Slovakia

Tucked into the very heart of Central Europe, Slovakia doesn’t always grab as much attention as some of its neighbors like Austria, Hungary, and Poland. But this history-drenched crossroads, rumpled with some of the region’s most impressive mountains, shouldn’t be overlooked.

Given its central position on the European continent, it’s little surprise Slovakia’s been part of many different political entities across the centuries: Samo’s Empire, Great Moravia, the Kingdom of Hungary, the Habsburgs and Austria-Hungary. During the tumult of the 20th century, there was the Czecho-Slovak Republic, the Slovak State, and then the long-running communist republic of Czechoslovakia, the dissolution of which in 1993 resulted in the birth of Slovakia as a modern sovereign nation. From well-preserved traditional villages such as Vlkolinec and the wooden churches of the Carpathians (both UNESCO World Heritage Site complexes) to better than 100 vintage castles, tapping into Slovakian history isn’t hard to do.

Some handsome old-school landmarks are to be found in the capital of Bratislava, and this mid-sized city’s the perfect place to sample Slovakian cuisine and other aspects of daily urban life. But no trip to Slovakia should be confined to the capital: The country’s far too gorgeous for that. It’s here in Slovakia, after all, that the mythic Carpathians attain their pinnacle in the High Tatras: Gerlach Peak crowns the range at 8,709 feet. And is a highlight of Tatra National Park, a geological masterpiece of burly summits, glacier-gouged lakes, and subalpine spruce forests, home to marmots, Tatra chamois (found nowhere else), brown bears, and wolves.

As beautiful as it is, Tatra’s only one of nine national parks in Slovakia: Hike to waterfalls in the karst country of Slovak Paradise National Park, raft down the magnificent Dunajec River Gorge in Pieniny, or go spelunking in the caves of Low Tatras. You’ll see more pastoral scenery on the Small Carpathian Wine Route, which threads the numerous wineries of the country’s southwest.

And there’s no better way to cap a far-reaching day of sightseeing in this fetching country, neglected by far too many tourists, than with a glass of Slovak wine.