Traveling to Slovakia?

Question

I am traveling to Slovakia in January with my son to meet my fiance's family. Has anyone traveled there, and if so can you tell me about it and any tips about language, travel, what I should bring, ect?

Answer 1

I have been in Slovakia in early February, and as my sister in law is from there, she and my brother go there often, any time in the year.

Slovakia often has a white Christmas with the snow staying, so count on cold weather.
Boots, warm coats, hats and gloves will be needed, if there is no snow there might still be cold wind.
Skiing is possible, at least in the high mountains, but often also in the lower ones.

The people are really friendly, very welcoming.
The sentence we needed most was: Thank you, but please no more, we have really had enough.
Have your fiance teach you and your son some basic words and phrases, as you will want to be polite and friendly.

I found that most of the younger people speak English, but the parents speak only Slovak, or also Rusian, Polish or other languages I did not speak. The grandparents sometimes speak German, but not much.

If you bring small gifts, bring something personal, something that is traditional where you live.
You will find that clothing and electronics (MP3 players and so on) are available in Slovakia too, but imports often for a price that is out of reach for most of the young people.

Travel by car is no problem at all, trains and buses do run regular schedules, but you best ask which one and how often they run. (Whether the run more or less frequent than at home depend on where you go and where home is.)
Bratislava now has a cheap airline going to it, and it is cheaper than the long distance bus, if you book early enough.

Answer 2

Citizens of Jamaica require a passport valid for at least 3 months past the completion of the visit, and a Schengen visa for the length of your stay.