Is Slovakia Expensive to Visit? Most People Get It Wrong

Slovakia is as expensive as you choose to make it. While it’s no longer a pocket-change destination (*funny story about this later in the post!), it’s still noticeably cheaper than Western Europe—if you’re willing to ditch the tourist traps and lean into local habits.

So, is Slovakia expensive to visit? 

Most people get this completely wrong. 

They base their answer on a handful of overpriced Bratislava Old Town meals, or one too many €6 coffees, then write the whole country off as “not that cheap anymore.”

Or, even worse, they think Slovakia is stuck in the early 2000s, with its pencil-thin eyebrows and similarly barely-there prices.

The reality is, Slovakia sits in a weird middle ground. It’s not dirt cheap, but it’s far from expensive, if you know the right local-approved travel tips.

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Here’s a little bit about our journey, if you are new here! If you know us, feel free to skip this part.

After leaving our old life in Scotland in March 2022 (it rains too much there), we travelled full-time for almost 2 years. Sounds fancy, doesn’t it? Well, it was. If you think that carrying overpacked backpacks in 45°C heat around streets that aren’t even on Google Maps is fancy. And that’s just 1% of all the fun we had! 😆

During the 2 years we volunteered in Italy and Bulgaria (free travel while learning new skills, anyone?), explored other amazing European countries and backpacked Southeast Asia. Btw, even our secret wedding was more of an expedition than a wedding. 😅

And, of course, we researched and planned everything ourselves, because you gotta keep the budget low, right? If you are like us, you’ve come to the right place, because we want to share all the useful travel tips and info with you!

Excited? Good. Let’s get into it so you can go on your own epic adventures too!

Insider’s take on Slovakia’s prices

If you don’t know us—hi!

We’re Mirka & Daniel and we’re Slovak locals: Mirka comes from Slovakia and Daniel has become an honorary Slovak over the years!

That means 2 things:

• We can share with you local secrets and budget travel tips
• We can tell you that yes, Slovakia used to be dirt cheap. Until politicians went doing their thing and ruined it for everyone. Now prices are high and salaries are still low and that’s your mini insight into why Slovak people look miserable every time you smile at them (foreigners are always surprised by this)

A funny story about how expensive Slovakia is

*We promised you a funny story in the intro. It involves coins, beer and a confused Scotsman.

“Many many years ago, back in 2015, when Daniel came to Slovakia with me for the first time, we visited a magical event.

It’s called Trnavský jarmok, or Trnava fair, and it’s the best of the August/September fairs that you can visit. (And do visit, if you are in Slovakia during those months. Food, drink, music, handmade products, rides – it’s all part of it.)

Daniel wanted to get rid of change at the fair, so we wouldn’t have to carry lots of coins back to Scotland.

We walked up to a stall selling beer, Daniel ordered a big one (0.5l) and got his change ready.

And then the stall owner went: “50 cents please.”

What Daniel didn’t expect was that the big beer cost just €0.50, so he got rid of a grand total of one coin in the process!

That was when he realised he’d have to get pretty drunk to use up all the change we had left.” -Mirka

This short story shows you how cheap many things in Slovakia used to be. So, is Slovakia expensive to visit now?

Is Slovakia expensive to visit?

When preparing your cash (or travel debit cards) for a trip to Slovakia, here’s what you have to think about:

• Where you are going
• What will you do there (because did you know you can do all these weird things in Slovakia?)

The price gap in Slovakia: Bratislava vs the rest

Let’s say you are doing a party weekend in Bratislava:

• You stay in a nicer hotel
• Go to nice, modern cafes for artisan cakes, matcha lattes and gelato
• Eat out for every meal, in touristy restaurants in the Old Town
• Buy a lot of souvenirs, because there are so many unique (and tasty!) made in Slovakia products you could get
• Splash out on paid activities, such as touring Bratislava Castle or cruising down Danube 

That alone can easily blow your budget. 

Now add to it getting a fine on public transport, because you didn’t do one small thing, and you can see why people wonder: is Slovakia expensive to visit??

It’s not just Bratislava though.

Visit the famous High Tatras mountains, stay in a popular village, like Štrbské Pleso during peak season, and you will be wondering whether you should have gone to the Austrian Alps instead, for the same amount of money. 

(Especially if you luck out with a “fantastic” customer service, like we did. Zombies in your room, anyone??)

How to save money in Slovakia?

Okay, we won’t get into details here, because this is a post about whether Slovakia is expensive to visit, not how to travel it on a budget.

But we wanted to share at least some secrets with you, to prove that Slovakia can indeed be cheap, if you plan well:

• Public transport is cheap – unless you get fined. Try to take trains or buses everywhere, instead of overpaying on taxis.
• Swap hotels for “penzión”. These are Slovakia’s guesthouses, which are often family-run and offer better, more personal customer service. Plus their food is usually cheaper than eating in tourist restaurants or hotels!
• Eat out during lunch time and look out for “denné menu” (daily menu). This is a combo of soup + main and it’s always an amazing value. For example, you can get 8pc of vegan sushi and a soup for €9.50 even in the centre of Bratislava, as a daily menu!
• Drink local. That means in local pubs (yes, locals will glare at you. It’s just the Slovak default face) and the local drinks. Slovakia makes its own beer (including craft), wine (including Tokaj!), spirits (like Tatra Tea) and much more. And while beer might not be €0.50 anymore, we’d bet you’ll be shocked at the low prices. Bonus tip: head to a supermarket for ultra cheap (but good quality) beer and wine.

Our best advice though?

• Check out the posts on our website about saving money and Slovakia. We travelled full-time for almost 2 years, so we know a thing or two about exploring the world on a budget!
• Got a question about prices in Slovakia? Or why on earth Tatra Tea isn’t a tea, but burns your nostrils at 72% strength? Give us a shout on our Instagram!
• Wish you could ask Slovak locals questions about your trip there? You can! Just book a call with us and we can plan your holiday together!

Is Slovakia worth my money?

Would we recommend Slovakia to you?

Absolutely!

In fact, we have a whole post about why Slovakia is worth a visit.

But, since we’re talking about money, here’s the thing.

You can get such a high value in Slovakia for such a low price – again, if you’re smart about it – and that’s really what you want to know, right?

For example, we always tell people about the unlimited wine event where you can taste 290+ different wines for just €30. Try getting that kind of value in France!

Or the mountain hiking holiday you can do in spring, staying in a 4* hotel with wellness, breakfast and dinner included (and a bottle of wine! Yes, yes, wine is big in Slovakia) for €291. How much would that cost you in Switzerland?

And then there are the stunning castle, awesome caves, cool events and other unusual activities you can do, often for a fraction of the price it would cost you in other European destinations.

All you have to do is plan well. And travel smart.

We hope this answered your question: is Slovakia expensive to visit? (And maybe cleared up why so many people get it wrong!).

Slovakia isn’t expensive. It’s just very easy to spend money in all the wrong places and then act surprised when you check your bank balance at home (whooops).

Do it the “tourist way” and yeah, you’ll leave thinking it’s overpriced and underwhelming. 

Do it like a smart traveller – even just a little bit differently – and suddenly it becomes one of those places where your money actually goes further.

Same country. Completely different experience.

If you’d rather skip the trial-and-error (and the accidental €6 coffees), you can book a call with us. We’ll help you plan a trip that actually makes sense, so you don’t end up living off of instant noodles for a month on your return!