• arrival to the M.R. Stefanik airport (Bratislava) or Wien (Swechat)
• transfer from the airport to the hotel, accommodation
• debate with guide, drink for free and time to leisure

• Bratislava city

– capital city of Slovakia, with old town charm, great restaurants, traditional pubs, kind people and human scale. You do not have to spent all day long by trekking in and out of subway stations. Bratislava has proud history dates back to Roman times. The highlights of this capital are vineyards, castle – with amazing view over old medieval town and Danube, impressive architecture and cuisine. The Danube River itself is, of course, one of the city’s main assets.  From New and Old Bridges is good point to watch the river traffic. Numerous restaurants offering international cuisine – from Slovak to French to Argentinian to Japanese – and excellent local beer and wine fill the city centre  

• Bratislava castle

– the first written reference about the city, appeared in the Annals of Salzburg of 907, in association with a battle between Bavarians and Hungarians. The castle hill was populated as early as the late Stone Age. The first known inhabitants were the Celts. Bratislava castle is symbol of the city. It was really important during the period of the Great Moravian Empire. It was well known as Hungarian coronation jewels for two centuries.

• Devin castle

– Devin Castle, as national cultural monument, is located at the foot of a cliff above the confluence of the Danube and Morava Rivers, altitude 212 meters. Legend has it that a bride jumped from here on her intended wedding day after her family killed her groom, the knight Mikulas, and ordered her to enter a convent. Devin is great place for walks, not only to the historical monuments on the site, but also into the beautiful countryside which surrounds it.

• Bratislava old (historical) town

– it is typical by many baroque palaces and sacral buildings. The oldest parts of Bratislava are: Old Town Hall, Primatial Palace, St. Martin´s Cathedral, Michael´s Gate, Franciscan´s Square, Main Square…etc So what to see: Old town Hall – The building routinelly houses the Bratislava City Museum, the oldest in the city. When open, the museum features an exhibition of the feudal justice system. In summer, cultural programmes and events are held in this beautiful renaissance tower. Primatial Palace – The Primatial Palace was built on property originally belonging to the archbishop of Esztergom. The Treat of Bratislava between France and Austria was signed in the palace’s Hall of Mirrors on 26 December, 1805. Today the palace is the office of the mayor of Bratislava, and the superb Hall of Mirrors is now used to host concerts. St. Martin´s Cathedral – this cathedral has four chapels, height 16,02 metres and relief of Holy Trinity. Michael´s Gate – the 51-metre tower with seven floors, and the great view of the old town from the upper terrace, it´s one of the symbols of Bratislava.

• Pezinok

– Pezinok is a city in the Small Carphatian Mountains situated about 18 km from Bratislava. The city as well as the rest of this area is famous for its quality wines, which are  produced  by big companies and also small family wineries. The National Wine Salon is showcasing 100 of the best Slovak wines. It´s  hold  in the Pezinok castle. It is open daily except for Mondays 11 am – 6 pm. The city regularly hosts a wide range of local, regional, national or international festivals, e.g. Ethnofestival, Ad Uno Corda – inernational festival of cathedral choirs, The International Theatre Festival Cibulak  The international exhibition of minerals. In city is situated  castle, which serves as a wine cellar and restaurant. Part of the castle area is a beautiful English garden with two lakes and rare tree species. The garden is open for public.

• Cerveny Kamen castle (Red Stone Castel)

– is a 13^th century castle in southwestern Slovakia in the Little Carpathians. This castle was completely rebuilt as a fortress in the first half of the 16th century. Frequently restored over the centuries, today Cerveny Kamen houses a remarkable exhibition of furniture and furnishings in its many rooms.

• Driny cave

– The Driny Cave is the only show cave in the western. Driny cave represents a system of narrow fissure passages, however with beautiful dripstone decoration. Tour is 450 m long and takes about half an hour. The ascent is eased with about 150 stairs.

