Slovakia is a popular destination with its historic towns and numerous mountain ski resorts. Bratislava, the capital, offers a quaint and jovial village atmosphere with a surprisingly rich cultural life. Performance of traditional folk music is especially abundant and many towns and cities have their own theatre companies and classical music concerts. Slovakia is a marvellous land of national parks, mountains, valleys, forests and rivers as well as castles, churches and ruins and a rich variety of accommodation and restaurants. The High Tatras are a magnificent range of mountains dotted with villages with deep peasant traditions. The Slovak people are extremely helpful and pleasant people they go out of their way to welcome visitors. Most towns have historic churches, and many of these have features of special significance. For those seeking a truly eastern European experience, the centuries old, still-functioning wooden churches of north east Slovakia are one of the country's greatest treasures, though they are hard to reach.