Old Castle Banska Stiavnica
Old Castle Banska Stiavnica
Old Castle Banska Stiavnica
4.4
09:00 - 17:00
Monday
09:00 - 17:00
Tuesday
09:00 - 17:00
Wednesday
09:00 - 17:00
Thursday
09:00 - 17:00
Friday
09:00 - 17:00
Saturday
09:00 - 17:00
Sunday
09:00 - 17:00
About
The Old Castle - whose origins reach back to the early 13th century - is a review of all existing architectural styles by itself . Originally an Romanesque Chapel of St. Michal built by the community of miners was in the period of Turkish invasion in the 16th century fortified with walls, bastions and towers – and from that time it was used for military purposes. In modern times Old castle was used as a police station, an ice – stock, a town’s archive and library even as a gym! A museum since 1900 offers archaeological exhibition, exhibitions of tobacco pipes manufacture (a famous craft of Banska Stiavnica), blacksmithing, Baroque sculptures, old interior watches, torture devices, gun dartboards, exhibitions “The miners are coming”, “Calvary in exile” and more. The baroques tower offers magnificent view of the city.
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listingTours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Top ways to experience Old Castle Banska Stiavnica and nearby attractions
Are you currently on your trip?
Help us find experiences available for you.
The area
Address
Reach out directly
Best nearby
We rank these restaurants and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location.
Restaurants
43 within 5 kms
Attractions
49 within 10 kms
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.4
162 reviews
Excellent
88
Very good
55
Average
16
Poor
1
Terrible
2
Jackie
United Kingdom103 contributions
Jul 2023 • Couples
I absolutely loved our visit to this castle. It seems to have been sympathetically restored, and the information was provided in English. The exhibitions were very interesting, and there were so many nooks and crannies to explore.
One unexpected highlight was the peregrine falcons nesting in the towers of the basilica.
Although dogs are not allowed in the castle per se, the ladies on the entrance let us bring our four pups into the courtyard and even brought water for them. My hubs and I then visited the castle one at a time. To view most of the castle, you have to climb steep stairs, which would not be suitable for dogs in any case.
One unexpected highlight was the peregrine falcons nesting in the towers of the basilica.
Although dogs are not allowed in the castle per se, the ladies on the entrance let us bring our four pups into the courtyard and even brought water for them. My hubs and I then visited the castle one at a time. To view most of the castle, you have to climb steep stairs, which would not be suitable for dogs in any case.
Written 30 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sis
Poprad, Slovakia12 contributions
May 2021
Due to the Corona virus pandemy, the visit is without a guide for private groups only,but it's worth a visit. Not in many castles there are so many place accessible for visitors as in this one. Receiving a printed guide with a map and descriptions you can start your own adventure 🙂
Written 4 May 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
laczkozsu
Debrecen, Hungary2,536 contributions
Jul 2020
This Castle originally was built as a Roman (later Gothic) Church in 13. century. It has changed a lot. It became a castle during the period against the Turks. Today it's a Mining Museum. You can find easily, because it's it's in the middle of the old town, which is the part of UNESCO World Heritage. We couldn't go inside, because it's closed at 5 o' clock.
Written 17 July 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SurreyGirl27
Addlestone, UK1,137 contributions
Sept 2014 • Friends
Great castle midway through renovating. Lots of steps and steep climbs but worth the effort for the views alone.
Written 21 September 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Laaluu
Tampere, Finland230 contributions
May 2017 • Friends
The entrance fee is soooo little that I never expected such a place inside!
Beautiful place, great preserving, and full of stories!
Beautiful place, great preserving, and full of stories!
Written 13 July 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
RestOrRanteur
London, UK216 contributions
Mar 2015 • Couples
The old castle (stary zamok) in Stiavnica is great and certainly worth the ridiculously low fee they asked for an hour tour (it was in Slovak. We didn't enquire about an English option, since three and a half of the four of us speak this language. They certainly have English information leaflets).
There are plenty of old castles across Slovakia, but none of them (with the exception of the new castle in Banskta Stiavnica) is situated in the historic mining town of Stiavnica. The view from its tower is spectacular and the rooms one can visit have interesting items on display, including artefacts related to the Austro-Hungarian monarchy, military items such as old beautifully painted shooting targets used for preparation against Turkish invasion and beautiful 18th century illustrations of the 14 stations of Christ that were saved from the nearby Calvary Hill.
Note that the place opens to visitor every round hour (in reasonable times. Last tour at 15:00 or 16:00), so you might want to ring the entrance gate bell.
There are plenty of old castles across Slovakia, but none of them (with the exception of the new castle in Banskta Stiavnica) is situated in the historic mining town of Stiavnica. The view from its tower is spectacular and the rooms one can visit have interesting items on display, including artefacts related to the Austro-Hungarian monarchy, military items such as old beautifully painted shooting targets used for preparation against Turkish invasion and beautiful 18th century illustrations of the 14 stations of Christ that were saved from the nearby Calvary Hill.
Note that the place opens to visitor every round hour (in reasonable times. Last tour at 15:00 or 16:00), so you might want to ring the entrance gate bell.
Written 21 March 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JoEllen Z
Ludlow, UK131 contributions
Nov 2014 • Friends
The best thing: the proprietors hand you a printed piece of paper and let you wander by yourself. They expect that you will act like an adult and not go where the signs tell you not to.
Written 4 November 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
PlanetMoores
Penang Island, Malaysia361 contributions
Jul 2014 • Couples
Clamber up and down steps in this church-turned fortress which kept the Turks at bay for 150 years. Great views. Don't miss the bells in the tower or the blacksmith shop, which is in the back left near the well, behind a heavy leather door.
Written 22 July 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
DavidT3766
Frinton-On-Sea, UK83 contributions
Aug 2018 • Family
Walked up to the old castle in this wonderful little town, with teenage boys, when asked if they wanted to go in they both said yes, with a air of reluctance. Well it was a great decision for a family ticket of just €7.50 they both said it was the best castle they have ever been two and I agree with them. Looks of interesting rooms lots of stairs and lots and lots of fun.
When in your own do not miss it !!!
When in your own do not miss it !!!
Written 21 August 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tsvi K
Haifa265 contributions
Jul 2017 • Couples
This is a nice old castle that may be visited (or skipped), still it is another nice place in a very nice city
Written 21 July 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We have a plan to travel from Japan to Slovakia this summer. I’d like to know opening time of New Castle, Old Castle, and Open-Air Mining Museum.
The official website says that they are closed on Mondays in May 2024.
Will they be open on Mondays in August?
Written 6 May 2024
Showing results 1-1 of 1
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing