Zilina sits where three rivers meet, the Vah, the Kysuca and the Rajcianka, in a basin of northwestern Slovakia surrounded by the Mala Fatra, the Javorniky and the Kysuce hills. That position at a crossroads made it an important trading town, and its old square, with arcaded houses and a Renaissance bell tower, is among the most handsome in Slovakia. The Burian Tower, a tall free-standing belfry in the old town, can be climbed for a view over the roofs. The cathedral next to it, dedicated to the Holy Trinity, is baroque.
Today Zilina is a modern industrial city, partly because of the Kia car factory nearby, and its people are mostly practical and busy. The square is lively on Saturday mornings. Behind the city, the Mala Fatra National Park offers some of the best mountain scenery in Slovakia, with deep gorges, rocky ridges and forests. The castle at Strecno, a short ride along the Vah, stands on a spur above the river, and Orava Castle, a famous medieval fortress on a rock, lies a good way farther northeast.
The riding in this part of the country is varied and rewarding. Roads follow river valleys and cross passes, with long bends and views of wooded hills. The surface is generally good on main roads, though patched on minor ones. Traffic can be heavy on the main route between Zilina and Bratislava, especially trucks, so side roads are often better. The ride to Hronsek takes you south through the Turiec basin and over low hills to the Hron valley, near Banska Bystrica, where a small wooden church stands in a village.
The church at Hronsek is an articular church, built in 1726 entirely of wood without a single iron nail, with a separate bell tower, because the Habsburg authorities allowed Protestants to build only under strict conditions. It is one of several in Slovakia on the UNESCO list, and its interior is lovely, with a painted gallery and warm, pale wood.
Fuel is plentiful in Zilina and in Kysucke Nove Mesto, nine kilometres away. Try halusky with sheep's cheese, or a bowl of kapustnica, a sauerkraut soup with sausage, in a pub in the old town. Summer is warm, and the best months are May to September.