Slovakia is really an ideal place to visit because this is where you can experience your very own place in the sun. This country that was formerly a part of Czechoslovakia and is now a full fledged republic of its own is a welcome change and it seems to have forgotten its Communist past, which had influenced it from the close of the Second World War right until the year 1991. It would be hard to find any vestige of the old communist days in present day Slovakia and there is also very little mention of those times in modern Slovakia.

There are eight self-governing regions in Slovakia and each has its own capital that include Bratislava, Trnava, Trencin, Nitra, Zilina as well as Banska, Bystrica and Kosice as well as Presov. If you want to come to Slovakia on a cheap flight you will most probably land at the airports of Bratislava or Kosice on budget airlines such as Sky Europe. Slovakia lies west of Austria, and has Hungary to its south while to the north are the Czech Republic as well as Poland and finally Ukraine lies on its eastern side.

Though the language in Slovakia is predominantly Slovakian, there is also English that is taught as a second language and many people even understand Russia, thanks to its past history. Bratislava is the place where most of Slovakia’s economic life centers and there are also the western parts that contribute significantly to the economy of this newly formed republic.

The country has seen a rapid increase in tourist arrivals and as recently as towards the end of the 1990s it was getting more than half a million visitors annually thanks to the number of towns of historic relevance as well as the many mountainous ski resorts that attract hordes of tourists. One of the striking features to visiting Slovakia and places such as Bratislava is that there aren’t any McDonald style commercial attractions that you must be used to when you visit Western Europe.

People in Slovakia pride themselves on their culture that is both quaint as well as jovial and you will mercifully also be spared the usual congestion that most tourist destinations are famous for. You would enjoy a visit to the High Tatras that are a truly splendid range of mountains which are interspersed with small villages having a tradition of their own which is mainly peasant oriented.

You will also appreciate the extremely helpful nature of the Slovaks who are also very pleasant and will readily go out of their way to welcome tourists. There is much to see and do in Slovakia not least of which are the folk festivals as well as taking tours to see castles. Other attractions include snow boarding as well as hiking, which is especially appealing given that the countryside is so spectacular.