Slovakia

Slovakia is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Slovakia is a land of contrasts; it just takes a couple of hours to get from the Danubian Lowland to the Central European Highlands. Nowadays the country provides mountainous scenery, ski resorts, hills and valleys with numerous fortified castles, towns from the Middle Ages, ancient wooden churches, and easy access from the rest of Europe.

Highlights

Castles

Bratislava

by decade_null is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

National Parks

Zdenek Svoboda from Prague, Czech Republic, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Wooden churches

Prskavka, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Ingo Mehling, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Charming towns

Gorgeous caves

Margoz, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Juloml, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

When to go

The best moment to visit Slovakia is any season, but spring and autumn (from end-April until mid-October), are the best seasons. In these months the weather allows to have pleasant walks and good hiking conditions thorough the mountains, rivers, and lakes. Some castles, museums and other historical sites, especially in small cities are opened during this season. As well as, in autumn the leaves change to orange, red, and yellow. September is also a lovely month to plan a holiday because it is the month of the grape harvest. Many winemakers offer special weekends at the vineyard to celebrate the harvest, and several wine towns near Bratislava offer weekend festivals, serving the “young wine”.

Winter activities: from December until March (and in some places even until April), you can find many ski resorts. The major ski resorts are: Jasna, in the south of Liptovsky Mikulas, and Ruzomberok, both located in the Tatras mountains. In the east, is located Kojsovska Hola, near to Kosice.

Christmas markets: you can shop for unique handcrafted souvenirs while sipping spiked punch and enjoying a performance by a choir in the historic Old Towns of Slovakia’s two largest cities. Normally the Christmas markets season is short, from end-November to end December.

Hiking, climbing and outdoor activities: summer is the best season for hiking in Slovakia, especially on the High Tatras. It has even snowed during July in the High Tatras, so if you are planning a trip specifically to hike there, check the weather conditions. The weather can change quite quickly within a couple of hours. You can practise rock climbing in: Vysoke Tatry, Sul’ovske skaly, Kalamarka, Zadiel, etc. Another highlight activity to do in summer is to participate in water sports at one of the many lakes and rivers. Rafting, kayaking, and canoeing are all extremely popular. You can also enjoy a refreshing dip at the large Zlate Piesky lake resort near Bratislava or enjoy the outdoor pools and water slides at Tatralandia, the largest water park in Slovakia.

Birdwatching: Slovakia is home to almost 360 bird species. Every single region in Slovakia has something for bird lovers, but the most popular birding places are the High Tatra Mountains, Orava region, Poloniny National Park, the territory around the Danube River, and the National Natural Reserve Senné ponds. The best time is from April to October, during this period you can observe an enormous number of birds migrating from Africa and Asia.

The spas: at the beginning of the year (January, February, March).

Practical information

Currency

Since 2009, Slovakia has used the official currency of the European Union: the euro. Typically, 1 Euro is 1,07 to 1,18 per US Dollar.

Language

English and German are the most often used foreign languages. Less frequent is the knowledge of French, Spanish, Italian or Russian. In the South of Slovakia, Hungarian is used many times.

Visa

For the citizens of the European Union a valid personal ID is sufficient.Citizens from some non-EU countries are required to have a visa when travelling to the Schengen area. A common list of countries whose citizens must have visas when crossing the external borders and a list of countries whose citizens are exempt from that requirement. Generally, a short-stay visa issued by one of the Schengen States entitles its holder to travel throughout the Schengen States for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. If the length of stay of the foreigner exceeds 90 days, the foreigner has to apply for a residence permit or a national visa (if applicable). However, from 2024, the ETIAS online system will be implemented, and it will become mandatory for these same citizens to have an approved ETIAS tourist authorization as well as a valid passport to travel to any Schengen state, including Slovakia. Once introduced, all eligible citizens must pre-register a simple online application by filling out a form with basic personal, passport and travel information. Once approved, a tourist ETIAS for Slovakia permits multiple tourist entries to all Schengen Area countries during its validity.

For more information and requirements fort the visa information visit this website.

ATM & credit card

Slovakia has a practical banking system; you do not have problems with finding an ATM in populated areas. Look in or near bank branches, shopping centres and supermarkets. If you are there to get out into the more rural areas, then you can expect fewer ATMs, it is important to take cash with you. All major card networks are accepted in Slovakia. Do not forget, that not all bank cards can be used in all ATMs. You will need an ATM which is on the same network as your card. Do not forget you are paying for the convenience, most ATMs charge a fee for withdrawals. These will usually be shown on the screen so you can choose whether to continue with the transaction. Independent ATMs generally apply higher fees than bank ATMs.

Opening times

Opening hours for shops in Slovakia are similar throughout the country. For food markets are usually from 7 am till 6 pm from Monday until Friday; on Saturdays it is usually from 7 am till 12 am. Only few shops are open on Sundays, the rest are closed. Restaurants, cafés and pubs are open from 10 am till 10 pm seven days a week. Opening hours on Saturdays and Sundays can be longer. Pharmacies are open from 7:30 am till 3:30 pm during the working week.

Time: GMT +1 hour

Main airports

R. Štefánik Airport, Bratislava Ivanka Airport (is in the Ružinov, the distance from the airport to the centre is 9 kilometres. By car, it takes 20 minutes).

