Traditional Slovak Heritage Tour 2020

Day 1, Friday, 11 September 2020
BANSKA STIAVNICA & BANSKA BYSTRICA

Morning drive through the rolling Danube plains stopping for lunch in the old mining town of Banská Štiavnica.
Tour the castle and the Renaissance Main Square of this hilly 15th-century town, beautifully situated in a richly-forested 
valley. Settle in to our hotel, Pension Kuria, in the quaint city of Banská
 Bystrica.
Gather for an evening Welcome Dinner (included) in a 14th-century fortress restaurant to review the travel plans, and have an introductory Slovak
 lesson.

Accommodation: Hotel Kuria***
Overnight: Banska Bystrica

Day 2, Saturday, 12 September 2020
SPANIA DOLINA & BANSKA BYSTRICA

Step back in time in the ancient mining and craft village of Spania Dolina. Walk 
the village and forested lanes and visit the lace and mining museums.
Afternoon will be free to explore the elegant and historical downtown of Banská Bystrica,
visit the National Museum of the Uprising, shop, or relax and enjoy a 
contemporary spa.

Meal(s): Buffet Breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel Kuria***
Overnight: Banska Bystrica

Day 3, Sunday, 13 September 2020
ORAVA REGION, ZUBEREC, HIGH TATRAS

Travel through beautiful landscapes of the Mala Fatra Mountains, stopping to visit Orava Castle.
Lunch, folk activities and music at a traditional Koliba, shepherds’ restaurant.
Drive through the picturesque Liptovska Mara lake region. Relax and watch the sun set on the mountains from our Grand Hotel.

Meal(s): Buffet Breakfast
Accommodation: Grand Stary Smokovec****
Overnight: Stary Smokovec, High Tatras

Day 4, Monday, 14 September 2020
HIGH TATRAS

Enjoy the beauty of the Tatry Mountains at your own pace. Several options for a day of out-door, scenic adventure in this 
dramatic small alpine range or relaxing in the resort towns.

Meal(s): Buffet Breakfast
Accommodation: Grand Stary Smokovec****
Overnight: Stary Smokovec, High Tatras

Day 5, Tuesday, 15 September 2020
BARDEJOV / UNESCO

Travel from the High Tatry Mountains to the scenic drive to the Bardejov Open-Air Village Museum to see how many of our ancestors were living at the end of the 19th century when many immigrants came to the United States.
In the evening, explore the historical guild town of Bardejov before settling into the Hotel Pod Branou, with spectacular location in the heart of the city.

Meal(s): Buffet Breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel Pod Branou****
Overnight: Bardejov

Day 6, Wednesday, 16 September 2020
SARIS REGION  & KOSICE

Travel through the lovely stream valleys ringed by high pasture fields and farm land of the Šariš region.
A morning visit to a small village at the edge of the forests where people still preserve the old ways of life.
In the late afternoon, explore Prešov with its old center square, and excellent Šariš Museum, showing traditional ways and 19th/early 20 century photos of village life when many Slovaks left for America.
In the evening, walk the beautiful central square of Košice before settling into the Hotel Doubletree by Hilton, in the heart of the city.

Meal(s): Buffet Breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel Double Tree Hilton****
Overnight: Kosice

Day 7, Thursday, 17 September 2020
KOSICE – CULTURAL CAPITAL OF 2013

Morning guided walking tours of Košice’s well-preserved historic center. Afternoon free to shop and explore the thriving downtown.

Optional evening special cultural program. Optional personal family and village visits can be arranged.

Meal(s): Buffet Breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel Double Tree Hilton****
Overnight: Kosice

Day 8, Friday, 18 September, 2020
SPISS REGION – UNESCO

Leave Košice for the rolling hills and valleys of the Spiš region. Explore the ruins of the majestic Spiš Castle one of the largest castle ruins in Europe.
Visit the Romanesque Cathedral of St. Martin in Spišská Kapitula, the “Slovak Vatican,” a walled ecclesiastical village since the 12th century. Lunch in the historical, pilgrimage town of Levoča with visits to see the large exquisitely-carved altar in St. Jacob’s Cathedral by 15th century master woodcarver Master Pavol.
After a day of exploration in the Spiš region, we’ll start the trip back to Bratislava with surprise stops along the way.

We’ll arrive in Slovakia’s capital city on the Danube in time to enjoy the charm of the Old City by night and settle into the old world elegance of the Hotel Radisson Carlton, in the center of the Old City.

Meal(s): Buffet Breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel Radisson****
Overnight: Bratislava

Day 9, Saturday, 19 September 2020
BRATISLAVA QUALITY SIGHTSEEING TOUR

Fall in love with Slovakia’s modest but elegant small capital with a morning guided tour through the Old City and a stop at the city’s fortress castle for panoramic views of the city and the Danube.
Free afternoon to explore its narrow central streets and lovely plazas. Stroll the Danube promenade and watch the ships and barges along this busy waterway.

Meal(s): Buffet Breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel Radisson****
Overnight: Bratislava

Day 10, Sunday, 20 September 2020
FAREWELL TO OUR TRAVEL FRIENDS !

At the close of the tour, some people will fly out of Vienna, and others will continue to travel on to Krakow, Poland, or Prague, Czech Republic with a Slovakia Heritage Extension Tour.

Please see details on the Extension Tours:
www.slovakiaheritage.com/extension-tours/
or call Judith Northup-Bennett at 978-544-5144 to discuss your personal plans.

Meal(s): Buffet Breakfast