Slovak Republic Travel Guide - Going Out

Traditional Slovak eating and drinking habits date back to the old Slavic period influenced later by Austrian, German and Hungarian cooking. Slovak food is based on many different kinds of soups, gruels, boiled and stewed vegetables, roast and smoked meats and dairy products. The style of cooking varies from region to region. Slovak specialities include both sweet and savoury dishes made with flour, including dumplings. 

Popular drinks include Slovak beer, wine and mineral waters. Wine from the Tokaj region and sparkling wine from the Bratislava region are particular specialities. Restaurants and other catering establishments are many and varied, including cafes, buffets, snack bars, inns, ale houses and wine taverns. All restaurants are graded according to quality. The main meal of the day is usually lunch, comprising soup, a main dish, and dessert.

National specialities:
• Bryndzové haluisky (small potato dumplings with sheep's cheese).
• Mutton with sauerkraut, flavoured with prunes, mushrooms and apples.
• Cabbage leaves filled with minced meat, served with a milky sauce.
• Sulance (potato dough turnovers filled with plum jam).

National drinks:
• Borovicka (strong gin).
• Slivovica (plum brandy). 

Legal drinking age: 18.

Tipping: A 5 to 10% tip is usual.

Theatre and opera are of a generally high standard - a legacy of a communist state system that supported its favourite branches of the arts. Much of the nightlife activity still takes place in hotels, although nightclubs are to be found in major cities. Bratislava, as the capital, has the liveliest nightlife in the country. It may not exactly be London or New York, but it has come on leaps and bounds since the end of communism. 

Today there is a flurry of venues to choose from, whether visitors are looking for an atmospheric old Slovak drinking den or a student dive, through to a funky style bar or bustling tourist-filled Irish theme pub. The rest of the country is playing catch-up, with the large student population in Kosice helping fuel an increasingly lively nightlife scene there too. Visitors are advised to keep their wits about them in rougher venues outside the capital where foreigners are a novelty and can be the subject of unwelcome attention.

Popular souvenirs include pottery, porcelain, woodcarvings, hand-embroidered clothing and food items. There are a number of excellent shops specialising in glass and crystal, while various associations of regional artists and artisans run their own retail outlets. Other special purchases include folk ceramics from all regions of the Slovak Republic, and woodcarvings from the eastern and central parts (Kyjatice, Michalovce and Spi¡sská Belá). Bratislava is steadily attracting Western stores, with neon signs and swish facades brightening up a once slightly staid city, with this trend towards globalisation of the shopping market slowly spreading throughout the country.

Shopping hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1800, Sat 0900-1200. Shopping centres open until 2100, with hypermarkets open 24 hours.