Suffolk to Bratislava....route suggestions?

[satans worm]

In the process of looking to buy a Boxster, and hopefully in the next 2 weeks I will be successful.
Once purchased I will be taking to to Bratislava where I am working for the next year and half or so.
So looking to take the road trip from Suffolk to Bratislava across in 3 or 4 nights near the end of April, or possibly the first weekend of May depending on a few things.
So any route masters here with some suggestions? Ideally Id like say 70pct motor ways to cut the time down, mixed with a few epic roads in between, not necessarily the shortest route, but I would like to leave wed night/thursday morning and arrive no later than Mon(pref Sun) in Bratislava.
A few long days of driving is fine, but some scenic locations are a must

On a side note, im hoping to do the mad Romanian road that featured on Top Gear later in the year along with the likes of driving around Croatia and Slovakia, so if anyone has some tips for the east of Europe I will be all ears

[Bonne Route]

How about Calais - Reims (photo at old GP circuit) - Strasbourg - Germany (Black Forest) - Northern Switzerland - across Austria to Vienna - Bratislava?

Lots of Motorway for speed, but plenty of nice roads and places to see if time permits.

[kiteless]

If possible, plan your route to take in the Vosges mountains. We did a few years ago on the way to Italy, and it was absorbing.

[mvalek1]

hi, i've driven over to slovakia a few times, my parents in law are from there. quickest route is calais - brussels - frankfurt - nuremburg - linz - vienna - bratislava. its exciting the first time you go, otherwise its mile after mile of motorways. especially in germany.

[mvalek1]

pressed send too soon. most of the roads in slovakia are epic, generally because of the rather risky and scary driving of the locals, especially on the motorways. email me if you want more info or general slovak stuff or suggestions about places to go when you are over [e-mail]

[satans worm]

Ok, bought the car, now planning to go either first or second weekend of May.

Currently route is Suffolk to Brugge via channel tunnel.
Stay the night then drive onto Strasbourg.
Next day onto Zurich (staying with friends) then on the last day a long drive direct to Bratislava.

So, any detours worth taking on this or just use the quickest possible route via a sat nav?

Any recommendations as must sees/do in these locations given we will only have a few hours in the evening/morning

Recommended hotels and restaurants in these locations, budget wise we are kinda open, if there is a stand out cool/must stay eat place then we would spend the money, if not then economy and clean is fine.

Finally, how accurate is google maps for timings as I have based the route on the power of google

[Bonne Route]

satans worm said:

So, any detours worth taking on this or just use the quickest possible route via a sat nav?

Any recommendations as must sees/do in these locations given we will only have a few hours in the evening/morning

Recommended hotels and restaurants in these locations

A nice hotel in Strasbourg that I've stayed in

And my favourite route from Strasbourg to northern Switzerland to pick-up the motorway to Zurich: -

[ghibbett]

If you have time for the slight detour, definately pop down to Grindelwald (just south of Interlaken) in Switzerland. Fantastic place. I can thoroughly recommend the hotel Belvedere.

From Zurich the quickest way East would be to head towards Lake Constance, then head up towards Munich (another fantastic place in Starnberger See just south of Munich - it is Germany's Monaco). Then head towards Salzburg (worth a visit), Linz, Vienna then you're into Slovakia.

However, an alternate idea is to head towards Lake Constance, then just keep going East into Austria. You'll be driving through the Alps in the Voralberg/Tyrol regions of Austria, which are very beautiful. Then you *must* do the GrossGlockner (http://www.grossglockner.at/en/). After this you can either head up to Salzburg/Linz/Vienna, or head south the Villach and run along southern Austria with the Slovenian Alps on the right, all the way past Graz (where I live) and onto Vienna. Remember you'll need a vignette to drive in Austria too!!

[Snoggledog]

satans worm said:

Ok, bought the car, now planning to go either first or second weekend of May.

Currently route is Suffolk to Brugge via channel tunnel.
Stay the night then drive onto Strasbourg.
Next day onto Zurich (staying with friends) then on the last day a long drive direct to Bratislava.

