Travel to Slovakia – Episode 738
categories: europe travel
Hear about travel to Slovakia as the Amateur Traveler talks to Anna Fay and Peter Dlhopolec from the Spectacular Spectator and the Spectacular Slovakia Podcast about this beautiful country in Central Europe.
Anna says, “From a foreigner’s perspective before I moved to Slovakia I didn’t know much about it. I lived in the country when I was a toddler but it has changed a lot since then. I think in general Slovakia, unfortunately, is a very underrated country. There is so much to see outside of the capital of Bratislava: gorgeous castles, majestic mountains, unique UNESCO sites.”
Peter adds that many foreigners come for the gorgeous women and cheap stuff. A lot of people only come to Bratislava but there is a lot worth seeing outside of the capital.
Many people fly into Vienna and then take the train an hour to Bratislava when they come to Slovakia. They start us in Bratislava with a few days exploring touring the old town at St Michael’s Gate which has a museum at the top and a great view of the city from the tower. The city sits along the Danube and both Peter and Anna like to run or cycle along the river. Bratislava Castle is also one of the must-see sites.
In addition to the old town, there are more modern buildings like the “UFO Tower” or the “Upside Down Pyramid”. They recommend a river tour including the Danubiana Meulensteen Art Museum which is built to look like a ship in the river.
Bratislava is famous for classical music but Peter also recommends the Reggae festival or the Uprising Festival.
They recommend hikes outside the capital in the Small Carpathians, especially the hike to the ruins of Pajštún Castle.
They recommend seeing more of the country by car or train. You should visit the UNESCO site of Banská Štiavnica in the center of the country. This is an ancient city where silver mining was done for more than 2,000 years. While you are there you can visit the Open-Air Mining Museum or the Love Bank.
For more outdoor adventure Peter sends us to the city of Poprad near the High Tetras. He recommends staying in one of the small villages nearby like Tatranská Lomnica, Štrba, Štrbské Pleso, or Stary Smokovec. This is a great region for hiking.
Anna recommends a visit to Slovak Paradise National Park (Slovenský raj) which has adventurous hikes (like the one pictured above) which includes steel ladders and trails clinging to the side of clifts.
Whether you come for the castles, the hiking or the old cities, come and see this beautiful country.
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Show Notes
Slovakia
Cezechoslovakia (1918–1939, 1945–1992)
Bratislava
Michael’s Gate
Bratislava Castle
Slovak National Theater
Bratislava Tours
Danubiana Meulensteen Art Museum
Pajštún Castle
Železná Studni?ka Park
Stupava
Most SNP (UFO Bridge)
Kamzík TV Tower
Koliba
Little Carpathians
Old Town, Bratislava
Slovak Radio Building
Dream Hostel ./ Safestay Bratislava
Námestie Slobody (Freedom Square)
Horsky Park
Slavín
Petržalka neighborhood
Uprising Festival
Zvolen
Banská Štiavnica
Open-Air Mining Museum
Tajchy
Love Bank (Banka Lásky)
Kalvária Banská Štiavnica
Teahouse Klopaca
Erb Brewery
Divná Pani (Weird Lady)
Orava Castle
Spiš Castle
High Tatras
Slovak Paradise National Park (Slovenský raj)
Community
Justin wrote about Travel to French Polynesia – Episode 736
Finally got a chance to listen to this. When he compared Papeete market to Budapest I looked cross-eyed, but then he explained and I have to admit, he’s spot on, with how the upper and lower levels are laid out. Budapest is WAY cheaper, however. ?. Didn’t check Doritos prices, however.
—
Thank you for still keeping the dream of travel alive for many of us who can’t travel during this pandemic. There is still all of Canada available if I would want to travel. However, more and more cities are in lock-down, and we are presently under curfew in Montreal (heavy sigh). The best bang for the buck for me is to wait until things improve. For now, I will have to travel via your wonderful podcasts.
Wishing you and yours a safe, travel-filled happy new year for 2021.
