Prior to 1993, Slovakia, along with the Czech Republic, formed Czechoslovakia. Slovakia's tourism industry is nowhere near as developed as the Czech's and indeed it is regarded as the poor cousin in the relationship.
A lot of people will probably have the impression of Slovakia being a ... Read review
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Advantages: Inexpensive, great scenery Disadvantages: Lacks infrastructure
Prior to 1993, Slovakia, along with the Czech Republic, formed Czechoslovakia. Slovakia's tourism industry is nowhere near as developed as the Czech's and indeed it is regarded as the poor cousin in the relationship.
A lot of people will probably have the impression of Slovakia being a dirty industrial country, and to a certain extent that can be true, with some industries spewing out noxious fumes relentlessly. But times are changing ... ...lot of the industries are modernizing, and are receiving a lot of international help to do so.
Communications can be a bit of a problem, as English is not widely spoken and hands up how many readers are conversant in Slovak? Thought so. A basic knowledge of German should be enough to get by.
Most people visiting Slovakia would be going to Bratislava, but of course there is a lot more to the country than just its capital. ... more
Prior to 1993, Slovakia, along with the Czech Republic, formed Czechoslovakia. Slovakia's tourism industry is nowhere near as developed as the Czech's and indeed it is regarded as the poor cousin in the relationship.
A lot of people will probably have the impression of Slovakia being a dirty industrial country, and to a certain extent that can be true, with some industries spewing out noxious fumes relentlessly. But times are changing in Slovakia. With their efforts to enter the EU, a lot of the industries are modernizing, and are receiving a lot of international help to do so.
Communications can be a bit of a problem, as English is not widely spoken and hands up how many readers are conversant in Slovak? Thought so. A basic knowledge of German should be enough to get by.
Most people visiting Slovakia would be going to Bratislava, but of course there is a lot more to the country than just its capital. In the north and East near the Polish border there is a great deal of rugged beauty, with the Tatra mountains – also called the Vysoké Tatry or High Tatras. In an very small area (100sq miles or so) there are over 100 glacial lakes, 30 valleys and over 370 miles of hiking trails which take you through a lot of the valleys and over many peaks.
** One thing you need to watch out for is the risk of Tick-borne Encephalitis, especially in the wooded parts of the valleys. Also, due to their altitude, snow often falls as early as September and as late as May. Therefore the best months for hiking are June through August. In winter the Tatras become ski resorts, with Stary Smokovec, being the most popular destination.
Prior to our visit we used an excellent website which gave us information on accommodation, maps and general advice, as well as links to lots of other sites. The websites address is: http://www.tanap.sk/ ____________________________________________________
After our visit to Auschwitz we crossed the border from Poland on small country road and our first experience of Slovakia was driving through a small, rural village. It was time for the dairy cows to return from the pastures, so it took a little time to pass through. Every so often the herder would stop, open a garden gate, and deposit 1 or 2 cows to their respective homes. It was like the bovine version of a school bus. After a while driving on rural roads we made it onto an excellent motorway and were soon in our destination, the town of Strbske Pleso in the Tatra Mountains.
---------- The Town ----------
STREBSKE PLESOS was founded as a hiking centre in 1872 and at 1335m above sea level, is the highest settlement in the High Tatras. It sits around the second largest lake on the Slovak side of the High Tatras. It is well connected to transport links, and is a good starting point for excursions and day-trips in the mountains and is also a well-known skiing centre.
There isn't an awful lot to do here in the way of shopping and entertainment, but all the towns and villages in the area are linked with an electric tramway/railway and most tourist facilities are concentrated in the largest town, Stary Smokovec. Our hotel was about 10 miles from here. Having said that, don't think for a minute that Stary Smokvec is some sort of 5th Avenue. After all, this used to be behind the 'iron curtain', and it shows. Not that it isn't very pretty, it's more in the prices. There is not all that much to buy, which is a shame, because it is SO cheap. I mean REALLY cheap. We had to constantly check if we were working out the exchange rate correctly and not missing a decimal point somewhere. An ice cream cost around 7p, a 500ml bottle of beer was 15-20p and a coffee and a fanta in a cafe was about 30-40p. AMAZING. We felt incredibly wealthy - a novel experience for us!
---------- Our Hotel ----------
We stayed in the Hotel Patria, an pyramid-shaped, alpine ski-lodge style building. It was built in the late 60's but most, not all, of the rooms had been recently renovated. The older rooms were cheaper but we splashed out on a modern room at Ł30.
Check-in was pretty busy as there were bus tours arriving but it didn't take too long. The person who dealt with us spoke good English and was very friendly but there was quite a lot of paperwork to fill in before we could get our key. The reception area was large with several bars and restaurants and there was a lovely planted area with a stream and fountain creating a relaxing, calming atmosphere.
The room was immaculately clean, very white and very bright. We had all the usual furniture, comfortable twin beds, table and chairs, sideboard and desk. We also had Cable TV and a mini-bar. We had a large window overlooking the mountains but the rooms on the other side of the building had a balcony with a view of the lake.
As I said, not all the rooms were renovated. I mistakenly got out of the elevator on the wrong floor and it was like the Twilight Zone (cue spooky music). The hallway was horrendous. Old-fashioned, threadbare carpets, formica panelling, dilapidated finishes and dim lighting. Weird.
The hotel had lots of amenities; from 4 restaurants & bars - to swimming pool, fitness room, saunas, shops...the list goes on.
Our intention was to do some serious hiking, but the weather was not exactly conducive to this. A lot of the time there was torrential rain and hailstorms, and we were not equipped for that. Besides, if I want to walk around mountains and get a severe soaking, I only have to travel an hour or so from my house. We had to make do with a few strolls round the immediate area.
