Likava Castle: Opening Hours, Restoration and the Walk up from Likavka

Is Likava Castle open?

No. Likava Castle has been closed to the public since March 2025 because it is undergoing its biggest restoration in decades. The Liptov Museum in Ružomberok, which manages the castle, announced in advance that the castle would stay closed throughout the reconstruction. The work is due to finish by the end of 2026. As of 1 October 2026 we had found no reopening date, no new opening hours and no price list. If you are planning a visit, check the news on the museum’s website before you go.

While the work is going on, do not go up to the walls either. Work is being done at height on the castle, and on some walls the conservators lower themselves on ropes, because the terrain and the shape of the castle do not allow ordinary scaffolding. So the museum asks you to keep away from the access path to the castle and the area below the rock. There is a risk of falling building material and loose sections of masonry. Entry is prohibited and the warning signs must be respected.

For now you can see the ruin from below. It stands on a hill above Likavka, above the road from Ružomberok to Orava.

What is being restored and what you will see afterwards

The restoration costs €4.33 million. Of that, €3.22 million is covered by the Interreg Slovakia - Czech Republic 2021 - 2027 programme and €1.1 million by the Žilina Self-Governing Region from its own funds. The main work:

• restoration of the northern palace and conservation of the walls,
• removal of reinforced concrete ceilings that did not work and let water leak into the lower floors,
• a new roof for the Hunyadi Tower.

During the archaeological research carried out as part of the restoration, an escape staircase, a chapel, a water cistern, a cellar and a medieval bread oven were found.

Before the closure you could only see the first and second outer baileys and the Hunyadi Tower with an exhibition on the castle’s history. After the restoration it should be possible to walk safely from the lower courtyard all the way to the castle palace. The plan is to open up the cistern, the escape staircases, the cellar, viewing terraces and exhibitions in the northern palace. A new steel staircase will lead to rooms on the second and fourth floors that could not be reached before, and will end in a viewpoint. A ticket office and a snack bar are to be added in the first courtyard, and an amphitheatre in the grounds.

A short history of Likava Castle

Likava is the largest castle in Liptov. The ruin stands at 630 m above sea level, and its job was to guard a ford across the Váh and the trade route from the Považie region to Orava and on to Poland.

• 1315 is the first written mention. King Charles Robert gave the castle to Donč, the ispán (royal governor) of Zvolen. At the beginning of the 14th century Matthew Csák also seized it by force.
• 1431 - 1434 a Hussite garrison held the castle.
• 2nd half of the 15th century: the Hunyadi family rebuilt and extended the original core and added the lower castle.
• 16th and 17th centuries: a Renaissance rebuild after 1533; between 1642 - 1700 new fortifications with five bastions were built.
• 1707: the castle, which the insurgents of Francis II Rákóczi had taken in 1703, was demolished on Rákóczi’s orders as he retreated before the imperial army.

What interests us is that Likava was the centre of the royal Likava estate. It included Ružomberok, Nemecká (today Partizánska) Ľupča, Liptovská Sielnica, Bobrovec and Liptovský Trnovec, where our cabin stands.

The castle also served as a prison. Visit Liptov says that Jánošík was held here for a time too. He was tried, however, in Liptovský Mikuláš in March 1713.

How to get to the castle from Likavka

This applies once the castle reopens after the restoration. Do not go up to the castle while the work is going on.

• By car: from Ružomberok to Likavka on the E77 main road towards Dolný Kubín. At the end of Pod hradom street there is a small car park for trips to the castle. There are more car parks by the main road near Pod hradom street. Since 5 October 2026, Likavka has also had its own junction on the D1 motorway, so from Liptovský Mikuláš you can get here without driving through Ružomberok (Ružomberok bypass).
• By bus: the Likavka,,hrad stop is about 200 m from the start of the route.
• On foot: from the car park on the edge of the village, walk to the footbridge, where you join the red-marked hiking trail. It leads all the way to the castle. The last section through the forest is steep, and tree roots form makeshift steps there.

Wear sturdy shoes. You cannot take a pushchair on this route; small children are better off in a carrier.

With children

After the restoration the castle should suit families better too. Besides the new spaces and viewpoints, they are preparing interactive features, 3D models and, for younger visitors, an educational game that uses your phone’s location. While the castle is closed, show it to the children from below and build your trip around Ružomberok on other destinations.

How to combine Likava with Vlkolínec and Malinô Brdo

Likava, Vlkolínec and Malinô Brdo are all near Ružomberok, so you can combine them in one day. From the cabin it is about half an hour to Ružomberok by car.

• Morning: Vlkolínec; allow two to three hours including the drive up and a walk through the village.
• Afternoon: the cable car from Hrabovo up to Malinô Brdo.
• Once the castle reopens: keep Likava for a separate morning or add it at the end of the day. Allow at least two hours for the walk up, the visit and the walk down.

While the restoration lasts, it is a Vlkolínec and Malinô Brdo day. You will see the castle from the road.

What to combine it with

If you want to see a hillfort right by Liptovská Mara, there is the Havránok Archaeological Open-Air Museum, 20 minutes from the cabin by car. You will find more tips for summer by the water on our summer at Liptovská Mara page. From our log cabin in Liptovský Trnovec, Ružomberok makes an easy day trip, and in the evening you are back by the water.