Kremnica

Kremnica is a town in the Tekov region of Western Slovakia.

Understand
Mining in the nearby mountains goes back more than a millennium, and the town of Kremnica has been the centre of it since the middle ages. For centuries it has been the centre of gold mining under the Kingdom of Hungary, the Austro-Hungarian empire, and later Czechoslovakia. The mine closed down in 1970 but tourism has taken over, and many old buildings dating back to medieval times have been preserved.

By bus
There is an almost hourly connection to/from Žiar nad Hronom, which in turn has regular connections to Bratislava, Banská Bystrica and Košice. You can find an exact schedule at cp.sk.

By train
From Vrutký and Martin three trains daily run to Kremnica. The journey takes about one hour. From Zvolen you can catch four trains a day, taking around 45 minutes. It's a scenic ride, but you probably need to take a bus for at least one leg if you want to visit as a daytrip, because the early train is very early and the last train not so late at all.

By car
Kremnica lies on a minor north-south corridor. From the south take R1 regional highway, then take the exit Žiar nad Hronom-Východ and just head north. From the north take the D1 motorway, then take the exit Martin, and follow signs for Turčianske Teplice, after which you should keep a right and follow the signs to Kremnica.

Get around
The town is small enough to explore on foot. While theoretically you can use the medium-distance buses to travel between stops in Kremnica, it is not a very practical option.

In winter season a yellow minibus operates on weekends between Kremnica Bus Station and the nearby Skalka mountain and ski resort. In summer season this same bus operates as a cyklobus, so you can take you bicycle on the bus and cruise all the way back down. The fare is €1.

Buy
Score some commemorative and special edition coins (or regular Slovak euros) at the aforementioned mint. The main pedestrian street Dolná has a bank, clothing shops, a phone shop, and multiple pharmacies.

Go next
Go to Banská Bystrica and Martin, or visit the equally interesting mining town of Banská Štiavnica.