Set on the banks of the Vah River, Liptovský Mikuláš is a historic town in the north of Slovakia. It has long been an important centre for crafts and played an important role in the 19th-century Slovak National Movement. Among Liptovský Mikuláš’ most famous residents is the radical Romantic poet Janko Kráľ.
Things to do in Liptovský Mikuláš
Occupying a Baroque-style former monastery building is the Slovak Museum of Nature Protection and Speleology, which documents the country’s natural diversity. Browse the dioramas depicting native flora and fauna, as well as the 400+ minerals on display, then admire the flowstone formations in the Karst and Caves of Slovakia exhibition.
Sprawling west of the town is the Liptovská Mara, a scenic reservoir established in the 1960s with the damming of the Vah River. It’s a popular destination for boating, fishing and swimming in the summer months and is home to the Havranok archaeological site. In addition to its ancient Celtic hill fort, the site features a reconstructed Iron Age farmstead and a medieval wooden castle.
Liptovský Mikuláš is on the doorstep of one of Central Europe’s biggest waterparks, Tatralandia, which features thermal pools fed by natural mineral water. Kids will love the Pirates of the Caribbean tropical play area and the multi-lane Niagara waterslide while adults can rejuvenate in the Celtic Sauna World. Adjacent to Tatralandia is Zoo Kontakt, where you can get up close to lions and bears.
Getting around Liptovský Mikuláš
Liptovský Mikuláš is around an hour’s drive from Banska Bystrica and two hours from Kraków John Paul II International Airport, which has flights to destinations across Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. Trains connect from Bratislava to the Liptovský Mikuláš railway station and buses travel through the town.