Bratislava
Capital: Old Town, castle side, Danube riverfront, station area and Petržalka. We stayed in Vienna, came in by morning train and walked the Old Town and the castle.
Bratislava: hotels area by areaOur city guides in Slovakia
Slovakia by Region: Where to Stay from the Tatras to Košice
5 areasOutside Bratislava we split Slovakia into five regions: the spa town of Piešťany in the west, Banská Štiavnica and the Liptov valley in the middle, the High Tatras in the north and Košice in the east.
From Štrbské Pleso to Košice, each card lists three hotels from that town's Booking bestseller list, plus a link to all its hotels. Times are from Bratislava main station, approximate, from the ZSSK timetable (cp.sk, October 2026).
High Tatras
Štrbské Pleso and Poprad
Slovakia's highest mountains. Štrbské Pleso sits on the shore of the mountain lake of the same name, about 1,350 metres above sea level. The Tatran express from Bratislava stops at Štrba and Poprad-Tatry; the rack railway climbs from Štrba to the lake, and the Tatra Electric Railway runs from Poprad up to Starý Smokovec (cp.sk, October 2026). Štrbské Pleso (Strbske Pleso) hotels sit by the lake itself; Poprad is the base if you arrive by train.
- Štrbské Pleso, Starý Smokovec and Tatranská Lomnica sit at the foot of these mountains
- About 4 hours 10 minutes from Bratislava to Poprad-Tatry by direct train
- 93 properties in Štrbské Pleso and 249 in Poprad on Booking
Best for: Lakes, mountain hikes and winter skiing
From Bratislava: Poprad-Tatry: about 4 hours 10 minutes by direct train
Good to know: for Štrbské Pleso, get off the Bratislava train at Štrba, the stop before Poprad; the rack railway up to the lake leaves from there (cp.sk, October 2026).
More about this area
We did not stay in the Tatras. The first two High Tatras hotels below are from Štrbské Pleso's most booked list on Booking, the third from Poprad's; we took those with high scores and plenty of reviews.
Booking scores and review numbers as seen on 28 October 2026. See Štrbské Pleso hotels Ad See Poprad hotels Ad
Grand Hotel Kempinski High Tatras
Štrbské Pleso, on the lake (Booking)
Booking: 9.5 (832 reviews).According to Booking, on the shore of a mountain lake at 1,351 metres.Hotel Patria
Štrbské Pleso (Booking)
Booking: 9.2 (2,030 reviews).A spa with an indoor pool and a restaurant serving Slovak food (Booking).Hotel Patria prices AdHotel SATEL
Poprad (Booking)
Booking: 9.1 (4,283 reviews).The most reviewed hotel on the Poprad list.Hotel SATEL prices AdEastern Slovakia
Košice
At the eastern end of the country and the last stop of the Tatran express from Bratislava. The trip is long, so it pairs well with the Tatras: the same train runs from Poprad to Košice in about 1.5 hours (cp.sk, October 2026).
From 13 December 2026 a direct EuroCity also links Vienna with Košice via Poprad (seat61, October 2026). Košice (Kosice) is Slovakia's second city, and the Kosice hotels below come from its Booking most booked list.
- Slovakia's second largest city
- About 5 hours 50 minutes from Bratislava by direct train
- 681 properties on Booking
Best for: A historic city centre, or a loop through the east
From Bratislava: About 5 hours 50 minutes by direct train
More about this area
We did not stay in Košice. These three Košice hotels come from the city's most booked list on Booking, and Booking places all three in the Old Town.
Booking scores and review numbers as seen on 28 October 2026. See Košice hotels Ad
Boutique Hotel Slávia
Košice Old Town (Booking)
Booking: 9.3 (1,454 reviews).Boutique Slovakia Residence
Košice Old Town (Booking)
Booking: 9.2 (1,839 reviews).Boutique Slovakia Residence prices AdCentral Slovakia
Banská Štiavnica
An old mining town built among wooded hills, small enough to be quiet in the evening and early morning. Buses from Bratislava change at Žarnovica or Zvolen, and the fastest connection takes about 3 hours 15 minutes (cp.sk, October 2026).
It is too far for a day trip; give it at least one night. Hotel Salamander (listed on Booking as Salamander - Garni) in Banská Štiavnica (Banska Stiavnica) is one of the three picks below.
- The historic mining town is on the UNESCO World Heritage list
- No direct train from Bratislava; 3 to 4 hours by bus with a change
- 211 properties on Booking
Best for: A UNESCO listed old mining town, quiet at night
From Bratislava: No direct train; 3 to 4 hours by bus with one change
More about this area
We did not stay in Banská Štiavnica. From the town's most booked hotels on Booking, these three stood out for score and number of reviews:
Booking scores and review numbers as seen on 28 October 2026. See Banská Štiavnica hotels Ad
Resla Residence I, II, & Wellness
Banská Štiavnica (Booking)
Booking: 9.2 (1,552 reviews).The most reviewed property on this list.Hotel Salamander - Garni
Banská Štiavnica (Booking)
Booking: 8.7 (658 reviews).Hotel Salamander prices AdLiptov
Jasná and Liptovský Mikuláš
A valley for skiing in winter and hiking in summer. The hotels closest to the slopes are in Jasná; if you arrive by train and want more choice, stay in Liptovský Mikuláš and ride the bus up the valley from the town bus station (cp.sk, October 2026).
