Slovakia
FIRST EDITION
Bradt’s first edition guidebook, and indeed the only title dedicated to Slovakia, opens with author Lucy Mallows claiming in exasperation; ‘If one more person asks me how it was in Ljubljana, I think I’ll scream.’ After 14 years of independence, Slovakia is still confused with Slovenia or inadvertently reconciled with the Czech Republic and isn’t getting the attention it deserves. Mallows hopes her guidebook will go some way to remedying this.Slovakia squeezes a lot into its ‘little big country’. Here you will find the magnificent High Tatras, the stunning Fatras, mountain lakes and endless rivers, combined with 300 castles, nine national parks, five UNESCO World Heritage sites, 23 spa towns and 12 caves open to the public. After a thorough walk-through of Slovakia’s history, economy, culture and nature the guide’s second section details practical travel information, starting with Bratislava. A neat and compact capital, visitors are unlikely to get lost unless fatigued by too much excellent Slovak beer or wine. However, as well as suggestions for accommodation, the guidebook’s rich vein of great restaurants, cafés, bars, concert halls and popular music venues and even wobbly vino trails for cyclists, will prove an inspirational mother lode for visitors. The ‘Bradt Pack Top Ten’ for Bratislava includes, amongst others, the UFO Café and observation deck atop a futuristic bridge over the Danube, opera at the Slovak National Theatre, the Art Nouveau gem of the Little Blue Church of St Elizabeth, and reassuringly, borovička & bryndzové halušky (juniper-flavoured spirit & sheep’s cheese and dumplings) in a Slovak krčma (pub).Out into the landscapes of Slovakia, the Carpathians, Malá Fatra National Park, the High Tatras of Vysoké Tatry National Park, the Dobšinská Ice-Caves and the countless waterfalls of Slovensky Raj (Slovak Paradise) National Park are just a few of the highlights featured in a guide that intrigues to the same degree it enlightens. The ‘Tatra Tiger’ of Slovakia is now connected to the UK by low-cost flights and is poised to join the Schengen Zone, abolishing land border controls as early as October 2007. For independent travellers, or those on a tour, Bradt’s new guidebook is the only one to shout vitajte! (welcome!) to Slovakia.Lucy Mallows currently lives in Brussels and works as a freelance writer and translator. She contributes to many international dailies and magazines and has written for all the top travel publishers on countries from Estonia to Portugal. She is an expert on Central Europe, having studied Russian, Czech and Spanish at university before living and working in Budapest for 12 years. She speaks six foreign languages, including Slovak and has been a frequent visitor to Slovakia since 1982 and is also the author of Bradt’s Bratislava guide.For review copies contact Travel Media – 01830 540 440 or info@travel-media.co.ukTitle: Slovakia Author: Lucy Mallows Publisher: Bradt Travel GuidesPrice: £14.99 ISBN: 978 1 84162 188 3
Bradt Travel Guides
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