The Foreigner's Guide to Living in Slovakia

Often when you take a trip to a foreign country, you’d like to bring back a few authentic souvenirs. It can be a little difficult to pick something up if you don’t know what to look for or where to buy it. The following are some ideas for typical and some not-so-typical Slovak souvenirs:

Hand-made items
One of the first things you have to think about when you buy something you plan to bring home is, “How can I pack this so it doesn’t get damaged?” With ceramics and glass this can be tricky, but not unsurmountable. The obvious answer is to carry it in your hand luggage you take on board the plane, but plenty of times I’ve wrapped a breakable item tightly and placed it between bulky clothes or inside shoes, and it came home just fine. I’ve also carried home a carton of a dozen hand-blown, decorated easter eggs without any breaking. If you’re careful, almost anything is possible.

Modra – Modra is the name of style of ceramics. It’s called Modra because it originated in the town of Modra, Slovakia. Many patterns exist, but the most “typical” Modra ceramics are painted white and decorated ornately with blue paint (pictured above).
Where to buy: ÚĽUV will have a selection, but their items can be pricey. Believe it or not, I’ve also seen Modra in the Tesco on Kamenné námestie. There are two buildings that house Tesco. Go to the one that has the kaviareň – café. Next to the café is a small gift section that contains candies and chocolate, teas, wine, and other special alcoholic beverages for sale. Close to the tea is a booth where an attendant has souvenirs. Their selection is limited, but you might find some nice pieces there.

Crystal – Glass and crystal making in Slovakia goes back many years. It’s also an old tradition in Czechia. It may or may not be important to you whether the crystal you buy is made in the Czech or Slovak Republics but if it does, be sure to check the labels carefully.
Where to buy: Stores that carry kitchen items often carry crystal. Also check Tesco.

Embroidered cloth items – Embroidered items such as table cloths, runners, doilies, etc. are beautiful gifts.
Where to buy: The best quality (and probably more expensive) are those that can be found in ÚĽUV.

Wood carved items – Products made from wood are very popular souvenir items. Most of these items tend to be kitchen utensils such as cutting boards, wooden spoons, rolling pins, etc. Those with design that are burned onto the wood are good for souvenirs and very typically Slovak (also pictured above).
Where to buy: ÚĽUV is a possibility. Also in Bratislava, the souvenir booth in Tesco on Kamenné námestie and the vendors who sell a variety of souvenirs in the Staré mesto – Old Town, particularly in Hlavné námestie – Main Square, around the Roland fountain.

Decorated Easter eggs – In Slovak, this art form is called kraslice. Most often they can be found around Easter time, but some sellers sell them year round.
Where to buy: Certainly ÚĽUV has them. Once I also saw a large display with people decorating them on site at Bratislava castle where the entrance to the museum is. Obviously they are somewhat of a pain to carry because they are very fragile. If you don’t have the patience to deal with that, then move on to another souvenir idea.

Slovak books – Slovak books, including children’s books are great gifts. I’ve seen a book of Slovak fairy tales that is done in both English and Slovak. Illustrated dictionaries are nice too. In Bratislava, the best, little-known bookstore that carries nothing but Slovak books is called Kníhkupectvo Matice Slovenskej, and the address is Dunajská 18. It’s not far from Tesco on Kamenné námestie. It’s very small but packed with a lot of books. They also carry small Slovak souvenirs like pins, stickers, or patches with Slovak flags on them.
Where to buy: There are plenty of bookstores around. You’ll find one eventually. There’s also Tesco and Carrefour.

Foods
Deciding on what foods to carry back can be tricky, especially if you are not sure what is allowed and what isn’t. If you are interested in reading what food items are acceptable or unacceptable according to the US Customs Department, I’m including the link.

Chocolate – The possibilities are endless with chocolate. There are so many tastes and sorts to choose from. Just make sure you look for the Figaro brand. Tablets are flat and easy to carry, but a nice box of assorted chocolates would be good also.
Where to buy: Larger supermarkets have the best selection.

