Proximity to nature gives Slovakia's capital of BRATISLAVA its strongest flavouring. The Danube winds through town, and cycle paths through its verdant flood plain begin just outside the centre. Barely a 30-minute walk from the train station are the densely forested Small Carpathians; the trailer to a mountainous extent that runs countrywide, virtually unimpeded by civilization. The charming – if tiny – old town (starý mesto) is the place to start appreciating Bratislava. Stroll narrow pedestrian streets of pastel 18th-century buildings or sample the myriad sidewalk cafes under the watchful gaze of the city castle, harking back to medieval times. Done with the old? In with the new(er): the city boasts intriguing socialist-era architecture worth checking out and one of Eastern Europe's most spectacular modern art spaces. Contrasts like this are all part of Bratislava's allure.

• Some of the best sights in Bratislava are actually way out of the city centre. The ruins of poignant Devín Castle was once the military plaything of 9th-century warlord Prince Rastislav, with a stunning location at the confluence of the Danube and Morava rivers. Austria is just across the river from the castle.

• Heading east out of the city you'll reach Danubiana Meulensteen Art Museum Slovakia's most daring contemporary art museum. Boat trips run here down the Danube from the city centre from June to October or take bus 91 from Nový Most bus stop to Čunovo and walk from the terminus.

POPRAD will likely be your first experience of mountain country, being the nearest sizeable city to the High Tatras and a major regional transport hub. The delightful 16th-century neighbourhood of Spišska Sobota and a popular thermal water park may make you linger. From the adjacent train and bus stations, the central pedestrian square, Nám sv Egídia, is a five-minute walk south of Alžbetina.

The HIGH TATRAS (Vysoké Tatry), the tallest range in the Carpathian Mountains, tower over most of Eastern Europe. Some 25 peaks measure above 2500m. Although 'only' 25km wide and 78km long you will find no shortage of pristine snowfields, marine mountain lakes, waterfalls, pine forests, and shimmering alpine meadows. Three main resort towns string west to east mid-mountain. Štrbské Pleso is the traditional ski centre and is most crowded, with construction galore. Smokovec still offers a bit of a turn-of-the-20th-century heyday feel, plus the most services. Tatranská Lomnica, 5km further, is the quaintest, quietest village. All have mountain access by cable car, funicular, or chairlift.

Life gets considerably more laid-back the further east you venture from Bratislava. Somehow picturesque towns such as Levoča and Bardejov have avoided modern bustle and unfortunate 20th-century architectural decisions, while lingering over a street-front café in delightful Košice is obligatory. Meanwhile, national parks in this area beckon with untrammeled wildernesses free from the Tatras-bound tourists.

UNESCO-listed LEVOčA is pure 13-th century Slovakia with its high medieval walls, surrounding old town buildings, and cobblestone alleyways. At the center of it all stands the pride of the country's religious architectural collection, the Gothic Church of St Jacob. Levoča is one of Slovakia's most important pilgrimage centres. The spindles-and-spires Church of St Jacob, built in the 14th and 15th centuries, elevates your spirit with its soaring arches, precious art, and rare furnishings, where the main attraction is Slovakia's tallest altar, an impressive 18m high.

Sprawling for 4 hectares above the village of Spišské Podhradie, ruined Spiš Castle is undoubtedly one of the largest in Europe. Even if you've never been, you probably have seen pictures as the fortress is about Slovakia's most-photographed sight. Two kilometers west, the medieval Spiš Chapter ecclesiastical settlement is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site - a 13th-century Catholic complex encircled by a 16th-century wall. The highlight is St Martin's Cathedral (1273), towering above the clustering of quirky Gothic houses.

With its rumbling waterfalls, sheer gorges and dense forests, Slovenský Raj lives up to the name of 'Slovakian Paradise'. A few easier trails exist, but the one-way ladder-and-chain ascents make this a national park for the true adventurer. Cling to metal rungs heading up a precipice while an icy waterfall sprays you from a metre away. Bliss.

Base-of-choice for forays deeper into the tradition-steeped east of Slovakia is Košice, for centuries the eastern stronghold of the Hungarian Kingdom and maintaining its status as a medieval gem. Its vast oval-shaped námestie (central square) contains the largest collection of historical monuments in Slovakia, enlivened by myriad buzzing cafes and restaurants. As 2013's European Capital of Culture, Košice has accordingly initiated a new string of attractions including major art installations in a combination of impressively revamped buildings, and eclectic events to enliven city streets. From here, top trips include UNESCO-listed medieval Bardejov, with Slovakia's most beautiful town square, and the surrounding area's stunning wooden churches, reflecting a Carpatho-Rusyn heritage shared with neighbouring parts of Ukraine and Poland.