11 things to do around Nová Baňa and Žarnovica: where to go and what to see

The area around Nová Baňa and Žarnovica is small and everything is close together, so you can see a lot in a short time. I wouldn’t miss the Tajch reservoir, the Háj lookout tower, Revište Castle or a rafting trip on the Hron. If you’re after peace and quiet, add the monastery in Hronský Beňadik or the spa in Sklené Teplice.

Quick factsby Milan Bez Mapy

Where I stayed

Penzión Tajch, a guesthouse right by the Tajch reservoir above Nová Baňa

Háj lookout tower

21 metres tall and it doesn’t sway, so even with my fear of heights I had no trouble

Revište Castle

For me the most underrated castle in the Gron region, with a short educational trail up to it

Rafting on the Hron

The stretch from Hliník through Revištské Podzámčie to Rudno is calm and fine for beginners

Sklené Teplice

The highlight was a bath in a natural cave with hot water; I only lasted a few minutes

I wrote this article in 2018. Prices, opening hours and connections may have changed since then, so check them before you go.

Looking for trip ideas around Nová Baňa and Žarnovica? I’ve got plenty. The Gron region isn’t one of Slovakia’s big regions, and that works in your favour: everything here is within easy reach.

Things to do around Nová Baňa and Žarnovica: Milan Bez Mapy’s picks

I’ve put together a long list of what to see in and around Nová Baňa, with tips for day trips, hiking and good food:

1. The Tajch reservoir
2. Háj lookout tower
3. Revište Castle
4. The andesite stone sea
5. Rafting on the Hron
6. Hronský Beňadik monastery
7. Repište
8. St Barbara’s Way
9. Sklené Teplice spa
10. The Althandel shaft and the Tag adit
11. Trout fishing in Ostrý Grúň

The Tajch reservoir above Nová Baňa

The Tajch reservoir sits in lovely countryside above Nová Baňa. When I toured the Gron region, I stayed right here, at the Penzión Tajch guesthouse, with a view over the whole reservoir. There’s something slightly comic about it: it’s a tajch called Tajch. Tajchy are man-made reservoirs that once supplied the mines with water, and there are plenty of old mines around here.

Today the mines and adits around Nová Baňa are abandoned, but the tajchy are still here. During my visit I saw people swimming and, above all, anglers fishing. All sorts of events take place here, from open-air cinema in summer to bagpipe and heligónka music (the heligónka is a Slovak button accordion). There’s also a caravan site by the water. I still remember how it felt to walk round the reservoir before seven in the morning and watch all the anglers. By the look of them, they had been there since yesterday.

Háj lookout tower above Nová Baňa

The Háj lookout tower went up at the highest point of the hill above Nová Baňa. Funnily enough, it isn’t built on the highest hill above the town, because the view from there wouldn’t be as good. Just nearby is Kohútovo, a pilgrimage site with a neo-Gothic chapel, and it’s worth a stop. I’m not great with heights, but climbing the tower was no problem at all, because it doesn’t sway in the wind. At the bottom there’s a visitors’ book you can sign. Can you find my message?

• The tower is 21 metres tall and stands 625 metres above sea level.
• It’s built entirely from natural materials, and its lower part is clad in rhyolite, a stone typical of the area.
• From the top you can see the Štiavnica Mountains (Štiavnické vrchy), Nová Baňa, and the Vtáčnik and Pohronský Inovec ranges.
• At the top there’s also a telescope, and it’s free to use.

Revište Castle near Žarnovica

You get a perfect view of Revište Castle from the R1 expressway, and every time I drove past, I wondered what castle it was and what it was called. Later I found out it was Revište. I wrote a whole article about it and called Revište Castle the most underrated castle in the Gron region. It definitely deserves more attention, and volunteers are currently restoring it. Revište is part of the Hron valley castle route (Pohronská hradná cesta), which links castles and fortifications in central Slovakia.

