BANSKA BYSTRICA | BRATISLAVA | KOSICE | LEVOCA |
Slovakia formally the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is surrounded by Austria to the west, Czech Republic to the northwest, Hungary to the south, Poland to the north and Ukraine to the east.
With numerous medieval Gothic and Baroque towns, nine national parks, plenty of caves, well preserved folk architecture and traditions, a lively and cosmopolitan capital city and probably the highest number of castles and chateaus per capita in the whole world, there's something for every traveller to enjoy in Slovakia.
Slovakia has a temperate climate with sunny summers and cold, cloudy, humid and snowy winters.
Much of the central and northern part of Slovakia is rugged and mountainous. Gerlachovský štít at 2,655 m in the High Tatras is the highest point. The Tatra Mountains in the north, shared with Poland, are interspersed with many scenic lakes and valleys. The lowlands are in the south with the lowest point of the Bodrog River being 94 m above sea level.
Slovakia is also a country of massive medieval castles built on the rocks, beautiful detailed ones located on plains (there is about 180 castles and ruins) as well as country of caves. Only a small number of over 3000 caves (12) is open for public for several hours daily from Tuesday to Saturday. Mostly traditional karst caves, ice caves, aragonite cave etc. In 1918 the Slovaks joined the closely related Czechs to form Czechoslovakia. Following the chaos of World War II, Czechoslovakia became a communist country within Soviet-ruled Eastern Block. Soviet influence collapsed in 1989 and Czechoslovakia once again became free.
For many years overshadowed by their north-western Czech neighbors, political representations of Czech and Slovak decided to strike out on their own. The Slovaks and the Czechs agreed to separate peacefully on 1 January 1993 and Slovakia became a country in its own right.
HOW TO REACH
By plane - Bratislava has its own airport. Sky Europe provides the most convenient and cheap way to fly to Bratislava from London, Paris and many other European cities, as well as Kosice airport within Slovakia (22 destinations in total). ryanAir operates to Stansted, Hahn and some other cities.
Full service carriers providing service to Bratislava BTS are Czech Airlines and Lufthansa. Czech Airlines (CSA) provides several flights a day to/from its Prague hub. Similarly Lufthansa (LH) provides several flights a day to/from its Munich hub. There is also nonstop connection to Moscow and several other cities to the east. The other alternative is Vienna airport Schwechat, which is just about 35 kms from Bratislava. It provides a more convenient way of arriving to Slovakia by the major airlines, but can be more expensive. Buses leave for Bratislava hourly, optionally you can take airport shuttle.
By train - The easiest way to get to Slovakia by train from west is via Vienna, in Austria. Bratislava is a simple 50 - 70 minute trip on a express or a local train (either via Kittsee or Marchegg).
Trains also travel to Slovakia from the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary and the Ukraine. Crossing to and from Ukraine is a lengthy process due to bogie changing (different gauge in Ukraine) and security measures. Keep in mind that crossing borders by train anywhere in Europe implies hefty surcharges. The best option is to buy a ticket to a station just on the other side of the border, and buy another one for onward travel there. You'll avoid the surcharge that way.
By bus - Among many others, there are regular services from Vienna, Prague and Budapest to Bratislava; and from Uzhhorod, Ukraine to the eastern Slovak town of Michalovce.
From Budapest the travel is 4 hours, the bus stop for 5 minutes at Györ and in a small restaurant in the road.
STAY SAFE
In case of an emergency, call 112, the universal emergency number. For police you can call 158, ambulance 155, and firefighters 150.
When visiting mountain areas of Slovakia, especially the High Tatra, inform hotel personnel of your trip plans, so that rescuers can be sent to find you if you don't return to the hotel. Also, when visiting High Tatras, contact local mountain rescue service of your intent, they may even provide you with a safety guidelines. Beware: the weather in High Tatras is prone to sudden changes, especially during spring and autumn.
No vaccination is necessary to visit or stay in Slovakia although if you plan to visit countryside areas, tick vaccination is recommended. Also Hepatitis "A" and "B" vaccination is advisable as with all European countries.
Tap water is drinkable everywhere - according to one study, water used as tap water in the Bratislava-Vienna region is the cleanest in the world. If you prefer mineral waters, you can choose from multitude of marks, since Slovakia has probably highest numbers of natural mineral water springs per capita. Dark blue or Red label usually indicates carbonated ones ("perlivá"), a green label indicates mildly carbonated ones ("mierne perlivá") and white, pink or baby blue indicates those without carbon dioxide ("neperlivá").
RESPECT
Remember that Slovaks are a separate nation that have their independence since 1993 when the Czechoslovakia split into the Slovak Republic and the Czech Republic. As with all "young" nations, some people can be sensitive on nationality issues.
Like most other countries, politics and history are delicate topics, so tread lightly on those issues, especially World War II, which cost the lives of roughly 15% of Czechoslovakia's population, a rate similar in Poland, the USSR and Yugoslavia.
The 2006 film Hostel is an American work of complete fiction, and there are no documented cases of tourists being kidnapped and tortured in Slovakia. It is considered a safe travel destination for all tourists, as is much of Europe. It is advisable not to mention it in conversation with Czechs or Slovaks, unless you are sure they are smart enough not to take offence, as the film insulted a lot of Slovaks much like Sacha Baron Cohen's Borat insulted people of Kazakhstan, a lot less, but still enough to be a bad topic. If you feel that you must mention it, fun fact: the movie was actually filmed in Czech Republic - a piece of information Slovaks will surely enjoy.