So, any detours worth taking on this or just use the quickest possible route via a sat nav?

Any recommendations as must sees/do in these locations given we will only have a few hours in the evening/morning

Recommended hotels and restaurants in these locations, budget wise we are kinda open, if there is a stand out cool/must stay eat place then we would spend the money, if not then economy and clean is fine.

Finally, how accurate is google maps for timings as I have based the route on the power of google

If you do stay in Strasbourg try to find a place which serves the local dish (Flammenkuche). Sometimes called the Alsace Pizza or Tarte Flambee, it's an interesting alternative to the usual. No tomato but creme fraiche instead. Might sound odd but it's very nice. Wolfberger Wines are fairly close by and do a nice line in whites and rose.

Apart from the old town, there's not a huge amount to see in Bratislava. Don't get me wrong, the old town is very pretty but there's not a lot to it. Petrzalka (bit on the south side of the river) is a bit of a dive. Make sure you have secure parking. German cars are especially popular with the local thieves.

If you're feeling adventurous try to get up toward the Low & High Tatras. Observe the speed limit. If it says 40 do 39. The Slovak equivalent of the Police can be rather demanding and will target foreign cars. If you do travel on the motorways in Slovakia you should buy a motorway pass ticket. This is like a sticker which allows you to drive on the motorways. Failure to have this can result in a fine if you do happen to get caught. The latest trick in Slovakia is to find a police car parked up looking empty on the side of the road. The occupants are hidden away on the edge of the road with a radar gun. They'll radio up the road if you're speeding and pull you over that way.

Generally the food is pretty good. It's odd but good. Expect to see things like Gulas (none of that Hungarian ste), Kapustnica, Bryndzove and lots of weird sounding things. One thing the Slovaks do which is particularly good is a bread stuffed with poppy seeds or sweetened Bryndze (sheep cheese). The local Tesco (yes they're everywhere) stocks some of those buns. One thing the Slovaks don't do is frozen / microwave stuff. Almost all their food is freshly bought and cooked. They do go in for preserves and pickles. Cabbage (Sauerkraut) being one of them. If you're having problems with going to the toilet, take a 300ml glass of Sauerkraut water to the loo. Drink the water and wait around 2 minutes. Instant er... cleansing.

If you're after western food, you'll struggle a bit. The Slovaks do like pizzas and there's a Maccy D's just round the corner from the opera house but that's about it.

Most youngsters speak English fairly well although sometimes with an American accent. Sadly the disease which is chav is making an appearance in Slovakia.

The best time to got to Bratislava is over the Christmas / New Year period. The Christmas Market, held in the main square serves all sorts of goodies like a chicken burger and medovina. The chicken burger might sound weird, but it's chicken fillets which have been soaked in a garlic and salt solution before being grilled and served in a bun with onions. Medovina.... Oh where to start. You'll know it as mead, but the Slovaks have taken it and given it 3 types, sweet, normal and bitter. Normally served heated up it's delicious.

Oh.. If you're feeling brave, try something called Palenka which is similar to Schnapps / Slivovica. Although if you're staying at a hotel they'll probably only have the watered down stuff (40%-45%). The home brew stuff is much more lethal. Borovicka is the Slovak alternative to Gin. Avoid something called Fernet which in all honesty taste plain weird. It's the Slovak alternative to Unicum Zwak / Jagermeister. There's some stuff which comes in a square brown bottle which is very nice. fk knows what it's called. It's strong and worked well at making me loose my feet, legs and the ability to focus on anything at all.

The local brew is called Zlaty Bazant and a very tasty tipple it is too. (Avoid asking for a Czech beer. This will not endear you to the locals). Try not to out drink the locals, especially the girls. They will embarrass you.

If you want mineral water buy a brand called Fatra. I hate mineral water with a passion but this stuff is very nice. Slightly fizzy but not heavily carbonated.

The local alternative to Coke is something called Koffola. It tastes like coke but not. Sorry, can't be any clearer than that.

Wines... The Slovaks do an interesting line in Whites. Not many reds to speak of iirc. The whites are either very young and quite sharp or heading toward the Tokaj (sweet) end.