I like the short educational trail up to the castle: on the way up you can read about the key events and dates in its history. The castle is in really bad shape, so the volunteers arrived at the eleventh hour. I’d definitely recommend the views over the surrounding countryside. See for yourself:

West of Revište Castle are Malá Lehota and Veľká Lehota, villages scattered across small hamlets and known for their bagpipe tradition. Bagpipe culture in Slovakia has been on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list since 2015. What caught my attention, though, is that this is where you’ll find the so-called andesite stone sea. I didn’t make it there myself, but at least that gives me a reason to come back. It formed when a lava flow broke apart. Only part of it survives today, because people took it apart and used the pieces to build houses. Looking for the perfect trip around Nová Baňa and Žarnovica? Revište Castle is my top pick.

Rafting on the Hron

I love river trips of every kind, on any river. That’s why I enjoyed rafting on the Hron so much. The Hron has plenty of good stretches, but the one from Hliník through Revištské Podzámčie to Rudno runs right through the Gron region. You can carry on as far as Brehy. On this stretch the water is fairly calm and fine for beginners. In places, almost too calm.

The monastery in Hronský Beňadik

Pretty much everyone in Slovakia knows the monastery in Hronský Beňadik. If you like religious architecture, it’s well worth a stop, but check the opening hours online first. The monastery is open all year, with shorter hours from October to March, and it’s closed on Mondays. I was fascinated by the story of the nuns who were held here for many years and weren’t allowed to leave. In 1950 the monastery became a place where nuns from all over Slovakia were held.

Repište and St Barbara’s Way

Repište is in a great spot: it’s a crossroads of cycle routes and hiking trails. They came up with an interesting idea here, the so-called St Barbara’s Way (Barborská cesta), named after the patron saint of miners. The route has nine stages and covers 192 km, linking the mining towns and villages of the area. Each stage takes a day, so the whole route takes nine days. You can also buy a pilgrim’s passport for €6 and collect stamps in it. Once you have them all, you get a certificate for completing St Barbara’s Way. The idea is to show visitors the area, and you can do the whole route on foot or by bike. Be warned: stage two is the hardest.

Sklené Teplice spa

The spa in Sklené Teplice is one of the oldest in Slovakia. Its big draw is undiluted thermal water, which has healing properties and flows into the pools straight from the spring. Its high magnesium and calcium content is good for treating musculoskeletal conditions. The results show after just the first week of regular treatment. The water is drinkable and comes out at 52°C. I tasted it and, to my surprise, it didn’t have the eggy taste of most thermal springs, such as the one at Smerdžonka spa.

The complex is made up of five spa houses of different standards, with step-free access. Interestingly, the entire spa area is a protected heritage site. What I liked most was bathing in a natural cave, where the water is properly hot. I only lasted a few minutes in it. I’d definitely put the spa on any list of great trips around Nová Baňa and Žarnovica.

The Althandel shaft and the Tag adit

As much as 600 kg of gold was once mined from the Althandel shaft, and today you can go inside on a tour. What survives of it is the Tag adit, a horizontal mine tunnel. In 2018 you could ring the doorbell of the man who lives right above it, and he would show visitors round. It’s worth checking the current tour options with the tourist information centre in Nová Baňa before you go. The adit still holds remains of the original miners’ tools from the gold-mining days, and 90 metres of it are open to visitors. It makes a great trip around Nová Baňa and Žarnovica.

Trout fishing in Ostrý Grúň

The Kľak railway once ran through Ostrý Grúň, and you can still find what’s left of it in the woods. Near Ostrý Grúň, in the Pokutská valley (Pokutská dolina), you can go fishing. For trout, to be precise. The man who cooks them here told me his ‘secret’ recipe. He fries them in cornmeal, which brings out the flavour of the fish, and I have to say it really works.

Above the man-made lake there’s also Ranč Blanc, a horse ranch. Before you catch and cook your own fish, you can go for a ride. The ranch is also a nice place to take someone for a day out near Nová Baňa and Žarnovica.

I travelled around the Gron region on a press trip organised by the regional tourism organisation Región GRON and supported by the Ministry of Transport and Construction of the Slovak Republic. You’ll find more about the region and other places worth a stop on their website.