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IN A FEW WORDS: SLOVAKIA
SLOVAKIA
Population
5,367 790
Geography
Area: 49.035 square kilometers
Highest point: Gerlachovsky Stit at 2.655m,
Longest river: Vah 403km
Caves: 660 - Dobsinska cave, ranking as Europe´s oldest
Castles: 170 out of which the Spissky castle is the largest
Major Cites: Bratislava - the Capital with pop. of 452.278; Kosice - Eastern metropolis with pop. of 241.606; Presov with pop. of 92.687 and Nitra with pop. of 87.357
Spa towns: 19; among them Piestany, TrencianskeTepolice, Bardejov,
National Parks: 5 - the High Tatras, Pieniny, the Low Tatras, Slovensky Raj, Small Fatra.
Climate: Slovakia has a continental climate, with hot summer and cold winters, from July - August cca 30°C; while in Winter cca - 5°C .
Time: Summertime from March - Oktober; Wintertime from November - February.
Electricity
220V/50Hz
Currency
EURO, since January 2009
Time zone
normally 1 hr ahead of GMT; the summer time which lasts from March to December is 2 hrs ahead of GMT, as in all European countries.
Credit cards
Major credit cards (American Express, Diners Club, Visa and MasterCard / Eurocard) and debit cards (Maestro and Visa Electron) may be used to withdraw cash from automatic dispensers of major banks (VUB, TatraBanka, Slovenska Sporitelna) and for payments in many hotels, restaurants, shops and petrol stations.
Travel, passports and visas
Passport: It is needed to have a valid passport for duration of stay in Slovakia or for 2 months from date of expiration, if visa is required.
Air travel: M.R. Stefanik international Airport (about 15km from downtown)
Schwechat international airport Vienna (60 km from Bratislava)
Trains: The Main Train Station (Hlavná zeleznicna stanica) is about a 20 min walk from the center.The Train Station Petrzalka, on the right side of Danube river, just 3 bus stops from the centre
Buses: The Main Bus Station (Hlavna autobusova stanica) is about a 15 minute walk from the center.
Shopping opening hours
Most shops are open on Mondays-Fridays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays to 12 am. Some shops have lunch breaks. Big storehouses and shopping centres ( in Bratislava Aupark, Avion Shopping park, Polus city centre) are open to 7 p.m. or to 10 p.m. Even on some holidays and Sundays. The hyper-markets TESCO (Banska Bystrica, Bratislava, Kosice, Nitra, Trnava) trade net is open often till 10pm or even non-stop.
Souvenirs
Ceramic: Majolika from Modra or Pezinok, glass ware and cristall, embriodery, wooden sculptures and toys, reliefs, folk art products.
Alcohol: Demanovka /bitter sweet herbal brandy/, Borovicka /Juniper berry brandy/, wine from Small Carpathian region, Tokayer region in Eastern Slovakia, beer.
Gastronomy
Gastronomy shows the influence of a narrow contact with the neighbouring countries. Middleeuropean meals, home specialities and foreign meals are available. In Bratislava they offer unlimited choice, including kosher food, French meals, as well as the famous Austro-Hungarian cuisine. Original Slovak restaurants present all kinds of regional specialities from Slovak national cooking (halusky, pirohy), or tasty Hungarian cuisine - fish meals from the Danubian region in the southern part of the country.
Slovak beers are superb /Zlaty Bazant, Topvar, Saris /.Try maybe sweet dark beer. Wine drinkers shouldn´t feel left out. Slovakia has many wine-growing areas /Small Carpathians, Nitra, Tokaj. The most popular whites are Rulandske, Rizling, Silvan, red Frankovka was drunk by empress Maria Theresia. A strong and sweet white wine is Tokaj.
Tipping
In restaurants or cafes you have prices without tip, so standard advice is to give about 10% of the total bill .
Slovak superlatives
Castles: Bojnice - Fairytale castle reminiscent of France s Loire River Valley Chateaux, and Orava - Hanging from a clifftop above the Orava River, Cerveny Kamen - Enormous 16th century storage cellars lie beneath a mighty fort.
Ruin: Spis - considered the largest and best preserved one in all of Central Europe, and Devin - Romanic ruin guards the Morava and the Danube rivers
Towns: Bardejov -enter in list of UNESCO, wonderfully Medieval main square surounded by fortifications; Levoca - St. Jacobs church and Spiska Kapitula - renaissance Town Hall grace the jewel of the Spis region,
Banska Stiavnica - listed with UNESCO, mining city, with 1-st mining academy of the 14-th cebtury.
Natural wonders: the High Tatras, Slovak Paradise, Ice caves, Dunajec River, more then 1300 mineral springs and 23 spas
UNESCO: Banska Stiavnica; Vlkolinec; Bardejov; Zehra; Spis castle
Churches: St. Jacob levoca, Articular Kezmarok, wooden churches, St. Elisabeth in Kosice, St. Emeram in Nitra
Things you can´t get enough of: Beer, wine, opera or ballet performance, warm hospitality, funny menu translations
