Trips With Kids

Guide to Slovakia with kids

More than a metre of snow on the slope next to a mountain hut, a few runs just to pack down a track, and then sledging, laughing and getting soaked to the skin. That is how we remember Slovakia with kids. We drove there from Poland for the winter school holidays in February 2015, and in less than a week we made a loop from Poprad and the High Tatras, through Liptov and the Low Tatras, to Kremnica and Terchová. You can watch the whole trip on our playlist Slovakia 2015 - Winter holidays.

Every day had a different highlight: the ruins of a huge castle, sledging down from Hrebienok, a whole day at a water park, an underground walk through a cave, a night in a mountain hut, skiing on a real slope and a gold mine explored with head torches. Our day-by-day plan and practical tips are in the post Winter holidays 2015 in Slovakia.

Slovakia is a great choice for a winter trip with kids. The attractions are close to each other, so you can sleep somewhere new every night without spending whole days in the car. Below you will find the key facts and links to all our posts.

Slovakia with kids at a glance

  • Our trip: winter holidays in February 2015, 6 days by car, a loop Poprad - Liptov - Low Tatras - Donovaly - Kremnica - Terchová.
  • Getting there: we drove from Poland and bought the motorway vignette at the first petrol station after the border. On day one we reached Poprad.
  • Where we stayed: a different place almost every night, close to the next day's sights (only in Liptovský Trnovec did we stay two nights): from Poprad, through the Chata Magurka mountain hut, to a flat in a small castle in Turčianske Teplice. We booked early, because free rooms go fast during the winter holidays.
  • Kids: we travelled with three children, and the youngest still sometimes had to be carried.
  • How much time: less than a week was enough for our loop. Plan a full day for Tatralandia: we stayed in the water for 6 hours.

Practical info

Documents for kids

Slovakia is in the EU and the Schengen area. EU citizens travel with a valid passport or national ID card, and children must have their own passport or ID card. A driving licence or bank card is not a travel document. If you are not an EU citizen, check the entry rules for your nationality before the trip (as of November 2026).

Motorway e-vignette

You need a vignette to drive on Slovak motorways and expressways. Since 2016 it has been electronic only: there is no sticker, and the vignette is linked to your car's number plate. Prices for a passenger car (as of November 2026):

  • 1 day: 8.10 EUR (valid only on the chosen calendar day),
  • 10 days: 10.80 EUR,
  • 30 days: 17.10 EUR,
  • 365 days: 90 EUR.

Three tips for buying it:

  • the only official website is eznamka.sk, you can also buy it in the eZnamka app and at petrol stations, while many other websites add a high service fee,
  • the most common mistake is a typo in the number plate, so check it twice,
  • a car with a trailer up to 3.5 t in total does not need a second vignette for the trailer.

In 2015 we paid 10 EUR for 10 days and still bought the vignette at a petrol station just past the border.

Winter driving in Slovakia

Slovak law has no fixed date for winter tyres on cars: they are required when there is a continuous layer of snow, ice or frost on the road (as of November 2026). In the mountains in winter you should expect that almost every day. The road to the Chata Magurka hut was a snowy forest track, and the owner warned us that only a 4x4 or a car with snow chains would make it. We put the chains on, so if you plan to sleep higher up in the mountains, keep a set in the boot.

Mountain rescue and insurance

In the Slovak mountains, the person who needed help pays for a rescue or search operation by the Mountain Rescue Service (Horská záchranná služba, HZS). This does not apply to minors. The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) does not cover these costs, so it is worth buying travel insurance that includes mountain rescue. The HZS emergency number is 18 300 (as of November 2026).

Money and language

Slovakia has used the euro since 1 January 2009. We bought tickets for the water park online through a GOPASS account, which was cheaper than at the ticket office. Slovak is very close to Polish, so we could talk to people in our own language. In Kremnica our guide also spoke English.

When to go

We went in February, during the winter school holidays, and there was more than enough snow. Sledging from Hrebienok depends on snow and weather, and night sledging on the floodlit run only takes place when conditions are good (as of November 2026). Tatralandia is open all year, so it is a good plan for a day with bad weather. In winter the museum at Spiš Castle was closed, and we could not drive all the way up because the road was icy.

The best places in Slovakia for kids

Spiš and the High Tatras

Spiš Castle

One of the largest castle ruins in Central Europe, on the UNESCO list, covering 4 hectares on a hill above Spišské Podhradie. The icy road meant we could not drive all the way up, so we walked, and the ruins were well worth the walk. Read more in Poprad & Spis Castle.

Sledging from Hrebienok

A funicular takes you up from Starý Smokovec to Hrebienok, and you come back down on a 2.5 km sledge run. Two or three of us fitted on one rented metal sled, and we had so much fun that we went up for a second run. Everything is in Sledging from Hrebienok.

Liptov and the Low Tatras

Tatralandia water park

A year-round water park by the Liptovská Mara reservoir, where we broke our family record: 6 hours in the water. The highlights:

  • the Tornado slide, which takes your ring outside into the winter air for a moment,
  • the pirate ship with a chest of gold and a rope bridge,
  • the outdoor pools with warm, green thermal water.

See Tatralandia with children.

Demänovská Cave of Liberty

The shorter route is 1,150 metres long and takes an hour, but there are about 900 steps, and it is 7°C inside all year. Our guide spoke Polish, and the youngest of us spent the whole tour explaining where the bats live. Watch our video from the cave and read Demänovská Cave of Liberty.

Chata Magurka mountain hut

A night in a real mountain hut in an old mining village, reached by a snowy forest road with chains on our wheels. The kids liked the hunting-style dining room, the fireplace and the owner's dog, and in the afternoon we had to pack down the deep snow on a nearby hill before we could sledge at all. Watch our drive up to the hut and read A night at Chata Magurka shelter.

Central Slovakia: Donovaly, Kremnica and Terchová

Skiing in Donovaly

Park Snow Donovaly has more than ten lifts and several slopes. The T-bar operator did not believe such a small skier could manage, but she rode all the way up, again and again.

Lesson learned: with several sets of rental skis, your own equipment pays off. Read Skiing with kids in Donovaly, Slovakia and watch our other winter trips on the playlist Narty / Ski.

Kremnica gold mine

In the Andrej adit everyone gets overalls and a helmet with a head torch, because the 660-metre route inside the mountain has no lights. We had the guide all to ourselves, and for the kids it was an amazing experience. Read Gold mine exploring with kids.

Jánošík Monument in Terchová

In the home village of the famous Slovak outlaw, a 7.5-metre steel figure of him stands on a hill, put up for the 300th anniversary of his birth. In winter the path was not cleared, so getting there was a little adventure. Watch our video from the monument and read The Monument of Juraj Jánošík.

All posts: Slovakia

Last updated: November 2026