Harry's Trails Around The World

First visit: August 1996 Subsequent visits: July 1999, December 2000, January 2001, May 2003, April 2004, May 2004, July 2004, September 2005, June 2008, January 2012. Visited: Bratislava, Kosice, Zilina, Banska Bystrica, Zvolen, Komarno, Sturovo, Trnava, Cadca, Nove Zamky. I like Slovakia much more than the Czech Republic, perhaps as I always tend to support the 'poor relation' but also because tourism hasn't made the place impossible to get to, and the locals are still quite authentic. Kosice is lovely, while Bratislava has improved immensely in the 12 years since I first visited, though it still is (unfairly now) something of a joke. The many castles and the hilly north are all worth going for. Highlight: Endless green mountains that please the eye without insulting the senses with usual Eastern European architectural doom.