Smolenice is a small town, the biggest attraction of which is a castle standing on a hill, resembling a fairy-tale stronghold.
The village is situated in the Little Carpathians, in the vicinity of numerous hiking trails and can be a good starting point for people who like mountain hiking. The trails lead to the peaks of the surrounding hills, to the Hlboče Valley, where there is a 9-meter waterfall, and to the Drina Caves. They have a rich dripstone form and there is a tourist route in them.
Built in the 14th century, the Smolenice Castle was destroyed many times during its history. Its present appearance is the result of reconstruction after the destruction of the Napoleonic Wars. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Pallfa family created a romantic residence here, which now houses the center of the Slovak Academy of Sciences.
