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Slovak Republic

Travel to Bratislava

Flying to Bratislava

Two airlines currently offer direct flights to Bratislava from the UK: Ryanair and Air Slovakia. Other airlines flying to Bratislava include Air France and Czech Airlines and budget airline Danube Wings. Cheap flights to Bratislava are available from budget airlines year round.

Flight times: 

From London - 2 hours; Birmingham - 2 hours 30 minutes.

Travel by road

Summary:

In Bratislava, traffic drives on the right and the minimum driving age is 18 years. The network of roads and supporting services is dense and reliable, and roads are generally in good condition, particularly on the main arteries. Speed limits are 60kph (37mph) in towns, 90kph (56mph) outside towns and 130kph (81mph) on motorways. Drivers wishing to drive in Bratislava will need a valid international driving licence, as well as third-party insurance.

Emergency breakdown service:

Emergency road service (tel: 18124); Road rescue (tel: 154); Police/Emergency services (tel: 112).

Routes:

The major routes run from Bratislava to Presov and Košice, via Kralovany and Poprad. Bratislava is also linked to international transport routes and motorways through the motorway E65 to the Czech Republic, D-2 to Hungary and international transport routes E75 and E58 to Austria. International transport route E58 connects Bratislava to the Schwechat Airport in Vienna, while route E75 crosses Slovakia to Poland and Ukraine.

Driving times:

From Poprad - 4 hours; Košice - 5 hours 30 minutes.

Coaches:

Slovak Lines (tel: 18211; www.slovaklines.sk) buses, which run from the Central Bus Station in Bratislava, Mlynske nivy 31, provides service to numerous European cities (in partnership with Eurolines), and it is advisable to book well in advance. Tickets are available at the central ticket office or from the Slovak Lines/Eurolines office, also in the station. Tickets for national lines can be bought from the driver when you board the bus.

Travel by rail

Services:

Services run by Slovak Republic Railways (ŽSR) (tel: (02) 2029 1111; www.zsr.sk) are for the most part modern and fast, with several daily express trains between Bratislava and main cities and resorts. Reservations should be made in advance on major routes. Fares are low, but supplements are charged for travel by express trains.

The trains depart from Hlavna stanica (Central Station), a 20-minute walk from the Old Town at Predstanicne námestie 1, or the recently built Petrzalka Station, Kopcianska Ul across the Danube.

Operators:

The rail network is operated by the Slovak Republic Railways. Intercity (IC) trains are slightly faster and require seat reservations

For more information on travelling by train in Slovakia, the 24-hour customer call centre number is 18188.

Journey times:

From Vienna - 1 hour; Budapest - 3 hours; Prague - 4 hours; Košice - 5 hours; Žilina - 3 hours; Poprad - 4 hours 30 minutes.

Travel over water

Summary:

Bratislava (tel: (02) 5827 1111; www.spap.sk) is the country's main port. International connections from Austria are possible on the Danube which flows into the Black Sea, and is also linked with the Rhine and the Main.

Ferry services:

Services run as follows: Bratislava-Vienna-Bratislava; Bratislava-Hainburg-Bratislava; and Vienna-Bratislava-Budapest, both ways. The Danube runs from west to east through the Bratislava’s city centre, and is connected to Vienna in just 75 minutes by the Austrian-run Twin City Liner (tel: 903 610 716; www.twincityliner.com) catamaran service, which runs from the quay at Fajnorovo nabrezie (next to the Slovakian National Museum) to Handelsquai (Schwedenplatz) in the centre of Vienna. The hydrofoil of Slovak operator Lod (tel: (02) 5293 2226; www.lod.sk) covers the same route in 1 hour 45 minutes.

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