Children’s Activities
Most kids love castles, palaces and the great outdoors, and
Slovakia has plenty of these attractions. The country is littered with
crumbling old castles, but the Bojnice and Bratislava castles will
probably have the most appeal.
Bibiana: The International House of Art for Children
This interesting museum in Bratislava presents a constantly changing
group of exhibitions geared towards hands-on interaction with kids. Local
artists create the displays, which can include such things as a do-it-yourself
puppet theatre, themed drawing centres or large movable equipment with creative
puzzles to solve.
Bojnice Castle
This fantastically restored castle, tucked away in the hills of western
Slovakia, is one of the most popular in the country. First built in 1113, the
residents who lived here during the 19th century stocked the place
with an amazing collection of historical artefacts. There are special activities
for children, along with a small zoo and a health spa. The kids can run around
the extensive grounds as though they were living in a fairy tale.
Bratislava Castle
Another of Slovakia’s most impressive places is Bratislava Castle,
perched on a hill overlooking the city. Originally built in the 9th
century, the Hungarians and then the Hapsburgs expanded this fortress as a
defense against the Turks. Even if you don’t make it out of Bratislava, at least
the kids can enjoy this authentic castle.
The Great Outdoors
Just outside Bratislava, there are loads of fun outdoor activities
which kids will enjoy. Koliba is a year-round destination for toboggan rides and
skiing in the winter, and pony rides and hiking in the summer. Another fun area
for exploration is the giant sandstone formation near Devin, called Sandberg,
not to mention the busy Devon Castle itself.
Activities and Sports
Slovakia is blessed with some of the nicest and least developed
wilderness areas in Eastern Europe. No matter where you go in this
country, you will find yourself surrounded by rolling, wooded hills,
rivers or high lofty mountains. The skiing in the Tatras
Mountains is some of the best around, but during the summer, it’s all
about hiking and biking. If you’re more into watching the
action, you should check out an ice hockey game; it’s the
national sport in Slovakia.
Skiing and Snowboarding
Skiers and snowboarders will find great slopes all over Slovakia,
because here, if there’s a hill, chances are someone will ski down it. Slovakia
is in the Carpathian mountain range, which is the second largest in Europe after
the Alps. There are dozens of fully appointed ski resorts concentrated in the
northern mountains such as the High and Low Tatras. The ski season typically
runs from the end of November until the end of March, and generally, Slovakia
gets decent snowfall throughout the winter.
The best ski conditions exist in the Low Tatras, West Tatras, Big Fatra and Low
Fatra mountain ranges. These particularly beautiful areas all boast excellent
slopes and trails for skiers of all abilities. The resorts here are also the
most modern, equipped with gondolas, cable cars and chairlifts as well as plenty
of accommodation options and restaurants. Downhill skiing is definitely the more
popular version, but more and more people are beginning to discover the joys of
cross-country skiing. The bigger resorts however get rather crowded at weekends
and on holidays. If you want a quiet day on the slopes, look for one of the many
local ski hills around the country. The runs may be shorter, but the scenery is
still wonderful and the chairlift lines much shorter.
Hiking the High Tatras
The Vysoke Tatry, or High Tatras, are the only true alpine mountains in
Eastern Europe. The upper reaches are topped with narrow rocky peaks and wide
glacial valleys, while the lower slopes are packed with dense forests. This
relatively small mountain range has 30 valleys, 100 glacial lakes and a network
of 600kms of well-marked hiking trails that can take you into all the valleys
and up to the peaks. August and September are the best months for high-altitude
hiking, just before the trails close down from November to April. A good
starting point is the turn-of-the-century resort, Stary Smokovec, which is
easily reached by rail or road.
Ice Hockey
Slovakia has some of the best ice hockey players on earth, and if they aren’t
off competing in the NHL, you can find them playing the sport in every town at
every level. Hockey is the most watched sport in the country, especially after
the national team won the world championships in 2002. You can catch a
professional game in Bratislava for an incredibly good price at the ST Arena,
which seats 9,000 spectators.
Dining & Shopping
There’s really no specific Slovak cuisine; however, while you
travel around the country, you will encounter many of the same dishes again and
again. Potatoes, meat, cheese, cabbage, onions and garlic are
the foundations of traditional Slovak food. You will also find plenty of beans,
lentils, corn and fresh vegetables as well as whatever fruits are in season.
Bread is a staple of the Slovakian diet. Most people eat it for
breakfast and quite often with dinner as well. The bread differs from region to
region, but it’s always fresh and delicious.
Some of the typical dishes you might find around Slovakia
include bryndzove halusky, small dumplings made from potato
dough and sheep cheese topped with bacon, and parenica, the
generic name for the many different types of cheese, some of which are smoked.
Treska, a cold salad made from codfish, mayonnaise and
vegetables is a favourite snack, while palacinky are delicious crepes
stuffed with fruit or jam.
If you are in Bratislava, you should check out Leberfinger, one
of the best restaurants in the country for traditional Slovak cuisine.
Napoleon once ate at this riverside tavern, and the venue is known to be
kid-friendly. Another great spot in Bratislava is the family-run Modra hviezda,
with its barrel-vaulted ceilings and wine cellar atmosphere on
the side of castle hill.
Some of the more interesting traditional Slovakian handicrafts
include painted Easter eggs, delicate woven table mats, corn-husk figures,
folk pottery and hand-knit sweaters. Bratislava is the best
place to find all kinds of arts and crafts, as it has several markets
and dozens of specialty shops. Obchodna ulica (‘Shopping Street’) has a
wealth of souvenir and folk art shops, as does the large store ULUV on SNP
Square. Another good shop in the capital city is Folk, which stock a great
selection of products such as pottery, wooden toys, traditional dolls
and hand-woven items.
Souvenir stalls can also be found in the main square of
Bratislava’s Old Town and along the Hviezdoslavovo Square in front of the Slovak
National Theatre throughout the year. Slovakia also makes some really
wonderful crystal and glassware, especially the works at Lednicke Rovne.
One of the best places to find these products in the capital is at RONA, a
well-stocked crystal and smoked glass shop in the pedestrian zone along
Laurinska Street.
For a more day-to-day shopping experience, visit one of the open-air
markets around Bratislava. It’s a popular tradition for Slovakian
families to do their weekend produce shopping at the fresh market, so this is
a great place to see the locals in their own environment. The
Old Town Indoor Market (Stara Trznica) is one of the bigger and nicer spots in
the city centre, where you can find all kinds of stuff at the specialty stalls
as well as fast food and great beer. Smaller open-air markets can be found on
Polna, Zilinska and Sancova streets.
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