Need help planning Mid-late October travel Slovakia

Posted by susan on 05/23/25 05:26 PM

Planning first-time travel to tentative route Krakow (Auschwitz), Slovakia, Vienna and (possibly) Budapest two weeks in Mid-late October. Looking for advice about impact of bad weather or seasonal closure of country-side sites (castles, salt/opal mines, etc.) on our visit at that time of the year. I'm also asking for recommendations about using trains or renting a car to get between countries, particularly from someone who's traveled this route.

We're taking our adult children along on a legacy trip - my heritage is Slovak and my husband's dad grew up in Vienna (grandparents died at Auschwitz, which is reason to go to Krakow only in Poland for 1-2 days). My husband and I have visited Austria in the 1980s (by train including Vienna, Graz and Salzburg) but the Iron Curtain prevented us to cross the Danube into Bratislava and more.
So this is our chance to do that and get a "feel" for the places our ancestors may have walked. I'm hoping, of course, that we (and certainly our kids) will go back for deeper explores in the future.

Any advice is welcomed from knowledgeable travelers!

Posted by Mr Ɛ 🇺🇸 🇺🇦

Republic of Texas / U.S.A. / Magyarország / Budapest

05/23/25 05:58 PM

23907 posts

Late Octiber can be a bit cool, but not terrible. I guess, if it were me, I would start by considering flying into Krakow, then take a discount airline (Ryan) to Vienna, then rent a car in Bratislava and tour Slovakia Maybe you could drop the car in Kosice and take the train to Budapest. Maybe returning to Bratislava to drop the car. Returning doesn't mean backtracking as you can loop through upper then lower Slovakia. If you still wanted to see Budapest, it's 2.75 hours on the train from Bratislava. Nice trip actually. I love Slovakia and the best way to see it is to drive.

Posted by susan OP

06/08/25 12:04 AM

5 posts

Thank you! I may have some more detailed questions once finalize start and end destinations.

Posted by susan OP

09/12/25 02:37 AM

5 posts

Thanks for earlier responses.

We're in final planning mode and would love to get feedback on the following

Four adults traveling for 3 days in Slovakia, starting in Bratislava (from Vienna). Should we stay just one night in Bratislava? Then rent a car for next two days to visit Modra, Trencin, Orava, Banska Stiavnica, Spiis Castle? (Any others you would recommend for first-time visitors?). Won't have time to get to Tatras and anyway don't want to drive potentially in snow or ice in late October.
If we go by private car, where should we stay along the way? Historic hotels, castles or charming spots most desirable for this leg of the journey. Also, in these outlying areas of the country will we be limited in regard to sight-seeing, restaurant availability or other things due to shoulder season, possible weather challenges or the fact that we don't speak Slovak?
If we do rent a car and journey out on our own (have done that many times in other countries) should we be concerned about leaving luggage in the car as we tour castles, towns, other sights? Would it be better to find a place to stay where we can leave our luggage for the day and venture out in one direction or another from that spot? I At most US cities, it isn't wise to leave the car with personal belongings all day.
Our alternative is to stay overnights in Bratislava and take guided day tours to some of the outlying towns and sights. This is definitely not my first choice, but I'd like to get feedback before committing to the first option. Looking forward to hearing from you! Best, Susan