Slovakia Travel Guide

Slovakia — Country and Tourist Information

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Country Facts

Location: Central Europe.
Language: The official language is Slovak. Hungarian, Ruthenian, Ukrainian and German are spoken by ethnic minorities.
Area: 49,033 sq km (18,932 sq miles).
Time Zone: GMT + 1 (GMT + 2 from last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October).
Electricity: Generally 230 volts AC, 50Hz. Round two-pin plugs are in use.
Population: 5.4 million (2008).
Population Density: 110.1 per sq km.
Capital City: Bratislava. Population: 446,000 (2005).
Government: Republic since 1993.
Head of Government: Prime Minister Iveta Radičová since 2010.
Head of State: President Ivan Gasparovic since 2004.
Religion: The majority of the population is Roman Catholic. Protestant churches comprise the remainder with Reformed, Lutheran, Methodist and Baptist denominations. There is also a Jewish minority and, in the east of the country, a Greek Orthodox minority.

Recent History

After four years in power, the previous center-right Slovak Democratic and Christian Union party was defeated in the June 2006 general elections. The left-wing SMER party, led by Robert Fico, won nearly 30% of the vote and went on to form an unlikely coalition government with the People’s Party (HZDS) and the extremist Slovak National Party (SNS). This alliance with the SNS caused some controversy, most notably due to the reported anti-Hungarian rhetoric of its leader, Jan Slota.

Slovakia's first female priminister, Iveta Radičová, took office on 8 July 2010 as the head of a four-party center-right coalition government following the 2010 Slovak parliamentary election.

Communications

Telephone

Country Code: . Public telephone booths are widely available, including special kiosks for international calls. Surcharges can be quite high on long-distance calls from hotels. Dial 112 for all emergency services.

Mobile Telephone

Roaming agreements exist with most international mobile phone companies. Coverage is good, extending over the whole country, with the exception of remote areas.

Internet

There are internet cafés in main towns.

Media

The constitution guarantees freedom of expression. All major daily newspapers are private and there are over 20 private radio stations. The introduction of commercial TV in the 1990s caused public broadcaster Slovak TV to lose a significant amount of viewers, with private TV broadcaster Markiza now claiming much of the audience. Cable and satellite TV are widely watched. Channels from neighboring countries, such as the Czech Republic and Hungary, have a sizeable audience. The Slovak Spectator, Slovakia's English-language newspaper, is published weekly. Slovak Foreign Trade is published monthly by the Slovak Chamber of Commerce. The principal dailies are Novy Cas, Pravda and Sme. Popular weekly Slovak magazines include Plus 7 dni, Slovenka and Zivot. Slovak Radio is a public broadcaster, operating five national networks and an external service; Radio Expres, Radio Okey and Radio Twist are all commercial stations, as is commercial news agency Fun Radio.

Post

Most towns and villages have their own post office and some are open on Saturdays. The postal service, operated by Slovenská pošta (www.posta.sk) is efficient, but tends to be slow. Priority service delivery to the UK takes approximately two to four days and economy post can take up to nine days. Priority delivery to the USA takes five to eight days.Mon-Fri 0800-1800.

Public Holidays

Below are Public Holidays for the January 2011-December 2012 period.
2011
1 Jan New Year’s Day and Independence Day of the Slovak Republic
6 Jan Epiphany
22 Apr Good Friday
25 Apr Easter Monday
1 May May Day
8 May Victory Day
5 Jul St Cyril and St Methodius Holiday
29 Aug Anniversary of the Slovak National Uprising
1 Sep Slovak Constitution Day
15 Sep Our Lady of Sorrows
1 Nov All Saints’ Day
17 Nov Fight for Freedom and Democracy Day
24 Dec Christmas Eve
25 Dec Christmas Day
26 Dec Boxing Day

2012
1 Jan New Year’s Day and Independence Day of the Slovak Republic
6 Jan Epiphany
6 Apr Good Friday
9 Apr Easter Monday
1 May May Day
8 May Victory Day
5 Jul St Cyril and St Methodius Holiday
29 Aug Anniversary of the Slovak National Uprising
1 Sep Slovak Constitution Day
15 Sep Our Lady of Sorrows
1 Nov All Saints’ Day
17 Nov Fight for Freedom and Democracy Day
24 Dec Christmas Eve
25 Dec Christmas Day
26 Dec Boxing Day

Contact Information

British Embassy in Slovakia

Panska 16, 811 01 Bratislava, Slovakia
Tel: (2) 5998 2000.
Website: www.ukinslovakia.fco.gov.uk
Opening hours: Mon-Thurs 0830-1700; Fri 0830-1400.

Slovak Tourist Board

Slovenská agentúra pre cestovný ruch, Námestie Ľ Štúra 1, PO Box 35, 974 05 Banská Bystrica, Slovakia
Tel: (48) 413 6146.
Website: www.slovakia.travel

Embassy of the Slovak Republic in the UK

25 Kensington Palace Gardens, London W8 4QY, UK
Tel: (020) 7313 6470 or 90 (consular section).
Website: www.slovakembassy.co.uk
Opening hours: Mon-Thur 0900-1130 and 1300-1530, Fri 0900-1130.