SLOVAKIA

The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about 49,000 square kilometers (19,000 sq mi). Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south.

Cities like Bratislava have a quaint charm that is distinctly old-fashioned, and the countryside is full of castles: Spis, Turna, Nitra, Pocuvadlo and many others. A large part of Slovakia- especially the mountains of the Tatras- are beautifully unspoilt and excellent for trekking and climbing. But the best thing about the country is its population – warm, friendly people, who still retain many of their ancient customs and traditions, and have a rich cultural heritage which has managed to survive, pretty much intact, through the turmoil of the 20th century.

Tourism in Slovakia offers natural landscapes, mountains, caves, medieval castles and towns, folk architecture, spas and ski resorts.More than 1.6 million people visited Slovakia in 2006, and the most attractive destinations are the capital of Bratislava and the High Tatras

Capital: Bratislava

Best Time of Visit: Slovakia’s weather is at its best during the months of May, June and September (the rest of the year is too cold for much enjoyment, and July and August can get pretty warm).

Min Days Required: 5 days

Places of Interest: 

  1. Bratislava – Bratislava Castle, Bratislava Zoo, Schloss Hof, Devin Castle, The Slovak National Theatre
  2. Kosice – Spis Castle, Kosice Zoo, Slovak Technical Museum, St Urban Tower, Holy Spirit Church
  3. Zilina – Demanovska Cave of Liberty, Orava Castle, Strecno Castle,  Meander Park
  4. stiavnica mountain range
  5. Skok Waterfalls

Climate:

  1. Slovakia has a wet continental climate: temperate over most of the year, but pretty cold in the winters.
  2. The weather’s fairly damp throughout the year, and summer often has sudden, sharp thunderstorms; winters are snowy (on an average, there are between 40 to 100 days of snow per winter, but this can go up to 130 days in the upper alpine areas), and often foggy, especially in the plains.
  3. Winters are particularly severe over most of the country, and in the mountains, the months between December and February are usually well below freezing, with January being the coldest. Summer temperatures peak in July.

Currency: Euro

Things to carry:

  1. Some warm clothing is advised almost throughout the year, except during the summer months, when it’s just about warm (July is the hottest).
  2. If you’re visiting the country during the winter, go well equipped with woollens- it can be very cold, and temperatures are usually well below 0 degrees Celsius.
  3. Remember that the country’s weather is fairly damp; anoraks, umbrellas and raincoats are needed almost throughout the year.

How to get there:

Air:

  1. Bratislava has its own airport. Since Bratislava is close to Vienna airport with broad offer of regular flights, Bratislava airport is mostly used by low-cost companies and for charter flights.
  2. The budget airline Ryanair operate flights to Bratislava from various European cities, including London, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Dublin, Rome (Ciampino) and Brussels (Charleroi), and a few others. These flights can be quite cheap, so if you are arriving from outside Europe, you might end up saving a lot of money by flying to a bigger airport and then connecting to Bratislava
  3. The alternative is Vienna Airport, which is just 35 km (22 mi) from Bratislava. It provides a more convenient way of arriving to Slovakia by the major airlines, but can be more expensive.