Banská Bystrica is a town in central Slovakia. There you will find many interesting places that many people do not know about and have no idea that Banská Bystrica also offers a lot for travelers. You will find out exactly what you should see in Banská Bystrica in this article.
Places of interest
The SNP square
Probably the most famous place in Banská Bystrica is SNP Square. You will find many colourful houses, churches, a beautiful fountain and various office buildings. The dominant feature of the square, however, is the Clock Tower, which in the past served as a torture chamber. Today you will find an information center there and you can also go to the top of the tower from where you will have an amazing view of the whole square as well as the surrounding sides.
City Castle-Banská Bystrica
From the already mentioned clock tower you can enjoy the king’s view of the City Castle. It is the dominant feature of Banská Bystrica. The castle was built around 12-13. century. Today, in the lower part of the castle there is a restaurant with a cafe. Right behind it is the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.
SNP Museum, Banská Bystrica
The SNP Museum is located in Banská Bystrica. For those who want to learn more about Slovakia during the world wars, I definitely recommend visiting this museum. Exhibits of various means of transport from I. and II. World War II can also be found in the exterior of the museum, which is open to the public free of charge. You will see tanks, a steam locomotive or even a military plane.
Urpín hill
The Urín hill reaches up to 510 m.n.m. After the hike you will be waiting for a nice calvary with a small fountain for drinking water. Immediately behind it is a wide meadow, where after a difficult climb you can spread out a picnic and take a well-deserved break. For those who really want to hike, there is also a 3.6 km long nature trail.
Relax with a coffee in Banská Bystrica
You already have interesting places in Banská Bystrica, so why not treat yourself to a sip of coffee ..? Of course, you will find a lot of cafes in the city, but there is one really special one. Café Fairy Tale is a truly magical place. As its name says, it resembles a children’s fairy tale, and that’s what I’m talking about its architecture. In the cafe, everything has an irregular shape and colourful decoration, which looks really unique.
Where to shop?
In Banská Bystrica there is one very modern shopping center – Europa. In the case you would like to buy some souvenirs, then there is no better place than city center in Banská Bystrica.
If you are also interested in visiting other Slovak cities, I recommend reading an article about Bratislava or Banská Štiavnica, for example.