Hope that helps. Feel free to ask any Slovak questions and I'll try to answer them. Dobry den.

[satans worm]

Snoggledog said:

If you do stay in Strasbourg try to find a place which serves the local dish (Flammenkuche). Sometimes called the Alsace Pizza or Tarte Flambee, it's an interesting alternative to the usual. No tomato but creme fraiche instead. Might sound odd but it's very nice. Wolfberger Wines are fairly close by and do a nice line in whites and rose.

Apart from the old town, there's not a huge amount to see in Bratislava. Don't get me wrong, the old town is very pretty but there's not a lot to it. Petrzalka (bit on the south side of the river) is a bit of a dive. Make sure you have secure parking. German cars are especially popular with the local thieves.

If you're feeling adventurous try to get up toward the Low & High Tatras. Observe the speed limit. If it says 40 do 39. The Slovak equivalent of the Police can be rather demanding and will target foreign cars. If you do travel on the motorways in Slovakia you should buy a motorway pass ticket. This is like a sticker which allows you to drive on the motorways. Failure to have this can result in a fine if you do happen to get caught. The latest trick in Slovakia is to find a police car parked up looking empty on the side of the road. The occupants are hidden away on the edge of the road with a radar gun. They'll radio up the road if you're speeding and pull you over that way.

Generally the food is pretty good. It's odd but good. Expect to see things like Gulas (none of that Hungarian ste), Kapustnica, Bryndzove and lots of weird sounding things. One thing the Slovaks do which is particularly good is a bread stuffed with poppy seeds or sweetened Bryndze (sheep cheese). The local Tesco (yes they're everywhere) stocks some of those buns. One thing the Slovaks don't do is frozen / microwave stuff. Almost all their food is freshly bought and cooked. They do go in for preserves and pickles. Cabbage (Sauerkraut) being one of them. If you're having problems with going to the toilet, take a 300ml glass of Sauerkraut water to the loo. Drink the water and wait around 2 minutes. Instant er... cleansing.

If you're after western food, you'll struggle a bit. The Slovaks do like pizzas and there's a Maccy D's just round the corner from the opera house but that's about it.

Most youngsters speak English fairly well although sometimes with an American accent. Sadly the disease which is chav is making an appearance in Slovakia.

The best time to got to Bratislava is over the Christmas / New Year period. The Christmas Market, held in the main square serves all sorts of goodies like a chicken burger and medovina. The chicken burger might sound weird, but it's chicken fillets which have been soaked in a garlic and salt solution before being grilled and served in a bun with onions. Medovina.... Oh where to start. You'll know it as mead, but the Slovaks have taken it and given it 3 types, sweet, normal and bitter. Normally served heated up it's delicious.

Oh.. If you're feeling brave, try something called Palenka which is similar to Schnapps / Slivovica. Although if you're staying at a hotel they'll probably only have the watered down stuff (40%-45%). The home brew stuff is much more lethal. Borovicka is the Slovak alternative to Gin. Avoid something called Fernet which in all honesty taste plain weird. It's the Slovak alternative to Unicum Zwak / Jagermeister. There's some stuff which comes in a square brown bottle which is very nice. fk knows what it's called. It's strong and worked well at making me loose my feet, legs and the ability to focus on anything at all.

The local brew is called Zlaty Bazant and a very tasty tipple it is too. (Avoid asking for a Czech beer. This will not endear you to the locals). Try not to out drink the locals, especially the girls. They will embarrass you.

If you want mineral water buy a brand called Fatra. I hate mineral water with a passion but this stuff is very nice. Slightly fizzy but not heavily carbonated.

The local alternative to Coke is something called Koffola. It tastes like coke but not. Sorry, can't be any clearer than that.

Wines... The Slovaks do an interesting line in Whites. Not many reds to speak of iirc. The whites are either very young and quite sharp or heading toward the Tokaj (sweet) end.

Hope that helps. Feel free to ask any Slovak questions and I'll try to answer them. Dobry den.