Tatranky – Another good idea for a food item to bring home are tatranky. What’s a tatranka? The best way I can think of describing it is to call it a wafer cookie. Imagine stacked wafers with a bit of flavored filling in between, such as chocolate, vanilla, or hazelnut. They’re small, a little bigger than a candy bar, and thus, another small, light item to carry. I love these and they are great souvenirs, especially for kids. Since I worked for Figaro, I know that their tatranky have a higher amount of cocoa than other local competitors and therefore, in my opinion, taste the best. My recommendations are Siesta and Siesta na cesty.
Where to buy: Larger supermarkets have the best selection.

Medovníky – I’ve already talked a bit about medovníky. Because they are edible art, they make great gifts. Who wouldn’t want to receive such a creative object? (They are especially great for mom’s and grandma’s). There are basically two kinds of souvenir medovníky. Ones that are decorated with different colored icing – I don’t care for these. They are a bit cheap looking, in my opinion – and then there are the ones decorated with white icing. Those are the more traditional and “better quality” in my opinion.
Where to buy: Quality medovníky can be hard to find. In Bratislava, check the vendors who sell a variety of souvenirs in the Main Square in the Old Town.

Hard cheese – According to US customs (as of March 2008) cheese may be brought into the country but only if it is a hard cheese; no soft cheeses. The best Slovak hard cheese is oštiepok. It will survive the trip back home and doesn’t expire for several weeks.
Where to buy: Larger supermarkets have the best selection.

Alcohol
Here’s another area where the possibilities are endless. However, customs puts a limit of two bottles per person if you are traveling back to the US. You can make your choice from the following:

Beer – Ahh, beer. Lots of people love beer. Hopefully if you’ve spent some time in Slovakia you’ve had the chance to experiment with tasting a few different kinds, that is, if you like beer. If you don’t, it still could be a good souvenir for someone who does. It’s tough to choose between all those brands. I’d recommend a svetle – light colored beer from Zlatý Bažant or Corgoň, or a tmavé – dark colored beer from the Šariš brand. Sometimes in the bigger grocery stores they’ll sell a gift set that includes a glass with the beer logo on it. I bought something like this for my brother some years ago. He loved it.
Where to buy: Any grocery store. Larger supermarkets have the best selection.

Borovička or slivovica – There’s no doubt about it, this is the hard stuff. The former is made from distilled juniper berries and the latter from plums. Pick your poison. They both have about the same effect – they’ll burn a hole in your gut.
Where to buy: Any grocery store. Larger supermarkets have the best selection.

Demänovka – If you’d like to bring an alcohol that isn’t as strong as those mentioned above, you might consider demänovka, which is a schnaps made from herbs. It’s a bit bitter in taste but it is said to aid in digestion, which is interesting. There are two kinds: horká – bitter and sladká – sweet.
Where to buy: Any grocery store. Larger supermarkets have the best selection.

Medovina – Medovina translates as “honey wine”. I’m not sure if medovina is classified as a wine or a liqueur. It’s sweet, but it can also have herbs and therefore a bit bitter. Often times you can find medovina sold in a pretty-shaped bottle.
Where to buy: In Bratislava I’ve seen nice bottles in the Tesco on Kamenné nám. I’d also check with those vendors in Main Square.

Wine – As I have mentioned several times, wine making has a long history in Slovakia. I couldn’t name any brands (I’m not a wine drinker) but I do know which areas make good wine: Modra, Pezinok, and Nitra (including Topoľčianky). The most famous region for wine in Slovakia is Tokaj.
Where to buy: Any grocery store. Larger supermarkets have the best selection.

Rum – Rum is not a traditional Slovak product, but tuzemský – domestic Slovak-made rum stands out because of it’s label. It’s called um. Read how rum became um in Slovakia in my other blog on trademarking. The bottles are small and it could be an interesting souvenir for someone. It’s just an idea… .
Where to buy: Any grocery store.

Kofola – An interesting non-alcoholic beverage for a possible souvenir is kofola. Kofola is really a Czechoslovak product first made in the 1960s. The closest I can compare it to would be something like an American root beer but slightly more bitter. It’s made from a range of ingredients including caramel, herbs, and coffee.
Where to buy: Any grocery store.

Slovak readers, am I missing anything? Anything else you can suggest? Ideas are welcome.

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