Slovakia - the country of castles

Starting our trip from the Eastern part of Slovakia, Spiš castle is the largest medieval castle complex in Central Europe. Its defensive walls date back to the 12the century. The huge area is connected by rocky stairs and pathways. The highlight of visit is view from the 22 m high tower and interactive medieval history museum. In the summer season there are a regular tours of the castle that I strongly recommend. Audio guide in english is possible as well and it will take you about 2 hours. Spiš castle is located roughly 1km from Spišske Podhradie from where you can walk up to the castle and take a good lunch at traditional Slovak restaurant. I highly recommend restaurant called Salaš where you can order dumplings with a sheep cheese that are traditional Slovak delicates. You can buy there also other delicious local products or souvenirs  - strongly recommend.

Moving to the western part of Slovakia, Trenčín castle is located above the town of Trenčín and its history goes back to the age of Roman Empiror. This can be a nice family day trip as castle organizes several really interesting interactiv atractions.

One of the interesting parts that are thought at schools in Slovakia is the sign that a Roman regiment left on the castle rock marking their theritory.

Starting from the city you can take a nice walk directly on the hill  which will take you about 20 minutes. The castle complex is quite big so reserve sufficient time so you can comfortably walk through the exterior as well as through interior.

Inside the castle, there is installed very nice exhibition along with some museum expositions. Castle consists of a set of palaces and charasteristic Matusova tower  and Delova bastion.  As I said in the begining, in the exterior there are organizes various medieval games, exhibitions or night sightseeing. When we were there the theater of medieval arts took part including knight matches and falconry.

When you come back down to the town, you can not miss the town square which is surrounded by several restaurants and cafeteries with a view directly on the castle which was a perfect end of our trip.

Bratislava castle that is a dominant of Slovak capital city Bratislava. Its majesty is highlighted by the hill it stands on above the water level of the river Danube. Castle went through the reconstruction (in the past it burned out) and today it offers a very nice exhibition of Slovak National museum, gardens where Maria Theresa went for a walk, parks and interesting monuments. The museum owns a collection of historical furniture, visual arts, ceramics, dresses or items from the silver.  Bratislava castle organizes regularly every year under the star sky Shakespeare`s festival and concerts performances at the castle courtyard that is perfect for long summer evenings. The walk through the park and gardens offers amazing views for different part of the city including  the old town. Castle has a perfect location thanks to its neighborhood with the old town that offers a great possibilities for culture, food or other kinds of entertainment. You can easily reach the city center by a 15 min walk or by car and public transport.