Žilina

Žilina is a town in Central Slovakia with population of 80,000 (2024), and the capital city of the Žilina administrative region.



Understand
Zilina is the fourth largest town in Slovakia. Kia Motors Company has a large plant in Zilina. A lot of Kia employees from Korea have moved to Zilina, so you can find specialized Korean food sections in some larger supermarkets and some Korean restaurants.

Zilina is an important transport junction point linking south (Bratislava, Vienna) with north (Kraków, Warsaw) and east (Kosice, Ukraine) with west (Ostrava, Prague).

By train
Žilina is on the mainline Bratislava-Košice and has frequent connections in both directions, and to the Czech Republic. A direct night train Prague to Kyiv (one way) also passes through Žilina early in the morning providing a direct and comfortable (albeit slow) connection from Ukrainian cities like Lviv and Vinnica.

From Bratislava trains can be caught from the main train station (Bratislava Hlavna Stanica) every 1-1½ hours. Fares from €9.

From the Czech Republic there are almost hourly connections, operated by Slovak National Railways, RegioJet and LeoExpress. Fares from Prague start at €8, 5-6 hours.

From Poland and points further north, a change is necessary in either Bohumin or Ostrava.

From Hungary, change in Bratislava (Budapest) or Košice (Miskolc-Debrecen).

Žilina is a junction point for many places in the region. See Cestovné Poriadky for details on all train and bus connections. Private train companies can offer very competitive fares if you book online in advance.

By bus
From some towns in Czech Republic, Poland or Slovakia could be easier to catch bus than train or it adds additional connection. See (available in English also) for train and bus connections in Slovakia and countries around. The is next to the train station.

By car
There are 3 European roads crossing in Zilina. Road E75 from Bratislava to Zilina as highway D1. Road E50 from Brno continues to Kosice as highway D1. Road E442 from Olomouc.

By plane
Žilina has an airport but it is only used for private aviation and the occasional charter flight, so any journey to Zilina will involve a train, bus or taxi journey of at least two hours.

Nearby airports with cheap flights are, in order of convenience, Poprad (seasonal), Bratislava, Brno and Katowice.

On foot
The centre is pedestrianised and also small enough to explore on foot. Many areas have also been made wheelchair accessible.

By public transport
The city operates 8 trolleybus routes and 9 normal bus routes throughout Žilina, its suburbs, and neighbouring villages. Check dpmz.sk for a route map and timetables.

By bike
The city has quite a few hills, holes in the road and fast drivers, making cycling around sometimes a fun challenge. However in some areas the city has created bicycle-friendly streets and cyclepaths, and outside of peak hours traffic is low so you can have the streets to yourself.

Cyklodielna Recykel repairs and sells second-hand bicycles.

See
Take a stroll in the historic centre and admire the old churches.


 * From steps in front of Farsky kostol (church up from Hlinkovo namestie square) you can see beautiful mountains around - Mala Fatra.

Do

 * Football: MŠK Žilina play soccer in SuperLiga, the top tier. Their Štadión pod Dubňom (capacity 10,900) is just north of the railway station, "by the hill" as the name means.

Learn

 * To dance: Tanečná škola Plešinger, Závodská cesta 6, 00421 41 7003 173, 00421 903 804 051,
 * Paragliding: Zilina is popular place to start with it (hill Stranik), ,

Buy

 * cheese - get local cheese from cheese shops, much better and fresher than from supermarkets, e.g. Syrmix on Narodna street or Kuzmanyho Street, shops close to market
 * Fruit and vegetable market - during season good source of vegetable and fruits, sometime you can find here locals with only their things (not from big stores). Over corner of Kuzmanyho and Halkova street.
 * Fruit and vegetable market - during season good source of vegetable and fruits, sometime you can find here locals with only their things (not from big stores). Over corner of Kuzmanyho and Halkova street.

Eat
Cheap cheese typical for region:
 * "bryndza" - soft cheese (great on fresh bread)
 * "korbáčiky", "nite" - great snack
 * "parenica"
 * "oštiepok" - smoked sheep cheese, similar to Polish "oscypek"

Typical dishes:
 * "kapustnica" - soup with sauerkraut and sausage
 * "bryndzové halušky" - pasta dumplings with bryndza (soft sheep cheese)
 * "strapačky" - pasta dumplings with sauer kraut

Every restaurant has non-smoking part (by law).

Budget
During lunch hours (12:00-14:00) most restaurants offer a 'denne menu' with a few set meal options for €3-5. Expect a typical Slovak plate; potatoes, cabbage and a slab of meat, or a plate of pasta with cheese. Always soup will be included, likely a chicken broth (vyvar) or garlic soup.



Drink
There are many pubs, restaurants and tearooms around town. Beer is especially cheap at just over €1 per half litre.

There are a few pubs and bars on the main square. There is an Irish bar, aptly named 'Guinness' and also a disco style bar called Royales.

Typical Slovak (and Czech) soft drink is Kofola. Kind of coke drink, not so sweet.



Connect

 * Free open wifi on Námestie A. Hlinku (lower square) and Marianské námestie (upper square), as well as in the central shopping malls Aupark and Mirage.
 * Amazing photogallery of everything in Zilina including photos of hotels, shops, parks, hills, quarters, transport, schools, churches, industries, health centers.

Stay safe
Like any central European town, be practical. The railway station is not the greatest place to "have" to stop over in for any length of time based on experience. Suggest avoid waiting room, and stay near kiosks. Otherwise, Zilina is fine. Enjoy!

Go next
There are many great places close to Zilina.

Castles and ruins

 * Starhrad ruin (11 km)  - on hill in the middle of forest with great view to river meander. Do a day trip: by train to Strecno, go to Strecno castle, cross river and go up to Starhrad and back.
 * Strecno castle (11 km) - big castle just next road to Liptovský Mikuláš, paid entrance, open daily 09:00-18:00 (last entrance 17:15). By train or bus to Strecno village.
 * Lietava ruin (10 km)- nice looking, on the way to Rajecke Teplice
 * Sulov castle ruin (28 km) - on the top of rock in Sulovske skaly (Sulov rocks)
 * Hricov ruin (13 km) - nice walk from village Hričovske Podhradie

Mountains and hills

 * Malá Fatra - with centre in Vratna (start of hiking tracks, lift, ski resort) and Terchova (big wooden creche in church). Possible tours:
 * Janosikove horne a dolne diery: start in Stefanova
 * To Chleb and walk on the mountain edge
 * Jánošíkove Diery: Buses leave in Žilina from the main bus station to Terchová. From Terchová you can then walk 2 km to the entry of Jánošíkove Diery.
 * Sulov rocks (Sulovske skaly) - start from village Sulov-Hradna. You can do circle around and visit also Sulov castle ruin.
 * Stranik - popular with paragliding, great view over Zilina, the river Vah and surrounding mountains. Take bus no. 27 to Zastranie to last stop.

Others

 * Rajecke Teplice - if you are passing this town, stop and enjoy small stroll around town and park
 * Čičmany - a folk village near Žilina.
 * Vlkolínec - a folk village near Ružomberok.