Ahoj

Thanks for the details, I have actually been living out here for the last 6 months, my intention is to bring my car over and keep it here while i am working (possible for over another year) , as i live in the pedestrian part of the old town, I have arranged to keep my car at a local underground hotel car park.

Im hoping a right hooker will not be too popular with the thieves as harder to sell on in Europe, fingers crossed!

Agreed to all the food and drink advice, especially trying to out drink the local girls, have gone though several boxes of nuerofen over the last 6 months trying to out drink them with vodka, but i lose every time, still its always fun trying (chilli vodka shots at Rio are god )

Also agree the food at the Christmas market, loved walking through it each evening after work and picking up the 'chicken burger'

Only thing i hate are the stag parties, so embarrassing outside the Dubliner each evening, but i guess it brings an income in.

Any recommendations on day trips out, the Tatras are defiantly on my list, but other ideas always welcome
I also need to purchase some outdoor furniture/ BBQ etc, I know of the Beaumax but any other stores I should look out for?

Any recommendations for nice restaurants outside of the old town, somewhere a bit unusual?

Thanks

[Snoggledog]

satans worm said:

Ahoj

Thanks for the details, I have actually been living out here for the last 6 months, my intention is to bring my car over and keep it here while i am working (possible for over another year) , as i live in the pedestrian part of the old town, I have arranged to keep my car at a local underground hotel car park.

Im hoping a right hooker will not be too popular with the thieves as harder to sell on in Europe, fingers crossed!

Agreed to all the food and drink advice, especially trying to out drink the local girls, have gone though several boxes of nuerofen over the last 6 months trying to out drink them with vodka, but i lose every time, still its always fun trying (chilli vodka shots at Rio are god )

Also agree the food at the Christmas market, loved walking through it each evening after work and picking up the 'chicken burger'

Only thing i hate are the stag parties, so embarrassing outside the Dubliner each evening, but i guess it brings an income in.

Any recommendations on day trips out, the Tatras are defiantly on my list, but other ideas always welcome
I also need to purchase some outdoor furniture/ BBQ etc, I know of the Beaumax but any other stores I should look out for?

Any recommendations for nice restaurants outside of the old town, somewhere a bit unusual?

Thanks

Ah.. So you know the place. Fair enough. That 'brown bottle' I mentioned is Demänovka. (My wife kindly reminded me). If you're working there I'm guessing either Dell or Lenovo/IBM? I suspect that by now you've discovered that every third girl is named Jana. I wholly agree about the stag do's but what can you do? I find it funny when I see a bunch of loud mouthed Brits attempting to out drink a diminutive little Slovak girl. It's quite shocking to see how much some can drink. When I'm out drinking I tend to go to a place that's opposite the US Embassy. It's got a back room where people can have a quieter drink. There's another place on Frantiskanske Namestie (just off the main square) that does an interesting line in cocktails. It's a bit loud though.

One day trip that might be of interest was one that I did in reverse. A couple of years ago I worked in Budapest and would pop up to the inlaws in Bratislava on the train. It's quite a nice journey which takes you through the Southern plains and past the Danube with some nice scenery to have a look at. By train the journey takes about 3 hours. If you do happen to go to Buda I can point you toward some sights. If you're desperate for a curry I can point you to a couple of very decent places in Buda.

Other day trips..... If you head up toward Malacky or Senica, there are some nice woods where you can pick some fantastic mushrooms. Wrong time of year I know but it might be worth a think about if you're there for the long term.

Vienna is the obvious other location for having a day trip but Vienna can be very expensive. There are regular trains (if you don't want to drive) from Petrzalka and Nove Mesto. Driving time and train times are about the same. If you do want to take trains around the area use the OEBB website http://www.oebb.at/ as they have schedules for all trains across the whole of Europe.

Let me get back to you on the furniture front but I suspect that I may not be able to help on that. The problem you face is that in Slovakia people tend to build stuff themselves or have a mate. When it comes to buying 'stuff' most Slovaks prefer to do their own thing. Have you tried Ikea up by the Avion shopping centre?

Restaurants. I'll ask a couple of friends but I'm 99% certain they won't be able to help. I won't ask the missus as her family never, ever, ever eat out.