If you are looking for something very interesting to do, every year there is a craft and music festival in Kezmarok, Slovakia. Its held the second weekend in July. Usually Fri/Sat/Sun. You will experience many different Slovak/Polish/Hungarian dance groups in original costumes. The craft fair has hundreds of artisans displaying and making their wares. We went in 2022 and it is reported more than 50,000 people attended. Many people speak english. Parking is difficult. Taking the train and walking to the downtown site is recommended. Plan on spending the whole day and evening.
Posted by
TX, USA
4072 posts
Sounds interesting! I need to get to Slovakia but it probably won’t be July. Did you drive? Where else did you go?
Posted by
OP
15 posts
We drove. We have friends in Stara Lubovna and Martin that we were visiting. BTW Spissky Hard and Levoca are close by as well. Both places are well worth the time to visit.
Posted by
Washington DC
27101 posts
Thanks so much for posting this. I haven't made it to Slovakia yet but hope to do so within the next three years. Now I know to check the schedule for that festival and plan my itinerary around it.
Posted by
TX, USA
4072 posts
Same! On my list but will probably be fall for me.
Posted by
OP
15 posts
Other places to visit are Orava Hard....one of the best castles in Europe. They do offer an English tour. And the wooden churches...they are scattered around the country. There are recreated Slovak villages in Martin and Stara Lubovna (great castle here as well) You will also want to explore the Tatra Mountains and the ice caves....This is all best done by car. There is much to see. Its one of our favorite countries to visit. You can get there through Vienna or Krakow. Take time to visit these cities as part of your trip.
Posted by
Huntsville, AL, USA
8139 posts
Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia, and it's just 39 miles from Vienna. We took a bus.
In an entire weekend in Bratislava, we didn't hear one word of German spoken. So close but so far. It's quite a beautiful small city with a fantastic mall with a bunch of restaurants overlooking the river.