Time Zone:
1 hr ahead of GMT, the summer time which lasts from March to October is 2 hrs ahead of GMT, as in all European countries.

Currency:
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.
Exchange rate: National Bank of Slovakia
Foreign currency (including travellers cheques) can be exchanged at bureaux de change, main hotels all banks, road border crossings, as well as major travel agencies.

Telephone:
Direct international telephone calls can be made to many countries in the world. IDD is available. Country code: 421. Outgoing international code: 00+the code of the appropriate state + area code + telephone/fax number

Home and foreign calls are enabled by public telephones working on coins or cards. Telephone calls on significant numbers (see lower) are free of charge. Emergency centres offer permanent service including aid on car accidents and repair on practical all types of vehicles.

National and public holidays:

01.January - New Year’s Day, Establishment of the Slovak Republic
06. January - (Three Magi, Orthodox Christmas)
09. April - Good Friday
12. April - Easter Monday
01. May - May Day
08. May - Victory Day - The End of the second World War
05. July - The Holiday of St. Cyril and St. Methods
29. August - The anniversary of the Slovak National Uprising
01. September - The Day of the Constitution of the Slovak Republic
15. September - Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows
01. November - All Saints’ Day
17. November - The Day Struggle Against Totality
24. December - Christmas Eve
25. December - Christmas Day
26. December - Boxing Day

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 (VÚB, TatraBanka, Slovenská Sporiteľňa) 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.

Travellers cheques:
Thomas Cook, American Express and Visa travellers cheques are accepted in most major banks (VÚB, TatraBanka, Slovenská Sporiteľňa) and at bureaux de change. Exchange rate charges are at least 1% of the nominal cheque value. To avoid additional charges, travellers are advised to take travellers 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 6500 Sk per cheque. Up to 10 cheques may be presented at any one time.
Currency restrictions:

The import and export of local and foreign currency is permitted up to the equivalent of 150.000 Sk. All currency must be declared.

Passports and visas:
PASSPORT: It is needed to have a valid passport for duration of stay in Slovakia or for 2 months from date of expiration, if visa is required. The citizen of Czech Republic, Germany and Switzerland can enter Slovakia just with a valid national ID card.

VISAS:
www.foreign.gov.sk

Important customs rules

Duty-free items allowed to be brought by the travellers to Slovakia:

Tobacco products: 200 cigarettes or 100 cigarillos or 50 cigars or 250 g tobacco or a combination in the respective amount
Alcoholic beverages: 1 l of spirits, 2 l of wine
Petrol: maximum reserve of 10 l
Perfumes: 50 g
Toilet water: 250 ml
Drugs: according to personal need
Presents and other things up to the value of 175 EUR
Home animals can be transported only with the respective veterinary permission
Weapons: with the covering letter only

On leaving the country approximately the same rules are valid. Objects of art and historical value need license and custom duty.

Accommodation
There are more than 1,000 hotels in Slovakia [hotel guide- www.travelguide.sk], and the number of private lodging facilities is increasing. The hotels are classified in accordance with the international standards from one-star to five-star - according to their equipment and services offered. Tourists may also stay in private lodgings, guesthouses, quarters and camps. There are many small villages in the mountains and below, with well-equipped family houses, partly serving as lodgings for tourists. In holiday resorts there are many individual cottages to rent.

Shopping - opening hours
Most shops are open on Mondays-Fridays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Smaller shops have lunch breaks. Big storehouses and shopping centres are open to 7 p.m. or to 9 p.m. The hyper-markets TESCO (Banska Bystrica, Bratislava, Kosice, Nitra, Trnava) trade net is open non-stop. Basic food can be bought in smaller shops (Večierka) open seven days a week and also during the nights.

Gastronomy
Gastronomy shows the influence of a narrow contact with the neighbouring countries. European meals, home specialities and foreign meals are available. In Bratislava they offer unlimited choice, including kosher food, French meals, as well as the "smorgasbord". Motorests and original "tchardas" present all kinds of regional specialities - from Slovak cooking in the north of the country to Hungarian and fish meals in the Danubian region in the southern part of the country.