Getting there & Getting around

Getting there

The no-frills Sky Europe Airlines (www.skyeurope.com) offers budget online fares to Amsterdam, Barcelona, London, Paris and Split. Austrian Airlines (www.aua.com) flies daily to Paris, London and Brussels (except Sat). Czech Airlines (tel: 52 96 13 25) has four flights daily to Prague.

Boats to Vienna and Budapest leave daily from the hydrofoil terminal (Fajnorovo nábrežvie 2) between April and September. Tickets can be bought from Altadis (tel: 52 96 35 18; www.lod.sk), inside the terminal.

Bratislava's main bus station (www.sad-kds.sk) is east of the city centre. For all times and prices, visit www.vlaky.sk. Eurolines buses (International information: www.eurolines.sk) run from Bratislava's main bus station to destinations across Europe.

Bratislava is linked by train to destinations across Europe, including Budapest (2.75hr), Prague (4.5hr) and Moscow (33hr).

Getting around

To use Slovakia's motorways (denoted by green signs) all vehicles must have a motorway sticker (nálepka), which should be displayed in the windscreen. These can be bought at border crossings, petrol stations or Satur offices. Avis has an office in Bratislava, but there are also much cheaper local hire car companies. Parking restrictions are draconian and eagerly enforced - always buy a ticket.

Intercity buses, operated by Slovenská autobusová doprava (SAD; www.sad-kds.sk in Slovak), are generally slower and less comfortable than the train. When trying to decipher bus schedules beware of departure times bearing footnotes you don't completely understand. It is helpful to know that premáva means 'it operates' and nepremáva means 'it doesn't operate'. For times and prices, check www.vlaky.sk.

City buses and trams operate from around 04:30 to 23:30 daily. Tickets are sold at public transport offices, newsstands and from ticket machines, and must be validated once you're aboard.

You can hire bikes, especially in popular biking areas like the Vysoke Tatry. Roads are often narrow and potholed and theft is a problem, so a lock is a must. The cost of transporting a bicycle by rail is usually 10% of the train ticket.