suppose you are looking for something more adventurous, why not visit the 17th-century open-air minim museum. On this optional trip, equipped with a helmet, mining coat and lamp, we head 60 metres deep underground to learn more about this fascinating history of this mining community, mining gold and silver from the middle ages until the end of the 20th century.

Our journey then continues back to Bratislava, our home for the last night of this spectacular tour, discovering top Slovakia attractions.


Hotel Devín **** (breakfast)

After breakfast, tour ends.

Dates & Prices

This trip operates daily, so you can pick a date that suits you. Choose a day between April and October, and we’ll make all the arrangements for you. Just let us know when you want to travel.

Go Self-Guided or Guided.

Self-Guided

Self-Guided means you'll experience this tour independently, following perfectly prepared maps and route descriptions. The main advantage is the lower price of the trip.

Guided Groups

You'll be accompanied by one of our friendly leaders, who will lead you along the way and take care of everything you might need.

Dates Status Adult price Child price
Fri 01 Apr 22 - Mon 31 Oct 22 Available -
Self-Guided Single room option +130 EUR.
Fri 01 Apr 22 - Mon 31 Oct 22 Available -
Guided Groups 6 - 7 guests. Single room option +130 EUR.
Fri 01 Apr 22 - Mon 31 Oct 22 Available -
Guided Groups 4 - 5 guests. Single room option +130 EUR.
Fri 01 Apr 22 - Mon 31 Oct 22 Available -
Guided Groups 2 - 3 guests. Single room option +130 EUR.

Please note that our official rates are in Euros. Other currencies are informative only.

Holiday information

This well-thought-out trip is a great choice for people who like cultural discovery holidays. This trip is classified as easy with no demanding walks, so it can be managed by people with an average level of fitness.

  • Seven nights in three and four-star hotels
  • Seven breakfasts
  • Fares for trains and mountain trams as listed in the itinerary
  • All activities as mentioned in the itinerary
  • All local transfers to/from activities
  • Local tour guide from start to finish
  • International flights
  • Arrival and departure airport transfers
  • Cable cars (approx.. 35 EUR per person)
  • Any optional activities mentioned in the itinerary
  • Travel insurance

This tour starts in Bratislava.

This tour ends in Bratislava.

To enhance flexibility our holidays do not include flights. This gives you the freedom to choose a local airport that works for you and shop for the best deal.

List of airports with distances to the first hotel in Bratislava:

Bratislava Airport (14 km / 20 min)
Prices of private airport transfers:

1-3 guests: 43 EUR
4-8 guests: 72 EUR

Vienna Airport (64 km / 50 min)
Prices of private airport transfers:

1-3 guests: 86 EUR
4-8 guests: 130 EUR

If you need to arrive or leave on a different date, please contact us and we’d be more than happy to arrange extra pre or post tour accommodation for you.

Have a look at our detailed trip notes or please feel free to contact us if you have any questions at all.

Our knowledgeable and helpful team is here to help, and we look forward to welcoming you to our spectacular country soon!

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Trip notes & FAQs

Download the detailed trip notes for everything you could possibly want to know about this trip, including detailed itinerary and full kit list

To download trip notes, please submit your email address down below.

why book with slovakia explorer?

This holiday is operated by our expert, in-country team at Slovakia Explorer. By booking with us, you’ll benefit from our unrivalled local knowledge, and have 24/7 support during your trip.

Our holidays offer unique experiences, which give you an unparalleled insight into Slovakia. During the planning and booking process, we pay attention to every detail of your holiday to ensure your trip is perfect.

Slovakia Explorer offers great value, high quality holidays.

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