Holidays in Slovakia can be unforgettable. If you stay at the SATEL*** hotel in Poprad, you will find a lot of natural attractions and historic monuments in the town and the nearby area.
We suggest TOP 5 attractions that you definitely shouldn´t miss while being here but the region of the Tatras offers much more to see and experience. It is one of the most attractive tourist destinations in Slovakia, with significant historic and technical monuments, galleries, folk architecture sights, natural creations, caves, castles and ruins. Don´t hesitate to ask us for advice where to go and what to visit.
Spišská Sobota
The historically most significant town part of Poprad is only 4.1 km from the SATEL*** hotel and one of the best preserved urban complexes in Slovakia. The most precious monuments include the Church of St. Georg from the mid 13th century with a Gothic interior and an altar made in the workshop of world-famous Master Paul of Levoča, the chapel of St. Anne from the early 16th century and a Renaissance tower from 1598 next to the church.
The square of Spišská Sobota is full of picturesque and well-preserved town houses and was declared an urban conservation area in 1950 thanks to their high architectonic and urbanistic value.
Funicular of Hrebienok
The funicular located only 14 km from the SATEL*** hotel is the perfect tourist destination in the High Tatras. The lower station is in Starý Smokovec and the upper one is in Hrebienok, a starting point of various hiking trips to the valleys of Veľká Studená dolina and Malá Studená dolina or to Mt Slavkovský štít. There is also Kubo the Bear, the patron of Hrebienok, who oversees the safety of tourists.
And a special Zone of Pleasure offers wooden bear sculptures and relaxation beds. In winter, unique ice sculpting championships called Tatra Ice Master are held in Hrebienok and a spectacular Tatra Temple of Ice is built there. As for Starý Smokovec, we suggest visiting the TrickLandia gallery and discovering Slovakia with trick art and optic illusions, augmented reality, an antigravity room and the most beautiful mirror maze in Central Europe.
Town of Levoča
It is known as the centre of the Spiš region and one of the most beautiful towns in Slovakia. Levoča is located 28 km from the SATEL*** hotel and is on the list of the UNESCO World Heritage.
The most visited dominants of the town include the Basilica of St. James with a tower, the highest wooden Gothic altar made completely without nails, the house of Master Paul, the Renaissance town hall, Brewer´s printing house, town walls, town gates and over 200 town and craftsmen houses on the main square and nearby alleys.
New attractions that are worth visiting include the so called Charity Fountain, the powder mill of Levoča, the interactive exposition in the renewed Museum of Special Education and the local cage of shame that tourists can test personally.
Spiš Castle
Located 43 km from the SATEL*** hotel, it is the largest castle ruin complex in Central Europe (over 4 ha). The castle and nearby monuments: Church of the Holy Spirit in Žehra, Spiš Chapter, the village of Spišské Podhradie and the town of Levoča are on the list of the UNESCO World Heritage.
The museum expositions in the castle introduce the history of the castle, medieval guns and the feudal justice system. On the north-eastern castle slope, there is a gigantic picture of stones (geoglyph), which was made by a team of an Australian artist in 2008 and depicts a horse from a Celtic coin that was discovered in the castle area.
Slovak paradise
The Slovak Paradise is one of the youngest national parks in Slovakia and offers one of the biggest ice caves in the world, carst plains, gorges, caves and waterfalls.
The national natural reserve of Kyseľ with a homonymous gorge is one of the largest park areas and Dobšinská ľadová jaskyňa is one of the biggest ice caves in Europe. In the territory of the Slovak Paradise there are various canyons and deep chasms with waterfalls that can be climbed only by using ladders and bridges.
The most popular locations include the gorges of Suchá Belá, Veľký Sokol, Róthova roklina, the rock gallery of Tomášovský výhľad and Kláštorisko with Carthusian monastery ruins.