- The Jasná ski resort is in the Low Tatras (Nízke Tatry), in the Demänovská Dolina valley
- About 3 hours 25 minutes from Bratislava to Liptovský Mikuláš by direct train, then about 40 minutes by bus to Jasná
- 206 properties in Demänovská Dolina and 432 in Liptovský Mikuláš on Booking
Best for: Skiing and sleeping close to the lifts
From Bratislava: Liptovský Mikuláš: about 3.5 hours by train, then 40 minutes by bus to Jasná
More about this area
We did not stay in Jasná. For Demänovská Dolina we took three high scoring hotels from Booking's most booked list:
Booking scores and review numbers as seen on 28 October 2026. See Jasná and Demänovská Dolina hotels Ad See Liptovský Mikuláš hotels Ad
Swissôtel Damian Jasná
Jasná, Demänovská Dolina (Booking)
Booking: 9.4 (1,861 reviews).Hotel Björnson & Björnson TREE HOUSES Jasná
Jasná, Demänovská Dolina (Booking)
Booking: 9.3 (2,336 reviews).More reviews than any other Jasná hotel on that list.Hotel Björnson prices AdWellness Hotel Chopok
Demänovská Dolina (Booking)
Booking: 9.0 (1,469 reviews).Wellness Hotel Chopok prices AdWestern Slovakia
Piešťany
The closest region to Bratislava: trains on the Žilina line leave every hour (cp.sk, October 2026). It works as a day trip, and a night in a spa hotel turns the trip into a proper rest. For Piešťany (Piestany) hotels, the three below are taken from the town's Booking ranking of most booked stays.
- One of Slovakia's best known spa towns
- About 1 hour 10 minutes from Bratislava by direct train
- 127 properties on Booking
Best for: Spa breaks and rest
From Bratislava: About 1 hour 10 minutes by direct train
More about this area
We did not stay in Piešťany. Among Piešťany's most booked hotels on Booking, we picked the three with the highest scores:
Booking scores and review numbers as seen on 28 October 2026. See Piešťany hotels Ad
Hotel Park
Piešťany (Booking)
Booking: 8.9 (1,250 reviews).Where to stay in Slovakia: your questions answered
Should I base myself in Bratislava or somewhere else?
On a first trip, Bratislava or Vienna. The two cities are about an hour apart by train; we stayed in Vienna, were on Bratislava's Main Square by 9 in the morning and had walked the castle, the cathedral and the Old Town by 2 pm.
Which area of Bratislava suits you is in our where to stay in Bratislava guide . The Tatras and Košice are too far for a return day trip from Bratislava, so plan to sleep there.
Which Slovak regions work as a day trip from Bratislava?
Of the regions on this page only Piešťany is close: about 1 hour 10 minutes by direct train, with a train every hour. Liptovský Mikuláš is 3.5 hours, Poprad over 4 and Košice close to 6, so give those at least one night.
There is no direct train to Banská Štiavnica; the bus takes 3 to 4 hours with a change. Times come from the ZSSK timetable and vary by service (cp.sk, October 2026).
Which town should I stay in in the High Tatras?
If you want to wake up by the lake with the peaks right above you, Štrbské Pleso: change from the Bratislava train at Štrba to the rack railway and you are at the lake in about 13 minutes. For more choice, Poprad: the direct train from Bratislava stops here, Booking lists 249 properties, and the lowest listed price is roughly half that of Štrbské Pleso.
From Poprad the Tatra Electric Railway reaches Starý Smokovec in about 25 minutes (cp.sk, October 2026).
Booking a hotel in a small Slovak town: what should I check first?
Stations: Štrbské Pleso and Starý Smokovec are reached by changing off the main line, so check how far the hotel is from the rack railway or Tatra train stop. Jasná: the hotels are spread along the valley on the bus route from Liptovský Mikuláš; without a car, ask whether the hotel is near a stop. Banská Štiavnica: no trains reach the town and the bus from Bratislava needs a change, so plan your arrival around the last connection.
Why these Tatras, Košice and Jasná hotels?
We have not spent a night in Slovakia. For each town we looked at the list of most booked hotels Booking publishes for it and picked those with high guest scores and many reviews. Scores for places like the Kempinski on Štrbské Pleso shift as new reviews come in; the hotel's Booking page shows the live figure and your price.
Our Bratislava and Slovakia guides
Slovakia travel guide capital, map, currency
Where to stay in Bratislava areas and hotels
Things to do in Bratislava castle, Old Town, day trip from Vienna
Slovak phrases words to know, with audio
Slovakia visa who needs one and how to apply
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