One of my former students in Slovakia just sent me pictures from her recent wedding, and I was blown away by how pretty the setting was – it reminded me of Bojnice Castle but she told me they actually had the photos taken at Smolenicky Zamok chateau, not far from Bratislava near the town of Trnava.

When I did a little research, it turned out to be no surprise that it reminded me of Bojnice Castle, because these two buildings were both actually owned by the Palffy family at some time. Sadly, the Smolenicky Zamok is actually not the original building – the 14th century version was destroyed by fire and what you find there today is an early 20th-century replica – but it’s still gorgeous, and is set in lovely grounds.

Interestingly, as well as being a famous wedding photo venue for Slovaks, it’s also home to a conference centre so you might be lucky enough to wind up there for business purposes; if not, the general public can visit the castle only during July and August. But it’s a great romantic-looking destination for a day trip from Bratislava, and I’m planning on taking a picnic lunch out there next time I’m in Slovakia.

Image: Peter Fenda via Creative Commons