Bystrianska Cave: Admission, Tour Times and Speleotherapy

What you will see

According to the Slovak Caves Administration, Bystrianska Cave is the most important cave of the Horehronie Basin. The entrance is at 565 m at the foot of Chodorový vrch, at the southern edge of the village of Bystrá, already in the cadastral area of Valaská. The cave has 3,531 m of passages and a depth of 99 m, and 580 m are open to the public.

It was formed by the water of the Bystrianka stream, which flows from the southern slopes of the Low Tatras onto the karst and disappears underground. Today the underground stream flows 15 to 20 m below the tour route and emerges only in Valaská. The passages are mostly narrow and high, formed by the widening of cracks in dark limestone. Among them there are also larger halls and domes, for example the Collapsed Dome (Zrútený dóm) and the Mostárenské siene halls.

On the tour you will see three shafts about 20 m deep. Of the flowstone decoration, curtains predominate, for example in the Chapel (Kaplnka), hanging from the edges of flowstone crusts such as the Canopy (Baldachýn). In the manager’s photo gallery you will find mainly the Treasury (Klenotnica) and the Great Canopy (Veľký baldachýn). In the Collapsed Dome there is a memorial plaque commemorating a tragic event of the anti-fascist resistance in the Second World War. The cave is home to 13 species of bats, most of all the lesser horseshoe bat and the greater mouse-eared bat.

A little history

Local people always knew about the opening into the Old Cave. The first to venture underground were J. Kovalčík and E. Laubert in 1923. Three years later they discovered the Peklo shaft, down which they descended into the New Cave. In 1939 to 1940 the Bystrá Caves Cooperative opened part of the cave, still without electric lighting. Cavers connected the Old and the New Cave in 1955, and the cave has been open in its present form since 1968.

Getting there from Bystrá

The cave is at the southern edge of Bystrá, and from the apartments you are there by car in a few minutes; you will find the exact route in the box above. From the car park to the entrance it is, according to the manager, about 120 m with minimal height gain, so there is no climb as with other caves. Without a car you can take the bus; the stop is called Bystrá, jaskyňa.

How the tour works

You can enter the cave only with a guide. The circuit is 580 m, almost without height gain, with only 26 steps. The tour takes 45 minutes. Entries cannot be booked, tickets are usually sold 15 minutes before the start, and a regular entry runs when at least 4 people turn up. When there are many visitors, groups are also let in between the regular times.

Since 1 January 2026 you may take photographs and film briefly during the tour free of charge, but without a tripod or flash and only in places designated by the guide. Do not photograph the bats from close up; in winter and spring they need peace. If you need commentary in a foreign language, say so in advance at the ticket office. The manager tries to provide it in English, Polish, Hungarian, Russian and German if there are enough people in the group.

Admission and opening hours 2026

Admission for 2026 according to the Slovak Caves Administration price list:

• adults €10,
• children aged 4 to 15 and holders of a ZŤP disability card from 16 years €5,
• full-time students and seniors over 60 €9,
• children aged 4 to 15 with a ZŤP card €0.10,
• children under 4 free.

The cave offers no family discounts. You can pay by card, but according to the manager the terminal may not always work, so carry cash as well.

The cave is open from 2 January to 31 October, always Tuesday to Sunday, including public holidays except 1 January and 1 November. From June to August entries are every hour from 9:00 to 16:00. In the other months they are at 9:30, 11:00, 12:30 and 14:00, so the last entry is at 14:00. It is closed in November and December. The Slovak Caves Administration will publish the admission rules for 2027 on its website.

Speleotherapy

Bystrianska Cave is also known for speleotherapy, that is, treating respiratory diseases by staying underground. According to the slovakia.travel portal it is used in the part called the Lower Partisan Hall (Spodná partizánska sieň). Besides tours, the cave’s visitor rules also provide for speleotherapy and health-improving speleoclimatic stays.

The ordinary 45-minute tour is not a treatment stay, though. As of 2 October 2026 the Slovak Caves Administration does not publish an offer of health stays for the public on the Bystrianska Cave page, so we cannot give you prices or dates for them. If they interest you, ask the cave manager directly on +421 48 619 5133 or at bystrj@ssj.sk.

What to bring

• A sweatshirt or jacket. In the cave it is 5.7 to 6.7 °C with humidity of 92 to 98%, even in hot summer.
• Comfortable shoes; the paths may be damp.
• Cash, just in case.
• Leave your dog at home or with someone outside; it may not enter the cave. Luggage larger than 50 x 35 x 25 cm is not allowed either, you do not eat or drink during the tour, and you must not use your own lights.

When to go

The cave suits any weather. In hot summer you cool down in it, and when it rains or the mountains are in fog, it is a short programme for which you do not have to travel far. Outside summer there are only four entries a day, so plan your day around them. It is closed on Mondays, even in the main season.

With children it is a simple trip: no climb from the car park, few steps and a 45-minute tour. For children under 6 the Slovak Caves Administration leaves it to parents to decide whether they can manage the tour, because crying carries in the cave and disturbs the commentary.

What to combine it with

After the cave you can warm up in the Hotel Bystrá water and sauna world, which is across the road from Bosorka Apartments. A more adventurous cave with caver guides is high above Trangoška, the Cave of Dead Bats. We have written up trips with children in the article Chopok South with kids, and more ideas for bad weather are on the Rainy day ideas page.