AboutTomas Expertise I have done quite a lot of traveling in Slovakia as well as Europe, I have also written some articles about traveling to slovak dailies and I wrote 50-page book chapter "Traveling with internet". I can provide you with what-to-see tips about Slovakia and Central Europe in general as well as practical information about Slovakia.
We are two families with two small children each (3 and 4.5 years old), planning to visit Solvakia on teh second half of August for 10 days. We are landing in Budapest, renting two cars and plan to drive to Slovakia. Our plan is to have two (maximum 3) places to stay and each day to drive the minimum to visit soem places. As the children are very small, they are less after the big attractions and we are looking for small and nice things to do with them. We and they love to travel in nature but cannot walk too much.
1. Any recommendations on where to look for places to stay that will fit our requirements (area, specific villages etc.) ?
2. Any recommendations regarding activities and specific places to visit with them ?
3. Shall we make a stop in Hungary on the way to Slovakia or back, not to have too much drivE ? If so, where ?
4. What should we expect in terms of weather at that time of teh year ?
5. Is it high season in terms of vacations (August 16 until August 27) ?
6. Is the Euro already in use ?
7. Shall we purchase a sticker for Hungary highways and in addition to Slovalia ?
Any other tips that might help us are mostly welcomed
Many thanks,
Gil
Answer Gil,
nice to hear you are planning a family vacation in Slovakia. Here are the answers.
1. Any recommendations on where to look for places to stay that will fit our requirements (area, specific villages etc.) ?
2. Any recommendations regarding activities and specific places to visit with them ?
If you have questions on any of these, let me know.
Or for more general tips, you can also read this great guides online (they are written by foreigners so the information tend to be more balanced than local guides and they are also great for information about culture and customs): http://travel.spectator.sk/articles/1779/contents_spectacular_slovakia2007
3. Shall we make a stop in Hungary on the way to Slovakia or back, not to have too much drivE ? If so, where ?
It is a short drive from Budapest to Slovakia (1-4 hours, depending where in Slovakia you will go), you do not need to stop in Hungary.
4. What should we expect in terms of weather at that time of teh year?
Your visit is during the hottest part of the year, the usual temperature is around 25-35 Celsius, rain is rare (it could happen that it will rain for 5 days in a row, but it is very improbable). In mountains, it is usually 20-25 degrees of Celsius.
More information: http://travel.spectator.sk/articles/1503/a_brief_guide_to_slovakias_weather
5. Is it high season in terms of vacations (August 16 until August 27)?
Yes, both July and August are the high season. But there is no need to worry, Slovakia is not THAT popular as a destination, there is usually no problem with crowds of tourists anywhere here.
6. Is the Euro already in use ?
Yes, since January 2009 euro is the only valid currency in Slovakia. You stil need local currency Forint in Hungary.
If you want to do some big shopping, it may be wise to do so in Hungary (Budapest) on your way from or to the airport. Since Hungarian economy is half way to bankrupcy at the moment, the exchange rate of Forint is very low and everything seems 10-30 cheaper compared to euro prices in Slovakia.
7. Shall we purchase a sticker for Hungary highways and in addition to Slovalia ?
Depends on where you go. You need a different sticker for both countries if you use the highways (you can buy the one valid for 7/10 days), but for example if you go straight north from Budapest to Slovakia, there is no highway on this route on neither Hungarian nor Slovak side.
Most probably, you will not need to drive on highways very much, so it is up to you whether you buy the sticker or use the slower (but nicer!) backroads instead.
I hope this helped a bit, if you need any more information, let me know.
