Mobile phones Company Service (Tel: 5930 5030, Email: office@companyservice. sk). Car hire Visit the Europcar desk on arrival at the airport (Tel: 4926 2637/8, www. europcar.sk), open daily 8am-8pm. Hertz (Tel: 4364 0562) and Avis (Tel: 4341 0709) are also available. Office rental Regus (Tel: 5939 6000/1, www.regus.com). Secretarial services Company Service (Tel: 5930 5030, Email: office@companyservice. sk).

LOCAL PRESS

SPEX magazine, published at the beginning of every month, contains complete cultural listings for the city and the rest of the country, along with movie schedules, political and business articles, and travel and cultural features. The monthly What’s On pamphlet is distributed for free at some city pubs and restaurants, but is very weak on content. The Slovak Spectator weekly newspaper covers the main stories in politics and business and has a strong culture section as well with movie listings, restaurant reviews and a city map. It publishes an annual travel guide, investment guide, career and employment guide, real estate guide and Yellow Pages with almanac. Available at most larger hotels and newsstands that sell foreign media, it’s a must-read if you have more than a casual interest in Slovakia.

INTERNET

If you come to Slovakia armed with a laptop, you should have little trouble logging on in your hotel room, although wi-fi in the city is confined to the larger business hotels such as the Crowne Plaza or the Danube. The Slovak internet/ telephone sockets are standard in size, but North American travellers will need an adaptor if they want to recharge. These are widely available in most electronics stores.

There is no chain of internet cafés in Slovakia, which isn’t surprising given that the population at large has only recently been able to afford internet access. One of the biggest cafés, with over 20 machines, is Mamutnet, part of the Mamut beer hall (off Feriencikova Street near the Ondrejska cemetery). You can also try the more central ST café at the corner of Obchodna Street and SNP Square, or the Austrian Institute café on Bastova Street in the heart of the Old Town.

MONEY

The Slovak koruna (Sk) isn’t due to be replaced by the Euro until 2009, so it remains the coin of the realm, although many urban establishments now also accept Euros. Those places that do accept credit cards usually take at least the big three (AmEx, Visa, MasterCard), but be sure to ask before ordering that huge meal with no cash in your pocket.

Banks still tend to observe the classic 10am-4pm opening hours, but in the city centre you’ll find some that are open until early evening and on Saturdays. Slovakia is a non-bargaining zone, so the price that’s given on the sticker is the price to be paid.

TIPPING ETIQUETTE

A service charge is generally not included on restaurant bills, so diners are advised to leave a 5-10% tip, which is more than locals tend to give. The same applies to bar staff, taxi drivers and hairdressers. Hotel staff will expect at least 50 Sk.

VISA/VACCINATION

Citizens of the European Union aren’t required to have visas to visit or reside in Slovakia, but US and Canadian nationals, if they intend to stay longer than 90 days, must obtain a visa from the Slovak embassy in their home country. Most African and Asian nationals require visas to enter Slovakia. Vaccinations are not generally required, but many foreigners applying for long-term residence will be required to get a check-up and tests done at a Slovak hospital.

PUBLIC HOLIDAYS

Slovakia has a generous 15 annual public holidays, twice as many as the British. In essence, following the 1989 revolution, everyone wanted to get in on the action. Slovaks consider themselves very hard working, but the truth is that if a holiday falls on a Thursday or a Tuesday, you can forget about finding people in the office on the following Friday or preceding Monday, respectively. Weekends are emphatically not worked.
1st January—New Year’s Day, Anniversary of Slovak Independence
6th January—Holiday of the Three Kings
Late March/early April—Good Friday and Easter Monday
1st May—Labour Day
8th May—Victory over Fascism Day
5th July—Holiday of Saints Cyril and Methodus
29th August—Anniversary of the Slovak National Uprising
1st September—Constitution Day
15th September—The Seven Pains of the Virgin Mary
1st November—All Saints Day
17th November—Anniversary of the Velvet Revolution
24th-26th December—Christmas

WEATHER AND CLIMATE

Hot and muggy in the summer, cold, grey and slushy in the winter—Bratislava has a typical continental climate. Spring may arrive as early as March, while from June to early September temperatures can reach the mid 30sC. Winter usually sees about a week at -20C, but is mostly around -5C. Between November and February it’s advisable to bring a rain coat and a brolly.

SUGGESTED READING

The list is still relatively short, but includes A History of Slovakia: The Struggle for Survival, by Stanley J Kirschbaum; Slovakia: The Escape from Invisibility, by Karen Henderson; Dubcek and Czechoslovakia, by William Shawcross; and the annual Global Report on Slovakia almanac put out by a team of authors at the Institute for Public Affairs in Bratislava (www.ivo.sk)

GETTING INTO TOWN

Airport MR Stefanik, The Bratislava airport, lies about 8kms from the city centre. Three low-cost airlines already fly European routes from here, and traffic is starting to go through the roof with privatisation imminent. Many visitors to Slovakia still fly in through Vienna’s Schwechat Airport, about 60kms to the west.

Taxi The taxi ranks lie outside the main terminal building. A ride into town should cost you 600 Sk (about £12) and takes about 20 minutes.

Car The terminal access road leads to Ivanska cesta, which merges with Trnavska cesta, from which you should follow the signs to the city centre (Centrum). The journey takes about 20 minutes.

Bus City transport (MHD) buses depart every 20 minutes on the 61 line. They take 45 minutes to reach the main train station, their final destination, which is a 10-minute walk from downtown. A one-way ticket valid for one hour is 22 Sk, and can be purchased from the yellow dispenser to the left as you exit the terminal. Make sure to validate the ticket in the red electric counter as you enter the bus.