EuroCheapo's Slovakia Articles

Oct 19 By Nicky Gardner and Susanne Kries— Chile wasn’t the only subterranean tale this past week. The news that engineers had burrowed through the Gotthard Massif to create a 57 km-long tunnel deep under the Alps was accompanied by plenty of news reports predicting a revolution in European rail transport. Don’t hold your breath. The first » Read more

Mar 31 On January 1, 2009, Slovakia switched its circulating currency from the koruna to the euro, making it the 16th European Union member state to join the “euro zone”. The country was granted permission by the European Union to make the switch during the summer of 2008, when the exchange rate was pinned at 30.126 koruny to the euro. » Read more

Sep 23 No adventure in Bratislava is complete without experiencing (and embracing) the Slovak language itself. Slovak, a West Slavic language, is closely related to Czech and Polish and spoken by 6 million people. Why not bring some of that language home? Bring home some Slovak We recommend purchasing one of the local newspapers for a few SKKs » Read more

Jul 30 Bratislava, thankfully for us Cheapos, is a pretty reasonable city.  Most museums here do charge an entrance fee, of which the average cost is SKK80 (just over $4). But, one of Bratislava’s national treasures is free and open to the public every day except for holidays and Mondays. Bratislava Castle sits high on a hill. » Read more

Dec 13 We’re watching snow fall right now. That we’re thinking about winter should come as no surprise. So where might we escape to for an atmospheric yet affordable snowy getaway? Here are two ideas. 1. Košice, Slovakia. Connected to Dublin, London Luton, Prague, and Vienna by SkyEurope, Slovakia’s second biggest city sits in the east of » Read more

May 23 Everyone has heard of Munich’s Oktoberfest, but few people know of Bratislava’s Junifest, which will celebrate its fourth year this June, from June 8 through June 17, 2007. This is a shame, because Slovak beer is excellent and the festival has a great program, and is very cheap. A ten-entry pass costs SKK550 (€16.25; $22) » Read more

Apr 30 Košice, Slovakia’s second city, ranks high on our short list of underexplored European gems. Set in a valley, with the Ore mountains to the west and the Salt Hills to the east, Košice remains a delightfully unspoilt place. Slovakia’s budget airline SkyEurope flies between Košice and Bratislava, making the city both easy and cheap to » Read more

Apr 05 Last Sunday the Twin City Line opened up for business after a long winter slumber. The ship connects the capital cities of Vienna and Bratislava via the Danube River three times a day. The journey takes about 75 minutes and the Twin City boats can accommodate up to 102 passengers. The liner is not only » Read more

Apr 03 Photo by Fero Hanus  As a tourist destination, Slovakia is generally overlooked and underestimated. In our view, this is a great shame. The Tatra Mountains in the north of the country are charming in winter (cheap skiing!) and summer (gentle trekking!), and Slovakia’s lowland south is not without its attractions, either. One lowland draw is » Read more