Slovakia in a Day: Castles & Legends

Three castles, a painted village and the stories that go with them, on a guided day from Bratislava with an English-speaking guide.

Beckov Castle crowns a sheer limestone rock above the Váh valley; its ruins are full of tales of battles and noble families. Trenčín Castle, one of the largest in Slovakia, towers over the old town square, with Matthew's Tower looking out over the river. Bojnice Castle, remodelled in the late 19th century in the style of the French Loire châteaux, is the country's favourite fairytale castle, with turrets, a moat and a park.

In between, you visit Čičmany, where the dark log houses are covered in white painted patterns. The village was declared the world's first folk architecture reserve in 1977, and a couple of the houses are open as a small museum.