The Best Hidden Budget Castle Hotel in Slovakia: Smolenice Castle

Staying in an actual castle is such a dream, right?

You might have had this experience on your bucket list for ages – maybe since you saw your first fairytale as a child, with beautiful princesses, brave knights and yes, stunning castles.

The issue with castle stays?

They are usually either impossible, because they are privately owned, or so expensive you’d have to sell a kidney just to pay for it.

But what if we told you that there is a budget castle hotel in Slovakia that you can actually afford to stay at?

And it’s near Bratislava too, meaning you will be able to get there without a car!

Oh, and did we mention that the castle is located in one of Slovakia’s coolest villages, complete with a stunning cave, a unique meadery and easy forest hikes?

This is Smolenice Castle, Slovakia’s hidden budget castle hotel.

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Here’s a little bit about our journey, if you are new here! If you know us, feel free to skip this part.

After leaving our old life in Scotland in March 2022 (it rains too much there), we travelled full-time for almost 2 years. Sounds fancy, doesn’t it? Well, it was. If you think that carrying overpacked backpacks in 45°C heat around streets that aren’t even on Google Maps is fancy. And that’s just 1% of all the fun we had! 😆

During the 2 years we volunteered in Italy and Bulgaria (free travel while learning new skills, anyone?), explored other amazing European countries and backpacked Southeast Asia. Btw, even our secret wedding was more of an expedition than a wedding. 😅

And, of course, we researched and planned everything ourselves, because you gotta keep the budget low, right? If you are like us, you’ve come to the right place, because we want to share all the useful travel tips and info with you!

Excited? Good. Let’s get into it so you can go on your own epic adventures too!

Unique stays in Slovakia

We’ll tell you a little secret.

Slovakia is full of hidden gems including cool places to stay at!

And many of them you can experience on a budget!

If you need some inspiration for your next holiday:

• Go glamping in a beautiful geodome in the heart of Slovakia on a budget (this was such an unreal stay, especially given the price)
• A hotel that doesn’t exist? That’s The Invisible Hotel in Košice  
• If you’ve ever wanted to spend a VIP night at the top of a mountain, you can, in Slovakia (this is on our bucket list!)
• Looking for unique things to do in Slovakia? Here is our list of 19 unusual activities that will make even well-travelled Karen from HR envious!

Budget castle hotel in Slovakia

We’ll start with a little confession.

We haven’t stayed at this budget castle hotel in Slovakia before.

It’s on our bucket list, but here’s the thing.

Mirka’s parents have a house in the village, Smolenice.

So we can stay near the castle for free!

If you know us, you know we’re all about saving money, so that’s a very convincing argument!

It does also mean we’re pretty familiar with Smolenice, though, so if you’re going to get tips from someone, you might as well go straight to the locals, aka us, right?

Smolenice Castle is one of our favourites in Slovakia. We actually think it’s the second most beautiful one (the first being Bojnice Castle, but you can’t stay there, so Smolenice Castle wins that competition!).

Let’s talk about why you should stay at Smolenice Castle, the hidden budget castle hotel in Slovakia.

Why should you stay at Smolenice Castle?

First, the hotel is very well rated – over 9 on Booking.com! 

To us, that matters a lot, because we’ve been scarred enough over the years of travelling. 

That’s why we put all our Booking.com tips into this free guide, so you can see exactly how we find awesome stays and avoid bad ones!

But back to Smolenice Castle.

Here is why you should stay at this hidden budget castle hotel in Slovakia:

• The prices! You can stay at this castle for less than you’d pay in many city hotels, which even we can’t believe (and we know how cheap Slovakia can be!)
• The area. Smolenice is such a wonderful village, right on the foothills of the Little Carpathians mountains. We’ll show you what you can do there shortly.
• The castle is owned by the Slovak Academy of Sciences and for years wasn’t open to the public. So the fact that now you can visit the courtyard for free, see inside the castle on a guided tour, and even stay in it, is mindblowing to us!
• If you’re looking for a wedding venue, you can actually get married at the Smolenice Castle! Alternatively, it’s a popular location for a wedding photoshoot – Mirka’s parents had their wedding pictures taken there (way before they bought a house in the village, back when they were just visitors!).
• Smolenice Castle often hosts cool events, from oldies parties, to fun days for kids, and even talks with experts on local legends, myths and magic! You can find more information on their Instagram or Facebook.
• You can also find a family-run Sri Lanka ayurveda wellness right inside the castle! That means you can pop over for a massage or book a full package stay which includes wellness treatments.

