Slovakia
HIGHLIGHTS
- Fascinating landscapes and undiscovered beauties of the Carpathian Range.
- Rich historical heritage including UNESCO listed towns, castles, chateaus and monasteries, as well as small relics of ecclesiastical architecture.
- Stable geographical area, a new member of the EU, with the minimum risk of threat to human life, health or property.
- High quality services able to satisfy the most discriminating travelers for favorable prices.
Slovakia is a small Central European country located on the border between mountains of the Carpathian range and extensive Panonian lowlands. At the beginning of the 10th century, Slovakia joined the Kingdom of Hungary and remained a part of it until 1918 when the Czechoslovak Republic was founded. At the beginning of 1993 the two member-states of the Czechoslovakian Federation became independent nations. It has widely been regarded as a peaceful and inevitable transition, which annoyed the universal consent of Czech and Slovak civilians. The Velvet Revolution - the most peaceful and swift of the revolts that shook Eastern Europe in 1989 - has provided the Western travelers unprecedented opportunities to see this fascinating country, and naturalists to explore a country about whose ecology is so unknown world-wide.
Slovakia is dominated by the magnificent Carpathian Mountains, some 200 miles long and 95 miles wide, divided by deep valleys and gorges where the bulk of the population lives. Away from towns, we will come across clear vegetation zones of mixed woodlands, alpine meadows and limestone rocks. Most of the wild land is protected in National Parks. Wild nature is in harmony co-existing with old romantic little towns, wooden villages, kingly castles and lovely chateaus.
Brief Facts About Slovakia
- Population: 5.4 million (January 2002)
- Area: 48,800 sq. km
- Capital: Bratislava (approximately 450 000 inhabitants)
Other interesting cities: Banska Bystrica, Kosice, Zilina, Poprad
Map of Slovakia
Currency:
Slovakia - Levoca
- Slovak crown (SK) - Slovenská koruna = 100 halier
- Notes are in denominations of Sk 5000, 1000, 500, 100, 50 and 20.
- Coins are in denominations of Sk 10, 5, 2, 1 and halier 50, 20 and 10.
- See actual exchange rate
- Foreign currency (including travelers cheques) can be exchanged at exchange offices, main hotels, all banks, road border crossings, as well as major travel agencies.
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 hotels, restaurants, shops and petrol stations. Credit cards can also be used to obtain currency. Check with your credit card company for details of merchant acceptability and other services which may be available.
Travelers' cheques:
Thomas Cook, American Express and Visa travelers' cheques are accepted in most major banks and at exchange offices. Exchange rate charges are at least 1% of the nominal cheque value. To avoid additional charges, travelers are advised to take travelers cheques in US Dollars or Pounds Sterling.
Eurocheque:
These must be used with a cheque guarantee card and may be cashed up to a maximum of 6,500 Sk per cheque. Up to 10 cheques may be presented at any time.
Language:
Slovak
Weather:
- Slovakia - Low Tatras
- The prevailing continental climate is characterized by mild winters and warm summers. The weather is best from May to September, when days are warm and nights are cool. Winters are very cold, damp and snowy especially in the mountains. In general, temperatures decrease with increasing altitude but are relatively uniform across the country at lower elevations. The average annual temperature is 9°C(48.2°F), in summer 22°C (71.6°F), in winter -8°C(17.6°F). Weather and climate conditions of Slovakia are ideal for walking tours.
- To see the topical weather condition please click here
Time:
GMT+1 hour, from April to October summer time, ie GMT+2 hours
Voltage, Sockets and Plugs:
220 V, European norm, three-pole earthed plugs have two pins and a hole in the plug and one pin with two holes in the socket.
Telephone:
Slovakia has direct dialing telephone lines with all European and most overseas countries. The dialing code for the Slovakia from abroad is +421.
Passport and Visa Requirements:
Travel formalities have been reduced to a minimum. Slovakia has visa-free arrangements with most European countries, the U.S.A. and some other countries. A number of new border crossing points have been opened.
Health Care:
In case of an accident or sudden illness, visitors from abroad can contact health centers, clinics and hospitals where they will be provided with medical care. The provision of medical treatment for a fee is governed by relevant Slovak regulations, or by international agreements made by and between the government of Slovakia and the one of the respective country.
Airport:
The closest large international airports are Vienna (Austria), Budapest (Hungary) and Krakow (Poland). Slovakian Bratislava's Int. Airport offers only a few flights. The Budapest - Krakow tour is the best solution how to experience this fascinating country.