Slovakia with Kids: Family Travel Guide
Slovakia is a small country in the geographical centre of Europe and it’s a perfect, year-round destination for active visitors. Around 80% of the country is covered with hills and mountains so hiking and sports in nature are the main activity. Besides mountains, Slovakia has other major attractions: caves, castles and mineral springs.
If you like skiing and snowboarding, winter is the best time for your vacation because Slovakia has many skiing areas and mountain resorts. Also, skiing in Slovakia will cost you less than winter sports destinations in France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany or Austria.
Spring and fall are not the best seasons for visiting Slovakia with children due to variable weather conditions. I recommend you plan your trip from May to September because during these months, besides good weather, there are tons of attractive events, fun activities, fairs, festivals and open-air concerts across the whole country. Many of them are free to enjoy.
What to Pack
When traveling to Slovakia, pack what you would pack for any European trip. Summers are generally hot with occasional thunderstorms. The best for travel is May to September. Spring and fall are rainier. Winter travel calls for warm layers and heavier outer clothing, especially if your itinerary involves mountains and winter sports.
During summer, bring shorts and T-shirts, comfortable sandals and hiking shoes. In the evening, it can get colder, so long-sleeved layers with long trousers are very useful. I also suggest, a hat or a cap and a day backpack which will be great for day trips and hiking.
Top Things to do with Kids in Slovakia
Explore BRATISLAVA
Bratislava is probably your first touchpoint with Slovakia. It’s the capital city with tons to do and see. Depending on the age of your children, you might enjoy a leisurely walk in the historical city centre. It’s a pedestrian zone, so your children can hop along feely. Children will probably enjoy a ride on the red sightseeing train and climb up the Old City Hall bell tower. There are also many fountains, funky statues and excellent coffee shops with delicious cakes and ice cream. A fun thing to do is walking across the SNP Bridge, also know as the UFO Bridge, and take a lift to the viewing platform. The view is the best in town.
If you are in Bratislava longer than one day, I suggest a boat ride to Devin Castle which is just outside of town. There is also a medium-size ZOO with excellent ape pavilion and dinosaur park.
Thermal Parks
Slovakia is very rich in mineral water springs, some are hot and therefore there are many healing medical spas and thermal waterparks. Very popular are the waterparks in Podhajska, Besenova, Rajecke Teplice and Piestany. These places are definitely activities for the whole day, so plan accordingly. All of them offer accommodation and are easy to get to by train or bus.
Donovaly
Donovaly is a mountain resort village in central Slovakia just a short drive north of Banska Bystrica. It’s a great place to visit in winter or summer. In summer months, it offers great hiking, great food in typical Slovak log houses (called salas or koliba) and several kids attractions such as Habakuky Fairy Tale Village, Donovalkovo Kids City, playgrounds, tubing and more. During winter, ski schools for kids and easy slopes are a perfect place for your kids to learn downhill skiing.
Bojnice
Bojnice is a small town near Prievidza and an excellent destination for families. Bojnice is home to an amazing castle that Disney princesses can only dream about. I suggest you start the day with the castle tour first. It’s an hour or so and there is also a torture room and a cave with deep water well that your kids might like to see. Right across the castle, there is a ZOO that spreads in a nice parkland on the side of a hill. Count 3 hours for the ZOO. After lunch, there is a great viewing tower you will love the views from. The last part of the day is a great time to relax by the outdoor swimming pool that uses the same parking lot like the castle and the ZOO. These attractions are next to each other within a short walkable distance.
High Tatras
High Tatras National Park is the most popular national park in Slovakia. You should include it in your itinerary because it’s amazing. If your kids like walking and hiking, you’ll love it there. There is so much to do and see for all ages and fitness levels. There are easy to moderate hiking trails you can try to get to great heights and alpine nature. With kids from 8 up, I suggest Strbske Pleso to the Skok Waterfall trail. It’s 5 hours back and forth of easy walking through amazing forests, meadows and along water streams and towering rock walls.
Another great activity with kids is taking the cable cars up to the second-highest peak of the Carpathians, the Lomnicky Peak. Make sure you buy tickets 3 days in advance because spots in the cable car are limited to 15 people and it’s a very popular trip.
If it rains, try Tricklandia Visual Gallery of Tricks in Stary Smokovec or Kvantarium Optical Gallery in Hrebienok. Both are fun activities for the whole family.
