Slovakia

Quick Facts

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Capital

Bratislava

Population

5,430,000

Government

Parliamentary Democracy

Religions

Christianity (Catholic, Protestant)

Languages

Slovak, Hungarian

Calling Code

+421

Nationality

Local name

Slovensko

Introduction

Bratislava

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Though one of eastern Europe's less popular tourist countries, Slovakia's welcoming people and relative stability over the last decade makes it an attractive destination. Slovakia's landscape features some of Europe's highest mountain ranges, providing jaw-dropping scenery. Most travellers, however, do not come to Slovakia merely to gaze at its beauty: Slovakia's mountains are fertile ground for skiing and hiking, as the increasing numbers of tourists suggest.

Unfortunately, for those uninterested in getting their hiking boots on or skidding down snow-covered mountains, Slovakia's potential is harder to unravel. The capital, Bratislava, is the most obvious place to head for. Nestled alongside the Danube River and set against a backdrop of the Little Carpathians, the city features numerous museums and other historical monuments. We recommend, however, that visitors explore some of Slovakia's undiscovered highlights, like the Dunajec River Gorge or Trnava, Slovakia's oldest town.

Slovakia shares international borders with Austria, Hungary, Ukraine, Poland and the Czech Republic.

Regions

Slovakia can be grouped into 4 geographical areas.

• Western Slovakia
• Northern Slovakia
• Southern Slovakia
• Eastern Slovakia

Administratively, the country is made up of eight distinct regions, or kraj, which are named after the largest city in each region; Bratislava, Trnava, Trencin, Zilina, Nitra, Banska Bystrica, Presov, Kosice.

Cities

• Bratislava
• Banská Bystrica
• Bojnice
• Košice
• Nové Zámky
• Poprad
• Prešov
• Nitra
• Trnava
• Žilina
• Zvolen
• Trencin

Getting there

Plane

Air Slovakia is an airline based at Milan Rastislav Štefánik Airport (BTS) near the capital Bratislava. Destinations include Amritsar, Barcelona, Birmingham, Bologna, Kuwait [seasonal], Larnaca [seasonal], Milan and Tel Aviv. Other destinations with a few other airlines are from Prague, Munich and Moscow.

Lowcost airlines SkyEurope and Ryanair both fly here as well from a number of European cities.

Red Tape

If you are a European Union (EU) citizen, you may enter without any restriction as per your EU citizenship rights. If you are not an EU citizen, you will need to obtain a Schengen Visa. This visa is valid for any country in the Schengen zone.