Old town
First-timersThe steep centre between the two castles: the squares, cafés and most of the guesthouses.
Banská Štiavnica city guide
Things To Do In Banská Štiavnica
A UNESCO silver-mining town inside the caldera of an ancient volcano, with two castles, a baroque calvary on a hill, and dozens of lakes built by eighteenth-century engineers that you can now swim in.
1762
The first mining academy in the world founded here
~60
Tajchy, the artificial mining lakes
~10,000
People in the town today
Once one of the richest towns in Europe, now one of the quietest
Banská Štiavnica sits inside the caldera of a long-extinct volcano, and from the Middle Ages the silver and gold beneath it made it one of the wealthiest towns in the Kingdom of Hungary. In the eighteenth century it was a centre of mining technology, and in 1762 the world's first mining academy was founded here.
The engineers built around sixty artificial reservoirs — tajchy — in the hills around the town to power the machinery that pumped water out of the mines. The mining is long gone. The lakes remain, surrounded by forest, and they are where the region swims in summer.
The town itself is built across steep hillsides, with the Old Castle and the New Castle facing each other and a baroque Calvary — a hilltop sequence of chapels and churches — on a hill outside it, among the finest in Europe.
Once one of the largest towns in the kingdom, it now has about ten thousand people, which is part of its appeal. It is UNESCO-listed, quiet, and very little visited by international travellers.
Two days.
Where to stay
A small hillside town, with lakes in the forest around it.
By the lakes
Swimming and quietAround Počúvadlo and the other tajchy: forest cabins and guesthouses by the water.
Map © MapTiler © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Things to do
Things to do in Banská Štiavnica
Go underground. The open-air mining museum outside the town, about €10, runs guided tours into a real mine gallery in hard hats, and it is the best way to understand what made the town rich.
The Old Castle, a fortified church complex turned castle, and the New Castle, a white Renaissance tower built as a lookout against the Ottomans, face each other across the town. Both are a few euros and both have museums.
The Calvary on the hill outside town is a baroque complex of chapels and churches climbing a volcanic hill, among the finest in Europe and restored after years of decay. It is free to walk and has one of the best views over the town.
Walk the town itself. It is built across steep slopes, with the Holy Trinity column in the main square and handsome burghers' houses from the mining boom.
In summer, swim in the tajchy. Počúvadlo and Richňava are the popular ones, reached by car, bike or a long walk.
Free things
Free things to do in Banská Štiavnica
The town is free to walk and is the main attraction — the squares, the burghers' houses and the steep lanes.
The Calvary is free and gives the best view over the town.
The tajchy are free to walk around and to swim in, with small fees at some organised beaches.
The forest trails of the Štiavnica Mountains around the town are free, and Sitno, the highest peak, is a manageable hike with a lookout tower.
The Holy Trinity column in the main square, put up after a plague, is free and the centrepiece of the town.
Food and drink
Eating and drinking in Banská Štiavnica
Small-town and cheap. A main is €7 to €13.
Bryndzové halušky and other Slovak standards are on every menu.
The town has a handful of good cafés and a local brewery or two, and has attracted a small creative community that has improved the food noticeably.
A beer is €2 to €3.50 and Kofola is everywhere.
By the lakes, a few summer restaurants and kiosks serve the swimmers.
Nightlife
Going out in Banská Štiavnica
Very quiet. It is a town of about ten thousand people and the evening is a meal and a drink in a café.
A beer is €2 to €3.50.
The Salamander festival in September is the exception, with a torchlit parade and crowds, and the Christmas period is also busy.
Otherwise, this is a place for walking, swimming and early nights.
Getting around
Getting around Banská Štiavnica
The town is walkable but genuinely steep — it is built across the sides of the caldera.
Buses and trains run via Zvolen, and the journey from Bratislava takes around three hours.
The tajchy are spread through the surrounding hills. A car, a bike or a long walk is needed to reach most of them, and local bus services are limited.
Public transport in the area is sparse, so plan connections ahead.
Costs
What Banská Štiavnica costs
Cheap. Beds are €15 to €35, a main €7 to €13, and a beer €2 to €3.50.
A day is €28 to €50.
Slovakia uses the euro.
The town, the Calvary and the lakes are free. The mining museum is about €10 and the castles a few euros each.
Festival weekends, particularly Salamander in September, push prices up and beds book out.
Safety
Staying safe in Banská Štiavnica
Banská Štiavnica is a very safe small town and crime is minimal.
The streets are steep and cobbled, and slippery in rain and ice.
The tajchy are deep, cold reservoirs rather than gentle lakes, often with steep banks. Swim at the organised beaches, and do not swim alone or after drinking.
The mine tours are guided for a reason — do not enter old mine workings or shafts on your own. The hills around the town are riddled with them.
Brown bears live in the forests of central Slovakia. On trails, make noise, and never approach or feed one.
Emergency number is 112.
What's on
What is on while you are there
A torchlit mining parade in September.
September
Salamander
Old town
A parade rooted in the town's mining traditions, with costumes and torches through the streets. Beds book out.
Late June to August
Swimming season
The tajchy
When the mining lakes are warm enough to swim.
December
Christmas
Old town
A small market and events in the snow-covered town.
Year-round
Mining traditions
Mining museum
Guided underground tours of a real mine gallery.
May to October
Hiking season
Štiavnica Mountains
When the forest trails around the caldera are at their best.
When to go
June to September for the lakes. September brings the Salamander parade.
Jan
Cold, and pretty under snow
Feb
Cold and very quiet
Mar
Thaw
Apr
Green and quiet
May
Good
Jun
Excellent. Lakes warming
Jul
The best month for swimming
Aug
Warm and busy with domestic visitors
Sep
Superb. Salamander parade
Oct
Autumn colour in the caldera
Nov
Grey and quiet
Dec
Christmas events and snow
Bar height is temperature. Colour is how busy it gets:
quiet
busy
peak
Average highs. The town sits at altitude in the hills, so it runs cooler than Bratislava, and the lakes are only really warm enough to swim in from late June to August.
What your trip will cost
Pick how you travel. Per person per night, in euros — Slovakia uses them.
Slovakia is in the eurozone, so these are the prices you will pay. A car or bike to the lakes sits outside these figures.
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- Beds—
- Food and drink—
- Getting around—
- Doing things—
Banská Štiavnica travel questions
The ones we get asked most.
What are the tajchy?
Around sixty artificial reservoirs built in the hills around the town in the eighteenth century to power the machinery that pumped water from the silver and gold mines. The mining ended long ago, and the lakes are now surrounded by forest and used for swimming in summer.
Can I go down a mine?
Yes, at the open-air mining museum outside the town, about €10, which runs guided tours into a real mine gallery. Never enter old mine workings on your own — the hills around the town are full of them.
Why was the town so important?
For centuries its silver and gold made it one of the wealthiest towns in the Kingdom of Hungary. In 1762 the world's first mining academy was founded here.
Is it easy to reach?
It takes about three hours from Bratislava by bus or train via Zvolen. Local public transport is sparse, so a car or bike helps for the lakes.
What is Salamander?
A parade held each September, rooted in the town's mining traditions, with costumes and torches winding through the old town. It is the busiest weekend of the year and beds book out.
Is it safe to swim in the lakes?
At the organised beaches, yes. The tajchy are deep, cold reservoirs with steep banks, so do not swim alone or after drinking.
How long do I need?
Two days — one for the town, the castles and the mine, and one for the lakes or the hills.
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