• Trnava – the “little Rome”
• Trnava is awesome for those who love churches. City wall was built in the 14^th The historic centre is declared as a city monument.  It is the seat of a Roman Catholic archbishopric. Because of the many churches within its city walls, Trnava has often been called “parva Roma“, i.e. “Little Rome“, or more recently, the “Slovak Rome”. The majorities of town are Gothic St. Nicolas’ Church, Tower in the historical center and Cathedral.
• Smolenice castle
• – Smolenice Castle was built in the 15^th century, but it was destroyed during Rakoczi’s War of Independence and Napoleanic wars. Today the Smolenice Castle belongs to the most significant and romantically buildings within Slovakia. Its monumental tower with a view terrace dominates its building. Steep roofs, towers, bawn with a chapel and bastions, neat greenery create fairytale-like atmosphere. Currently the castle is a Congress centre of the Slovak Academy of Sciences and throughout the year it hosts number of scientific conferences and symposia. The castle is open for public only in July and August. The romantic appearance of the castle is emphasized by the surrounding English landscape garden.

• Trencin

– city in western Slovakia, of the central Vah river. Trencin is best known for a Roman inscription on the rock below the Trenčín Castle dating from 179 AD. The majority of city is Trencin Castle, which is the third-largest castle in Slovakia. Trencin Castle is divided into upper and lower sections.. Below the castle, on the hillside, is the old parish church and a small upper square which is reached by historic covered stairs as well as by winding side streets. The old town has a large main square, with a big baroque church and a variety of shops, as well as a town tower. One of the best known music festival in Slovakia, Pohoda,  is also held in Trencin. It has been organized in this city since 1997 and it takes place at the Trenčín airport .•Trencin castle – the Trencin Castle is situated in western Slovakia and belongs to the National Cultural Monuments of Slovakia. It was built in 12^th century. It is located about 130 km from Bratislava. The Trencin castle is king’s castle. The first owner in 13^th century was Mathew Csak. During his reign the original tower was rebuilt and named after the ruler, Matúš Tower (Mathew = translation of Matúš). The water well is connected to the legend. According to the legend, the Turkish prince Omar had to redeem his love Fatima by digging a well in the castle rock.   .• Beckov castle – it´s a castle in ruins located near the village of Beckov in Nove Mesto nad Vahom District. It is a natural cultural monument and its present appearance is the result of renovations in the last quarter of the twentieth century and since 2002. Beckov Castle is one of the oldest castles of former Austro-Hungarian Empire. The first written records of the castle date back to 1208. The legend has it that the castle was built on demand of Duke Ctibor for his clown Becko. Visitors can see remains of rich Gothic and Renaissance decorations, stone water tanks, water well, Gothic staircase in the castle chapel and other interesting historical architectural elements. To learn more about the history of the Beckov castle, you can visit the town museum below the castle, in the completely restored manor house of the Ambro family, which features historic furniture from aristocratic residences, paintings and portraits and finds from the castle.  

• Castle of Cachtice

– is a castle ruin in Slovakia next to the village of Cachtice. The castle was a residence and later the prison of the Countess Elizabeth Bathory, who is alleged to have been the world’s most prolific female serial killer. For her sadist habits she was called ”the bloody countess”. The countess was condemned to a lifelong prison in 1611 by the Paladin Thurzo in Bytča and died in 1614. The story of the bloody countess became subject of numerous literary, theatre or film works. The castle was burnt during the Rebellion of Estates by the soldiers of Francis II Rakoczi and fell in decay.

• Orava castle

– is one the most beautiful and largest castles in Slovakia, in the northern Orava region.  Orava Castle is situated on a high rock above Orava river. Oravsky Podzamok village is the starting point to the mighty Orava Castle. Orava Castle was owned by many aristocrats, county heads and noblemen, protecting important road to Poland and serving as an administrative and military centre for the region. If you are interested in furnished rooms, large courtyards, torture rooms and weapon collections, you will find them in historical exhibition.        