Have you started checking prices yet? Cause we’re even making ourselves want to stay at Smolenice Castle!

How to book a stay at Smolenice Castle

You’ve got 2 main options for booking your stay at the beautiful Smolenice Castle:

• Directly on the official website
• Through Booking.com

Here’s what we would recommend:

• Check prices on both platforms and book via whichever one offers you the better price (but check cancellation conditions, if this is something you need).
• If both platforms offer the same price, it’s worth noting that booking directly promises some perks, though we haven’t been able to figure out what these are (and, frankly, whether they are worth it).
• Remember that Booking.com stays count towards the Genius programme, so if you haven’t reached the top level there (with most discounts and benefits), it’s worth booking through the platform.
• Also keep in mind that booking through Booking.com earns you airmiles! If you don’t know how to get started and feel overwhelmed when it comes to collecting airline miles, we’ve got a super simple guide for you. You might end up getting free accommodation or flights as a result of it, like we did!

Btw, Smolenice Castle doesn’t suck, obviously. But so much accommodation out there does. 

We stayed in our share of places straight from a horror movie, and hope to save other travellers from such nightmares. 

That’s why we created this guide on how we find great stays on Booking.com and avoid the rubbish (and scams!). Make sure you get it (it’s free!).

How to get to Smolenice Castle

Smolenice Castle is not far from Bratislava – that’s why we included the village as one of the two best hidden gems near Bratislava that travellers don’t know about!

We’ll be honest with you though, getting to the village from Bratislava is not totally straight forward.

These are your options:

1. Renting a car

The easiest, obviously, is to rent a car.

We’re car-free travellers, so the only 2 tips we can share with you are:

• There is parking available at Smolenice Castle, so you don’t have to worry about it when staying there.
• When choosing your car rental, compare prices to save money. We’ve included a little price comparison widget for you to save you time.

2. Taking public transport to Smolenice

The main problem with travelling to Smolenice from Bratislava is the lack of direct connections.

There is one direct bus, from Bratislava Nivy bus station, to Smolenice village, but it’s so infrequent you have a higher chance of catching a flying carpet than the bus.

Best thing to do is check the timetable on this website.

It lists all train and bus connections.

Here’s what you need to know:

• You can buy train tickets on this website, meaning you don’t have to try to speak to anyone (often it’s older people working in transport and they don’t speak English well).
• The issue with trains is, the train station in Smolenice is a 30-min walk away from the centre of the village. We talk more about that plus a summer solution here. 
• The train journey isn’t long, but you will most definitely be changing in Trnava, if you’re coming from Bratislava. More on this in option 3.
• With buses you’ll have to buy a ticket from the bus driver, so we recommend having Google Translate ready. 

Btw, if you want to stay at this beautiful budget castle hotel in Slovakia, but the transport is stressing you out, book a call with us and we can help you plan it all!

3. Transfer in Trnava

If you’re heading to Smolenice Castle from Bratislava, chances are you will be changing trains in Trnava. From Trnava, there is a direct train to Smolenice.

You can also get the train from Bratislava to Trnava and then change to a bus to Smolenice, solving the issue of the 30-min walk from the Smolenice train station.

But we’ve got an insider tip for you.

Trnava is an awesome city.

And we’re not saying that just because it’s Mirka’s birth town, and we set up our homebase there, when full time travels almost unalived us.

Trnava is well-known for being a super cool Slovak city.

So if you’re heading to Smolenice and you have to change in Trnava?

