Driving in Slovakia

Speed Limit

The speed limit on the roads in town or city is 50km/h, out of town 90 km/h and on the motorway 130 km/h.

Highways in Slovakia

There are four main motorways (all paid) in Slovakia.

D1 starts in Bratislava and finishes on the border in Vysne Nemecke.
D2 starts in Brodske and finishes in Rusovce.
D3 starts in Hricovske Podhradie and ends in Skalite.
D4 starts in Kittsee Jarovce and finishes on the border with Austria.

MAP: Quick overview of all motorways (in black) and the R1 expressway (in blue) in operation (current state in 2012).

Road Payment, Highway Toll

It is necessary to have a toll sticker (vignette) if you want to drive on the motorway in Slovakia. The price of toll sticker for one year is 50 Euros. One month toll sticker is 14 Euros and 10 day toll sticker costs 10 Euros. You can buy the toll ticket in post offices and on the gas stations.

Gas Stations & Average Price for Gas in Slovakia

The average price for one liter of 95 fuel is around 1.50 Euro, for diesel a bit less.

The gas stations are available in towns or on the outskirts of the towns, next to motorways and roads and also in some villages. They are open from the morning till evening; many of them are open nonstop.

Driving under Influence, Fines for Speed

The fines for higher than allowed speed out of towns are:

Speed above allowedMoney penalty
For more than 20 km/hcca 70 Euros (or more)
For more than 30 km/hcca 100 Euros (or more)
For more than 40 km/hcca 200 Euros (or more)
For more than 75 km/hcca 800 Euros

The drivers may pay the fines with credit cards. If the policemen do not have terminal and the driver does not have enough cash with him, his driving licence card may be held.

There is zero tolerance to alcohol. The fine for alcohol use is from 200 to 1000 Euros and prohibition of driving for to five years. Driving under the influence of one per mille of alcohol or under the influence of other addictive substances and refusal of the tests is a crime. Drunk driver can face one year in prison.

It is obligatory to have car lights on all year.

Do not use your phone while driving a car, it is forbidden.

Winter on Roads

There are a lot of mountains pass overs on the roads from the south to the north of Slovakia. Very problematic (usually causing snarl-ups) are mountains Donovaly (Ruzomberok – Banska Bystrica), Velky Sturec (Martin – Banska Bystrica) and Certovica (Liptovsky Mikulás – Brezno). Try to avoid them in winter if possible.

If there is snow or glare ice, it is good to use tire chain, especially for trucks.