Košice International Airport (is the second largest airport in Slovakia, located in the south. The distance from the airport to the centre is 8 kilometres. By car, it takes 15 minutes).

Public transport

Slovakia possess a well-connected public transport system that makes getting from A to B quite easy. In addition, other modes of transport and the small size of the country make it easy to navigate. Trains and buses are the best way to travel within Slovakia. They are well-connected, affordable, and allow you to appreciate the fantastic scenery.

By train, Slovakian´s trains are managed to national rail line, ZSR remains the best way to travel directly between most major cities. Services are frequent and works on time. There are some specials routes thought mountains such as Banska Bystrica to Divaky, and from Brezno to Margecany are very interesting. The best and fastest trains are: Eurocity or Intercity. Those are connected Bratislava with Kosice and Banska Bystricam and Kosice with Prague and Budapest. Tickets can be bought at the train station ticket offices or at some train stations in ticket machines. To guarantee a seat, it is possible to buy a seat reservation, especially on Fridays and Sundays. International trains run several times a day from several train stations in the country. In most of them, a seat reservation is mandatory. Regiojet is a private railroad and bus transport provider in Slovakia and offers services of higher quality for reasonable prices. To find a connection or buy a ticket visit the website. The website of the Slovak Railways provide information about time schedules, prices, duration of the journey and whether you must switch the trains at any point.

While the trains are more comfortable, buses are sometimes more direct; they also connect most of the towns and villages in Slovakia and are reliable and satisfactory. The national bus line, Slovak Lines, operates a dense network of bus connections that, in theory, should be able to get you nearly anywhere in the country. For international lines operated by Eurolines or Flixbus it is possible to buy/book a ticket online at their website. Generally, when you are travelling by bus within Slovakia, tickets can be bought upon boarding. It is possible to buy a ticket with a seat reservation for long‑distance coaches at the ticket office of any bus station or in some cases online.

Slovakia is easily accessible by car due to its location in the Central Europe and their advanced road network. Entrance gate to Slovakia from the west is Bratislava, which is directly accessible by highways from the Czech Republic, Austria, and Hungary. To rent, you will need a license that is valid in the country of origin, a major credit card, and a passport. EU citizens do not need a green card or international drive licence to drive through Slovakia.

A very attractive way to get to Slovakia is by a boat. Danube Bratislava Passenger Port is connected by regular services with Vienna, Hainburg, Budapest and other Danube River ports. Between Vienna and Bratislava there is an express boat from the LOD company running from April until October and other company is Twin city line.

Things to avoid

Enter buses, trains or similar before everyone who wants to get out has done so.

Taking photographs of anything that could be perceived as a military establishment or somehow of security interest.

You should not attempt to cross into Ukraine from Slovakia.

Tourists visiting churches in Slovakia should dress appropriately.

Food

Slovak cuisine is heavily influenced by the dishes of these neighbouring countries, especially Austria and Hungary. Common foods include pork, wheat, poultry, wheat, cabbage, potatoes, sheep’s and cow’s cheese, garlic, and onions. The main dishes are: “Bryndzové Halušky! (combination of potato dumplings with roasted bacon and sheep’s cheese, once the dumplings are filled with cheese, the dish is topped with sour cream, fried onion, spring onion, and crispy bacon pieces), “Segedin Goulash” (consists of pork shoulder chunks stewed with sauerkraut and thickened with heavy cream. This dish is traditionally served with dumplings, but you can also find it served with rice), “Mäsové Guľky” (is a dish of meatballs and potatoes. The meat is rolled in a dough of potatoes, served over steamed cabbage. Topped with spring onion and roasted onion), “Žemlovka” (made by layering bread slices and covering them with different fruits. Soft, white bread. Once the slices are assembled, they are soaked in sweet milk with vanilla flavouring. Between the rich bread layers, you will find a thick layer of sharp and sweet forest and seasonal fruits. The most common fruit used is apples, dusted with cinnamon, pears, peaches, and plums are also used)

Electricity and plug types

Slovakia electrical current is 220- 230V and the frequency is 50Hz. Plugs have two round pins, which fit most European two-pin plugs.

Health and insurance

Slovakia is a destination for healthcare tourism, including dental and cosmetic care, and the private sector is of a high standard.

EU/EEA/Swiss nationals are entitled to health care under the same conditions as the nationals of the Slovak Republic. For entitlement to medical treatment based on health insurance in another Member State (EU, EEA, Switzerland), must present a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). In such case, the treatment of an EU/EEA/Swiss national will be covered by a Slovak health insurance company to the same amount as for a Slovak national. Travellers who are not the residents of either Slovakia or the European Union will require to pay for medical services upfront. However, your EHIC card will not cover medical care in a private hospital or non-medical expenses like an emergency flight back to your home country. This is why it is generally recommended to purchase travel insurance prior to visiting the country, which will cover more complex medical procedures.

Other

Tipping is not mandatory in Slovakia. In case that you want tipping it depends on the bill, and really depends whether you are happy with the service, food, environment. The 5-10% tip is good. If you have a small bill just round the amount to whole number or give a tip like 1-2 euro.

The tap water is safe to drink in Slovakia.

When dining in restaurants and cafes, you should have small change with you, because toilets are often paid.