We did a bit of driving around and visited the regional capital, Poprad. This is the biggest city in the area but there is not a lot to do. The medieval centre was well preserved with some lovely buildings and lots of pavement cafes but the shopping left a lot to be desired. They had all the basics but not a lot in the way of luxury type items or arts & crafts etc. - everything so cheap but nothing to buy! You could sense this was not a overly wealthy country. Most of the population lived in the vast suburbs of grey, communist-era, concrete tower blocks. Very depressing.
All in all, our visit to the Tatras was a bit of a wash out. Literally. We still enjoyed ourselves, but as the whole purpose was to 'climb every mountain', it was a little disappointing. The rest of Slavakia was a blur - viewed as it was from the windows of our car as we sped along the motorway towards Hungary. But that's another story.... Thanks for reading
Advantages: Very cheap, and not overrun with tourists Disadvantages: Language barrier, unscrupulous money changers
I originally wrote an op on Slovakia in my very early days at Ciao and now I have rewritten it completely:
Slovakia is sometimes overlooked as a tourist destination, and in comparison with the Czech Republic, a country where tourism is very much a key industry, and a country with which Slovakia formed Czechoslovakia, prior to the “velvet divorce” – which occurred in 1993 some 4 years after the Velvet revolution under playwright-cum-politician ... ...know Slovakia primarily due to living in Vienna, a mere 30 miles away from the capital Bratislava, and sometimes fly from Bratislava to take advantage of cheaper airfares.
However Slovakia boasts a lot more than an alternative airport for Vienna (although the Viennese would generally rather pay through the nose and fly from Vienna than sully themselves with a passport stamp from Slovakia). Its capital, Bratislava, an easy trip by hydrofoil down ...
Morgenhund 11.08.2000 (18.06.2001)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of General: Slovakia
Advantages: Beautiful scenery, friendly people, cheap Disadvantages: The dishonest
A good way of getting to Slovakia is by boat from Vienna, as it brings you to the centre of Bratislava. Despite the rough edges Bratislava has plenty of charm. Street cafes, narrow passageways and varied architecture (the contrast between the old and new Bratislava on opposite sides of the river an example) provide interest and entertainment - an excellent destination for a weekend break. We stayed in the Boat Hotel on the Danube which was reasonably ... ...sickness either.
For journeys outide Bratislava the train is a good way to travel. It is very cheap and mostly on time. They are also often crowded (almost everyone with a back back), and don't sit in the departments with signs of children on the doors if you don't have any - it is for families, and doesn't mean no kids. You will be asked to move. The train station is quite a trek from the centre of Bratislava - about 30 minutes walk, but there ...
mouette 02.10.2003 (10.10.2003)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of General: Slovakia
Advantages: Cheap great scenary, cheap Disadvantages: Corrupt, Uninspiring life
In 2003 a friend of mine was living in Slovakia teaching - foolishly I agreed to visit in April.
I flew to Prague (perhaps I'll write about that later) and I took a coach 12 hours to Banska-Bystrica anyway. Now that Easyjet flies to Bratislava go that way. Never take a 12-hour coach.
AND NEVER LEAVE YOUR PASSPORT IN THE SUITCASE WHICH IS IN THE HOLD OF THE COACH BECAUSE THE DRIVER GET VERY P***ED OFF, AS DOES THE BORDER GUARD WITH A GUN!!!
Anyway ... ...as the sun rises in the sky is how incredibly beautiful the hills are. Slovakia is surrounded by hills and the hills are covered in fir trees. I guess it is similar to parts of Wales. So that was nice, but as the coach neared the towns it just became rubbish.
THE TOWNSCAPE
and this is the annoying thing about Slovakia to date, the governments love to spend money on the town squares, but the rest is broken, derelict, battered and dull. If you visit ...
coleecip 13.01.2005 (14.01.2005)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of General: Slovakia
Advantages: Beautiful scenery,very cheap Disadvantages: To many lada's,very hard language to learn
A few years ago my sister went over to live in Slovakia, Presov I think. She went with AFS kinda like an exchange program. Half way through her stay, our whole family went over to visit her. As I was very young I can't comment on the nightlife. I can how ever comment on the prices, scenery etc. First we stayed in the host family home that my sister was placed in. This was a 4 storie house which the families build themselves and it costs them only ... ...they make of it too. Everyday we sat down to what was the largest munch up i've every had and very tasty aswell. Home made breads,delicious, handpicked fruit, excellant soft drinks and scrumptious puddings,mmmm.
The climate was very hot, hence the reason I spent most of my time outside playing with the neighbours children (well I was only 14). They didnt have many toys mind you and what they did have wasn't exactly toys r' us! We used the public ...
catherinebrown1 07.02.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of General: Slovakia
OK the girls are really good looking, the beer's fantastic, some of the towns are seriously pretty and everythings cheaper than the Check Republic but why does it feel so wierd? The old USSR throwbacks society contributes and also probably leads to the excessive vodka drinking witnessed in the older generation but why are there so many anti gypsy opinions vioced among the teenagers? Why does the Romanian flag get burnt before football matches? Why ... ...in America rather than Europe ? Why's it so cold?
It's worth a visit in summer or if you're prepared in winter. get to know the people and youre trip will be much more fun. You'll never get to rave in a disused Russian underground nuclear shelter if you dont. Don't plan to stay for more than a month unless you've done some research and dont mention the war. ...
howaysali 09.08.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of General: Slovakia
Value for Money
Sightseeing
Shopping
Nightlife
Ease of getting around
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