Article Slovakia on two wheels

I am #HistoricallyCurious

Thanks to Slovakia´s diverse topography, you can cycle routes on Europe’s largest river island, beside the ridges of majestic mountains, past vineyards, medieval castles, and UNESCO sites. Cycling routes in the heart of Europe vary in difficulty, from wholly or partly suitable for occasional bikers to challenging enough for the most intrepid mountain biker. Slovakia is covered by a huge web of over 50 official cycle routes and hundreds of cycle paths, and is also crossed by three international routes: EuroVelo 6, 13, and 11.

From water to water

EuroVelo 6  leads through 10 countries from the Atlantic to the Black Sea. In Slovakia, the route starts at the Bratislava-Berg border crossing and ends at the Hungarian border in Štúrovo. Complete this 168km segment in one day if you dare, or take it easy as a weekend trip. Several worthwhile attractions await along the way! Enjoy adrenaline sports at the Divoká voda water sports complex in Čunovo, or visit its  Danubiana Meulensteen Art Museum. On the opposite side of the riverbank in Šamorín, you’ll find an Olympic training center, the x-bionic sphere, with 27 Olympic sports fields. Continue to historical Komárno and its amazing 16th-century fortress, and take a break at the wellness center in Patince or at the enormous thermal swimming pool in Štúrovo.

Iron Curtain Trail

Discover the history of Europe´s division on the longest cycle route in Europe. It retraces the border stretching from the Black Sea to the Barents Sea. The Slovak section of EuroVelo 13 will take you through an area of valuable habitats that have been preserved thanks to decades of enforced isolation on the heavily guarded Slovak-Austrian border. Besides an amazing landscape, you can admire interesting cultural and technical sites along the route, for example military cells from World War II. In Veľké Leváre, visit Habánsky dvor, the largest preserved site of the Habán indigenous population in Europe. From Austria, you can reach Slovakia via the Cyklomost slobody bridge in Devínska Nová Ves or a little farther north, via the new cycling bridge in Vysoká pri Morave.

Beast of the east

The International cycle route EuroVelo 11, running from Norway to Greece, is nicknamed the “Beast of the East“. The Slovak section runs from the Polish border through the natural beauty of Pieniny National Park and extends from the northern highlands to the southern lowlands of eastern Slovakia. You’ll bike along lakes, aquaparks, historical towns, and medieval castles such as Plaveč or Stará Ľubovňa. Don´t be surprised by the Oscar statue on the square of picturesque Sabinov. It commemorates the first Czecho-Slovakian movie to be honored with the award, The Shop on Main Street, filmed in 1965. The new wooden Sarus cycle bridge in Veľký Šariš near Sabinov will take you to 800-year-old Šarišský hrad castle. Stop at the bustling metropolises of Prešov and Košice along the way and enjoy a wonderful array of art, culture and cuisine!