Slovakia June 2025

[BryanS]

We traveled to Slovakia to visit my paternal ancestral town at the beginning of June, spending 5 days and 4 nights in the country. Having never been there before we did not know what to expect as far as facilities, culture and language issues. We were pleasantly surprised. All of our accommodations needed to fit my mobility issues and we had no issues with that. The food was hearty, abundant and surprisingly inexpensive. We also found that the fuel prices were lower than in Italy and hotel accommodations were top-notch and very reasonably priced. To top-off our experience, the people were friendly and English was available enough that we had no issues.

Hotel Elizabeth in Trencin

We flew into Vienna late in the evening and picked-up a rental car and drove 2 hours into Slovakia and spent the first night in Trencin. A charming town with a castle sitting above the historic center. We got there later than we had planned but stayed at the charming Hotel Elizabeth, part of the Historic Hotels of Slovakia, directly below the castle. Very comfortable hotel and good service from the staff.

Hotel interior

In the morning, we ventured into the historic center to get our first view of Slovakia in the daylight. There is a large plaza surrounded by businesses, civic and religious buildings – we were to learn that this would be the norm for the towns we visited. There was a lot of activity but we were short on time and unfortunately only had a quick look.

Castle above historic plaza

Trencin historic plaza

 

[BryanS]

We then headed north and east along the northern edge of the country passing near the Tatar mountains – very impressive. The countryside was very green with lots of forests and rolling hills. The highway system is a work-in-progress with some sections not yet open. However, we did find the road system to be well-maintained and a smoother ride than what we find in many parts of Italy.

Slovakian countryside

Our next stop was Levoca in north-central Slovakia for 2-nights. This is a walled medieval town with an impressive town hall and church dominating the large central plaza. Our hotel was right in the middle with paid street parking out front. Not the best hotel but the only one in the town center with an elevator.

Hotel in Levoca

Old town hall and church in historic plaza

Many of the hotels also have restaurants and we had our first full meal at the hotel sitting out in the plaza. Large servings of local dishes, heavy on the starch, and very tasty. We learned that the local beers are 12% or more alcohol but they also offer local 0% alcohol beers, important due to my low tolerance for alcohol. We would also find that there is a good selection of wines from Slovakia, produced mostly in the southern and western areas of the country.

We spent the day relaxing after our travels and exploring some of the town and preparing to visit my ancestral town the next day.

 

[BryanS]

Our third day we drove into the mountains to visit my ancestral town of Svedlar. My ancestors were Carpathian Germans who settled in the area hundreds of years ago. Despite the bad weather that day we had a unique experience meeting a distant cousin and her family for the first time and seeing some of the places where my ancestors spent their days and learning more about the customs and mining history of the area. We spent most of the day with them despite no common language – thanks to Google translate!

"Newly found" cousins

The church my ancestors attended

Immersing in the local traditions

 

[BryanS]

We had previously planned to go back to Vienna to spend 2 nights before flying back to Italy but decided to cancel our stay in Vienna and to see more of Slovakia. Vienna is always just a short flight away but being able to see more of the beautiful countryside seemed like a better idea.

On the fourth day we checked out of our hotel and made a short detour to see the impressive ruins of the Spis Castle before starting on our route back towards Vienna. We took a more secondary route up and over the mountains of central Slovakia, stopping at the top of a ski area for another hearty lunch.

Spis Castle

Based on our hotel stay in Trencin we chose another of the Historic Hotels of Slovakia, the Hotel Grand Viglas – a completely renovated 13th-century castle. Another good choice that exceeded our expectations in service and price. The staff was very accommodating and the onsite restaurant was excellent for dinner. The price of the large room included breakfast – made to order. We would spend less for this luxury location than our bare-bones airport hotel in Vienna.

Short stop in the historic town of Banska Bystrica

Hotel room in the castle at Hotel Grand Viglas

 

[BryanS]

Our last day we drove west and stopped in Trnava, north of the capital of Bratislava. Again, a charming walled medieval town with a large bustling historic plaza. Valerie inquired at the local tourist office where we were offered a free tour of the historic center on an electric tricycle with front seats. Our guide, Slavo, knew his town well and spent a couple hours showing us the medieval walls, churches and old synagogue. This synagogue has been turned into a cafe and we stopped and had some dessert and drinks. Slavo came back to get us a half hour later to finish the tour and drop us off near our car. Then we were off to the Vienna airport to catch our flight the next morning back to Italy.

Part of the historic plaza in Trnava

The best way to travel!

Former synagogue turned cafe

We truly enjoyed our time in Slovakia – meeting new family – and experiencing new locations and cuisine.

 

[Valerie]

It was a really great experience! We found people to be so friendly and helpful, and the place is so clean (especially compared to southern Italy!) The roads are super-smooth (most of them, the area around Svedlar with its mining and lumber industries are not so great). I am so glad we didn't rush through to get to Vienna but spend more time here.
Hearing about the synagogue in Trnava and how they wanted to preserve it but of course post-war and post-USSR there was no Jewish population left, this literary cafe is one of the most beautiful cafe's I've seen. They have maintained the essence of the building so well. To the sides are separated seating areas with glass doors, so people can sit and read quietly or have more private space for quiet conversation. Outside seating was likewise separated to give people space. So beautiful. Bryan had a poppy seed cake that was very reminiscent of one his grandmother used to make in Pittsburgh!

His cousin and her son were so thrilled with our visit they are emailing us and talking about coming to Italy to visit.

Truly, there is so much to see in Slovakia. We only touched the surface.