5 guides, each rated 1 to 5 with the reason — and two lists per place, where you are comfortable and where to pay attention. Nowhere is called dangerous; the specific thing is what helps.
Very safe for violent crime. The problems are the usual small ones: taxis from the rank at the station that do not run the meter (use Bolt), loud stag groups in the old town at the weekend, and the odd bar bill that grows if you did not ask for the price.
Comfortable: the old town · the castle hill · Eurovea riverside · Palisády
Hlavná stanica — the main station at night, and the taxi rank outside it, which is where the meter goes unused
the old town on a Friday or Saturday night — stag groups, and bars that skip the price list for them
Any bar a stranger walks you to — ask the price of the first drink before ordering it
Very safe in the centre. Use Bolt rather than an unmarked taxi, keep an eye on your phone in the crowd round the fountain on a summer evening, and watch your footing on the tram rails that cross the main street.
Comfortable: Hlavná · the old town · the Mestský park
the railway and bus stations at night — quiet late at night, with unmarked taxis waiting outside
the crowd at the singing fountain — the one place in town a pocket is worth watching
Very safe. The hazards are the gradients: the streets are steep and cobbled, and slippery in the wet and the frost. The lakes are cold and deep and have no lifeguards.
Comfortable: the old town · the Calvary · Počúvadlo lake
the steep cobbled streets — worn smooth, and treacherous in rain and frost
the mining lakes — cold and deep, with no lifeguards
Very safe. The castle is an exposed ruin on a windy hill with uneven ground and no shade, and the Slovak Paradise gorges are walked on ladders and chains over running water — a real scramble, not a stroll, and slippery when wet.
Comfortable: Levoča old town · Spiš Castle · Spišská Kapitula
Spiš Castle in wind or heat — an exposed hilltop with uneven ground, no shade and no shelter
the Slovak Paradise gorges — ladders and chains over running water, one-way in places, and slippery after rain
The town is very safe; the mountains are serious. The high trails, passes and summits are closed by law from the start of November until the end of May, and the closure is enforced. In Slovakia an adult pays for their own mountain rescue, so buy mountain insurance before going up — a travel policy or an EHIC does not cover a helicopter. Brown bears live here; make noise on the trail and never leave food out.
the high trails out of season — closed by law from the start of November to the end of May, and a rescue there is charged to you
the summits and passes on a summer afternoon — storms build fast and lightning finds the ridges
Brown bears, which live in the forest below the huts — make noise, keep food packed, and back away from one rather than run
Any walk without mountain insurance: Slovak mountain rescue bills adults for the call-out
The ratings are this site's own, from the guides' authors and the corrections readers send in; they are not an index. Read the general advice in travel safety tips.