Sandra
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Travel to Slovakia – Episode 442
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by Chris Christensen
Chris Christensen is the creator of the Amateur Traveler blog and podcast. He has been a travel creator since 2005 and has won awards including being named the "Best Independent Travel Journalist" by Travel+Leisure Magazine.+Chris Christensen | @chris2x | facebook
7 Responses to “Travel to Slovakia – Episode 738”
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Tags: audio travel podcast, bratislava, podcast, slovakia, unesco
Darrell Hickman
Says:January 17th, 2021 at 4:29 pm
Hey Chris great episode on Slovakia Even though I have been to two cities in Slovakia, Bratislava and Banska Stiavnica it is nice to hear about things I missed while I was there. With both cities I was only there for a few hours. Another way to get to Bratislava is to take the high speed ferry from Vienna. The trip took 1 and 1 half hours by boat. I have also walked to the train station. It was not as bad as they mentioned in the podcast but it is a long walk from the old town. By the train station you are close to an interesting colored tv tower. Every city that used to be part of the iron block seem to have one. I hope to get back to Bratislava because I really love it and thanks to this podcast I might be motivated to get back to Banska aswell since I see I can get there easily from Bratislava. I love that with even with places I been to I always learn something new about a place and I am known to really cover a city. Thanks
Cindy Carlsson
Says:January 24th, 2021 at 7:33 pm
So glad to see Slovakia highlighted. I agree with your guests that it’s an under-rated destination. It’s really a hidden gem. We drove from Bratislava north into Poland in 2018, spending most of our time in small towns and villages. While few people spoke English, it was easy enough to get around by car, people were very welcoming, prices were cheap and the food was hearty! We spent a night in Banska Bystrica, which was the most charming town imaginable. Also visited the tiny UNESCO World Heritage site of Vlkolinec, which was a bit of a challenge to find, but so so cute and photogenic it was worth the trouble. The drive through the Carpathians is gorgeous and there are intricate wooden churches (part of another UNESCO site) scattered all over. We couldn’t get into all of them, but they were impressive even from the outside. We were traveling over a weekend so didn’t get to visit any of the castles or industrial sites, all of which looked really interesting, but were absolutely packed with visitors – like no parking for miles. It was a reminder that there are a lot of places worth visiting that people from the region know about, but most outsiders don’t. Slovakia is one of those. It’s beautiful and so interesting. I highly recommend traveling beyond Bratislava! (But while you are in Bratislava, the cafe by the fort has wonderful treats and a great view.)
Monika
Says:February 11th, 2021 at 10:07 am
Bratislava is not in Slovenia!
Chris Christensen
Says:February 11th, 2021 at 6:27 pm
Yes… but this episode is not about Slovenia. I am confused.
Justin
Says:February 21st, 2021 at 11:02 pm
Finally got to listen to this and it brought back fond memories. I visited during the Christmas season, and Bratislava’s Christmas Markets were some of my favorites. There are two items I wanted to share in addition to what was discussed. One is St Martin’s Cathedral, where numerous Hungarian kings were crowned during the time the Hungarian empire used Bratislava as its capital. It is on the edge of Old Town, at the base of the hill leading up to Bratislava Castle, right next to the SNP bridge’s north end. Another recommendation is Konditorei Kormuth, a dessert shop and bakery with an amazingly ornate and artsy interior. It’s in Old Town, and definitely worth a stop as you explore the area.
Chris Christensen
Says:February 22nd, 2021 at 9:47 am
thanks Justin!
Andreas Moser
Says:December 5th, 2021 at 5:49 am
As Darrell said, there is a fast boat from Vienna, which is a beautiful experience and very handy if you are in the center of Vienna, because that’s where it leaves from.
And in Bratislava, it takes you right to the riverbank (naturally).
Another alternative way I once took, was to walk from Vienna to Bratislava:
https://andreasmoser.blog/2018/08/12/vienna-to-bratislava/
It’s doable, with some beautiful sights on the way, but you’ll be too knackered to enjoy Bratislava after that, unfortunately.