Spend a few hours there – you can see the beautiful architecture, explore one of the many churches, play an interactive city game (free!), have a coffee in an actual synagogue and much more.

Or, even better, spend the night!

You can do 1 day in Bratislava, 1 day in Trnava, and then chill out in a castle for a few days – how good does that sound?

All the info on visiting Trnava is here, and as always, if you have any questions, give us a shout on our Instagram, or book a call, so we can help you plan your Slovakia holiday!

What can you do near Smolenice Castle?

The reason we’re saying Smolenice Castle is the best budget castle hotel in Slovakia?

It’s located in a super cool village with loads to do!

Once you’ve had enough channelling your inner queen or a king at the castle, you can:

• Play on the meadows. Right below Smolenice Castle, you’ll see big meadows that are perfect for ball games, picnic (just watch out for ticks! We recommend using a good repellent) or even playing disc golf! This is actually where the national disc golf championships happen!
• Go explore the Driny Cave. This is the only cave in the west of Slovakia with guided tours. It’s not available year-round, only from April to October, so make sure to check the website for info on opening hours.
• If you want more of an adventure, there is also a free-access cave in Smolenice! Obviously, not as beautiful as Driny Cave, but you don’t need a guide to visit it. It’s called Mníchova diera 1 (Monk’s hole 1. There are 6 in total, but only no. 1 is freely accessible). Make sure to bring a torch or have your phone charged since there is no illumination in the cave.
• Chill out in Včelovina. You’ll love this place. It’s a meadery that produces all sorts of honey-related products, from mead to beer to cider to cosmetics and chocolates. You can taste it all in their cafe (which has views of your current home, Smolenice Castle!), buy what you like in their shop (some of the best Slovak souvenirs!) and learn all about bees and bee keeping in their bee garden. They also host cool events throughout the year, so check their website to see if anything is on when you visit.
• Do some light hiking. Remember how we said Smolenice sits on the foothills of the Little Carpathians? While not as stunning as the High Tatras, this mountain range is very accessible – you can do easy forest walks starting from Smolenice Castle, or, if you want more of an adventure, climb the highest peak, which sits at 767m. 
• Visit Molpír. If you’re after a light hike, head to this nearby hillfort—used back in prehistoric and Slavic times. Wander the ruins, soak up the ancient vibes, and get a peek into how people actually lived here. Pro tip: make sure to bring Google Translate, the info signs are only in Slovak. 

Forest walks, exploring caves or tasting honey products with a view of a castle? Which one do you pick?

Planning a holiday in Slovakia

If you’ve decided that royal life is the perfect one for you and are planning a holiday in Slovakia, this will help:

• Can you drink tap water in your kingdom, or will that lead to a prolonged toilet stay in your chamber? Important to check before the trip.
• If you’re heading to Bratislava, steal our 1 day fun and easy itinerary, and make sure you don’t get fined on public transport!
• How safe will you be in your kingdom? These are the dangers that await you in Slovakia.
• Want the best Slovak souvenirs that aren’t magnets or postcards? These 9 things are unique, made in Slovakia and, importantly, not tacky!
• What will you use to pay for all the goodies in Slovakia? Cash? Card? Gold coins? 

Looking for a royal council? Book a call with your royal advisors – we’ll help you plan the best Slovak holiday and share insider tips with you!

Must-have for a trip to Slovakia

Even though Slovakia is a (relatively) safe country, you never know when you’ll trip on a staircase as you’re exploring your castle, and break a leg (that escalated quickly, we know!).

Make sure you’re covered by good travel insurance for your holiday.

We recommend True Traveller, because they are the royalty among insurance companies.

Why?

They offer insanely low prices, cool features and have the best customer service.

That’s why we picked them from a list of 23 (!!) providers when we went full-time travelling, and, to be honest with you, we never regretted our decision!

Have we convinced you to book a stay in this budget castle hotel in Slovakia?

We sure hope yes – it’s such an amazing place most travellers don’t know about!

If you have any questions about Smolenice and the stunning Smolenice Castle, give us a shout on our Instagram!