Castles
Slovakia is home to over 600 castles, palaces, castle ruins, fortresses, and manors. So, if castles and medieval architecture interests you, you’ll have plenty to choose from. I suggest Orava Castle for its towering structure high up on a steep rock.
Stara Lubovna Castle is close to the High Tatras and you can explore it with a tour or on your own from the top of the tower to the very bottom of the dark cellars. There is a free falconry show in one of the courtyards. The ticket is combinable with the Folk Architecture Open Air Museum that sits right below the castle. I recommend you go there as well; you’ll learn a lot about Slovakia, it’s fun, outdoors and kids can run freely there.
Spis Castle is a massive castle ruin in Eastern Slovakia and the largest castle in the country.
Slovak castles usually have additional summer activities for children such as falconry shows, knight fights, costumed storytellers and guides. Family tickets are mostly under €20.
Caves
Slovakia is a land of caves. There are over 1000 caves and 13 of them are accessible to the public. Five of these caves are on the UNESCO Natural Heritage list. I highly recommend both caves in the Demanovska Valley (Demanovska Ice Cave and Demanovska Cave of Liberty). Also, the Dobsinska Ice Cave is unique. Belianska Cave is in the High Tatras. The most unique cave is Ochtinska Aragonite Cave because there is only one of these types in Europe and only three in total worldwide (Mexico and Argentina have one each).
Getting To/From the Airport
If you come from other continents, buy flight tickets to Vienna. Slovakia uses Vienna airport as their own due to its close proximity to Bratislava (30 min by car, 60 min by long-distance bus). Within Europe, you may get cheap flight tickets with low-cost airlines directly to Bratislava Airport or elsewhere, e.g. Kosice or Tri Duby Airport in Sliac.
Between Vienna and Bratislava airports, there are several bus companies that run regularly between the cities.
Getting Around
Slovakia is a compact country with a great public transportation system. It’s easy to get around by trains and buses. A rental car is also a great option. You don’t have to travel too far to get to interesting places.
Trains are quite cheap and popular. Trains usually have one coach dedicated to families with children, so ask for tickets in those particular ones. Your kids may have other mini travelers to play with. They are mostly on time but might run late towards the final destination. Summer is also a period when railways do all the technical repairs on tracks which may cause some delays or slow-down areas.
Buses are great for shorter distances or for destinations where there are no train connections. With small children and baggage, this might be a bit tiring.
Car rental is your best option due to the comfort and freedom it provides. Slovak highways are good, parking is cheap, and you can make small stops and detours to interesting places along the way.
Generally, children under 6 can ride for free on trains and public city buses. For trains, they will issue a kid’s ticket for each child and conductors will stamp it.
Family-Friendly Accommodation in Slovakia
Because Slovakia is a family-friendly country, you won’t have problems finding suitable accommodation. Slovaks travel with kids a lot and there are many playgrounds and facilities for children. What is quite unique, most of the restaurants and coffee shops have designated kids’ corners with toys, colouring books, and crayons. You can enjoy your latte and cake in peace while your kids play away with other children.
Keeping Your Family Safe
Slovakia is a very safe country. As everywhere else in the world, watch out for pickpockets and don’t leave valuables unattended or in your car. With children, depending on their age, don’t leave them out of sight in busy places such as train or bus stations. Also, Slovaks are swift and dynamic drivers, prevent your kids from unsupervised running around near busy roads and always stay on pedestrian sidewalks.
When hiking, stay in groups and keep kids close. Slovakia is a bear and wolf country, so make sure you stay on hiking trails and make enough noise so wildlife can hear you and has time to avoid you.
Final Thoughts
Slovakia is a fun destination for travel with children. Your trip will be full of activities and physical movement in the fresh air. Beautiful nature, medieval castles and tasty food. You must try the local national dish called Bryndzove Halusky (potato dumplings with fresh sheep cheese), parene buchty (sweet steamed dumplings), orechovnik (walnut roll) and makovnik (poppy seed roll). Kids will like to drink Vinea (sparkling grape juice beverage) and Kofola (local version of cola). And you cannot leave without enjoying the myriad of different cakes they offer in cute coffee shops and patisseries.
Author Bio
Slavka is a travel writer and blogger based in London, Ontario, Canada. She specializes in family, multi-generational and couple travel in Europe and America. With a special love for Central Europe and Canada, you can find her exploring cities, castles, caves, and mountains in those areas. You can communicate with her in five European languages. She shares her travel adventures, videos, and advice on www.on2continents.com.