• Strecno castle

– On the left side of the Váh river, close to Zilina, you find the Strecno Castle. The oldest castle had the area of only 18×22 metres. It was rather small residential building, a water tank and a dominant watch tower with a defense function . The Castle was extended and altered several times, whereas it had the largest area in the 17^thcentury. The Castle of Strecno is an indispensable part of the landscape scenery of the Malá Fatra mountains and the castle rock and the path above the Castle provides a beautiful view of the Streciansky mountain pass.

• Rafting the Vah river

– Rafting in the Vah gap under the remains of the Stary hrad castle will be finished under the remains of the famous Strecno castle. It is one of the last unregulated passages on the Vazska cascade known also for rafting stretch Margita and Besna.

• Bojnice

– historical town in central Slovakia. Here is situated the oldest zoo, the most visited castle and one of the oldest spa resort in country. Above the town is located Bojnice castle.

• Bojnice castle

–  it is  one of the oldest and most distinguished of Slovak fortresses. From the 13^th century Bojnice was seized by the magnate Matus Cak Trenciansky and after him, in the 14^th and 15^th centuries, ownership of the fortress changed hands between the following noble families: Gileth, Leustach and Noffry. Later, in the 15^th century, it was owned by King Matthias Corvinus, who gave it to his illegitimate son John Corvinus in 1489. Finally, the last famous castle owner from the Palffy family. The castle is renowned for its attractions, including the popular Castle Fairytale, the International Festival of Ghosts and Spirits and the Summer Music Festival. The romantic castle is also a popular location for filming fairy tale movies, such as Fantaghirò. In 2006, the castle attracted about 200,000 visitors. It hosts the single most popular museum in Slovakia and has featured in many movies. It is great opportunity to take advantage of seeing castle park featuring numerous species of trees, which surrounds  Bojnice Castle. The park also contains the Bojnice Zoo, the oldest and one of the most visited zoos in Slovakia. The castle park continues in the form of a forest park in the Strazov Mountains.  

• Zvolen castle

– This Gothic castle is situated on the mild hilltop at the southern part of the square. It was built by King Louis the Great of Anjou in the last third of the 14th century as a hunting residence according to Italian town castles. The castle had several owners. King Matthias Corvinus, Jan Jiskra of Brandys and Jan Thurzo.. During  Baroque reconstruction was created the coffered ceiling in the Royal Hall with the portraits of 78 Roman emperors. It had been the king’s possession till the middle of the 17th century. Nowadays Zvolen Castle is a national cultural heritage and it’s the seat of the Slovak National Gallery.  

• Evening Spa in hotel Kaskady

– sourse of the Medical Spa & Wellness in Hotel Kaskády is healing mineral water. Their priority is health and perfect rest. You will enjoy a true oasis of peace and relaxation. You can use indoor and outdoor thermal pool, several kinds of sauna, whole body treatment, spa rituals and medical spa.

• Castle of Spis, and historic town of Levoča

–  Spiš castle  is one of the largest castle sites in Central Europe. It dominants in Spiš region. Castle is  the UNESCO World Heritage Site. History of this castle is very rich. The rock the castle stands on was inhabited already 40 000 years ago. From the organisation structure of the hill-fort we might infer that already at that time it had been an administrative centre of the Spiš region. – Historic town of Levoča is situated in eastern Slovakia, as town in Prešov region. This town is typical for its town wall, a Renaissance church with the tallest wooden altar in the world, carved by Master Paul of Levoča, and many other Renaissance buildings. What you can see there: Sv. Jakob (St.James) Church, Master Paul’s House, Renaissance town hall, Town theatre, Medieval cage of shame, Neo-Classical Lutheran Church, Baroque Church of the Holy Spirit, Gothic Cloister, The Large Provincial House, The Spis Museum.  

• Kezmarok castle

– The dominant of the town Kežmarok is the Castle  of Kezmarok that has entered the history of tourism in the High Tatras. In 1931, the first exposition of the regional Museum of Kezmarok was opened, After general repairs to the castle that took place in the years 1962-1985, its collections were expanded. Visitors can see many expositions and theatre performances in summer nights at the Castle.

Farewell and departure from Banska Bystrica to the airport Bratislava or Wien.