Food and drinks

Any hungry and thirsty tourist would probably be very eager to taste some typical local products. Traditional Slovak eating and drinking habits date back to the old Slavic period influenced later by Hungarian, Austrian and German cooking. Slovak food is based on many different kinds of soups, gruels, boiled and stewed vegetables, mainly cabbage and sauerkraut, roast and smoked meats and dairy – especially sheep – products. The style of cooking varies from region to region. Slovak specialties include salted and sweetened dishes made with flour, including dumplings. One such dish is the popular “bryndzové halušky” – small potato dumplings served with sheep cheese and fried bacon chunks. Maybe not to everyone’s taste, but certainly worth trying!!!

Slovakia is also known for its high quality wines and popular beer brands. The most popular wines are those from the Tokai, Little Carpathians, Nitra, Topoľčany and Záhorie regions. Hubert is a highly rated Slovak sparkling wine brand and Demänovka and Horec are traditional herbal liqueurs. Other popular Slovak aperitifs include slivovica (plump brandy) and borovička (a liquor made of juniper berries). Some popular beer brands are Topvar, Zlatý Bažant, Šariš, Corgoň, Gemer and many others…

Bratislava - the little big city

However eager a tourist might be to see the most picturesque sites of the country, he/she will certainly not miss the capital – Bratislava, not only due to its favourable location on the Danube River but also because of its unique character and flair! It is the capital of Slovakia and the country’s largest city, with a population of some 450,000 and is the political, cultural and economic centre of the country, the seat of the Slovak presidency, parliament and government as well as home to several universities, museums, theatres, galleries and other cultural and educational institutions. Most of Slovakia’s and multinational large business and financial institutions have their headquarters here. Nothing unusual for any metropolis, indeed… But as the city’s past has been characterized by the strong influence of various peoples, including Slovaks, Germans, Hungarians, Czechs, Austrians and Jews, the city still retains its cosmopolitan spirit contrasted to its homely and cosy atmosphere, especially in the beautifully reconstructed centre of the city which is a real hub of the little Slovak and tourist ‘commonwealth’! Bratislava hosts many festivals and trade shows and it is famous for its nightlife and leisure facilities. For a tourist or a native inhabitant, there are many noteworthy buildings to see and many nice places to go to: The Bratislava Castle, The Devin Castle, St. Martin’s Cathedral, Bratislava’s Town Hall, Franciscan Church, the Primate’s Palace, the Slovak National Theatre, Michael’s Gate, Johann Nepomuk Hummel’s house of birth, Kamzík TV Tower or the New Bridge Tower Café, baroque palaces in the historic centre (The Grassalkovich Palace – the presidential residence, the former Archiepiscopal Palace – the summer residence of the archbishop of Esztergom, the Pálffy Palace, the Mirbach Palace and many, many others) which are really worth spending some time in.

After having seen at least some of them you can have some beer tasting at the Old Brewery or a glass of good Slovak wine in many downtown restaurants and cafes. If you wish for more, you can go for the Old Town tram tour which is a two-hour drive in an old tram criss-crossing the city and offering a lot of fun and new unexpected view of the scenic beauty of the capital or zou may watch the knighting ceremony at Zichy Palace following the pattern of the medieval ceremony with ‘historical documents of knighthood of the Golden spur’ handed out to visitors at the end of the show. If your visitor is fond of pleasure cruises, the Danube White Fleet will take him to the labyrinths of the Danube branches between Bratislava and Komárno to discover a genuine beauty of the Danube landscape and its rare flora and fauna, or he can cruise ‘up the stream’ and enjoy one of the most beautiful parts of the Danube landscape between Devin and Hainburg castles. Summer evening cruises with music in a sailing café will certainly be a unique opportunity for your host students to enjoy all kinds of music and dance with refreshment available on board….

Young or not so very young, any visitor of yours to this country at the very heart of Europe will certainly be enchanted by its unique beauty, friendly inhabitants and unforgettable experiences and – last but not least – by your qualities of an experienced insider! BON VOYAGE!