Slovakia is a small country, most of which is covered by mountains. It is a good place for active tourism, but you can also find interesting monuments, especially castles. Slovak thermal springs used in local water parks are widely known.
Bratislava, located on the border with Austria and Hungary, is the country's largest city and its capital. It is surrounded from the north by the slopes of the Little Carpathians, which are the main wine region of Slovakia. Bratislava has a pleasant Old Town with a castle above it. It currently houses museum exhibitions.
Apart from Bratislava, Košice with the Gothic cathedral of St. Elizabeth and the most famous Christmas market in Slovakia. The small towns in which the old buildings have survived are very attractive. The UNESCO list includes buildings of Bardejów, Banská Štiavnica, Spišské Podhradie and Levoča.
Slovakia also has a lot to offer to lovers of wooden architecture. Many of the local churches, Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches are on the UNESCO list. Among them stand out Articulate Church in Kieżmark, churches in Ladomirowa and Bodużal, Roman Catholic churches in Twardoszyn and Hervartov. An interesting fact is the village of Vlkolínec, preserved as a living open-air museum.
In addition to wooden buildings, Slovakia's wealth is its castles. The most famous of them is the mighty Spissky Hrad standing on a hill above the town of Spiskie Podhradie. Nevertheless, Samek Orawski, the castle in Stara Lubownia and the Castle in Bojnice are interesting and beautifully situated.
Thanks to its location in the Carpathian Mountains, Slovakia is a paradise for lovers of mountain hiking and skiing. The most famous ski resorts are located in the High Tatras, Low Tatras on Chopok and Velka Fatra. In summer, the hiking trails in the local mountains fill up, and the possibility of visiting beautiful caves is an additional attraction. At the foot of the Carpathians, there are numerous mineral and thermal springs used in water parks such as Tatralandia in Liptovský Mikuláš, Aquapark in Poprad, Oravice and Basenova.
