FORMER TEACHER - Using Buses in Slovakia

The bus terminal in Zlate Moravce is about a 1 km walk from the teacher house. It is located between the Billa and Coop Tempo supermarkets.

You can check the bus and train schedules using this website

·       www.cp.sk – The option for English is at the bottom

·       Download the app on your phone. It will be a huge help.

If you open it on your phone, click the menu in the upper left hand corner on the home page. You will see a British flag that will open the website in English.

·       You pay cash as you board the bus. No tickets are purchased in advance in Zlate Moravce.

·       There are 18 numbered stations. The bus to a particular town always departs from the same station.

·       The buses to Bratislava depart from position #1.

·       There is a sign showing the departure times. It is best to be standing at the station about 10 minutes before departure. If a queue forms it takes a while for everyone to board and pay.

·       There are coach buses and city buses to Nitra. The cost is €1.5 - €2. The coach bus makes only one stop along the way and takes 25-30 minutes. The city bus makes more stops and takes 55 minutes.

·       Some buses to Nitra depart from position #1 (they then continue on to Bratislava). However, some of the local buses to Nitra leave from position #8. The phone app will tell you which location but basically, if the bus ride is 25-30 minutes it leaves from position #1 and if it’s 55 minutes it’s position #8.

·       The coach buses to Bratislava make 4-5 stops along the way. One is before Nitra, then in Nitra, the Sered, Trnava, then Senec. After Senec the next stop is Bratislava. The cost is €6-7 depending on the company.

·       The coach bus to Bratislava takes two hours, perhaps longer with traffic.

·       Most of the bus schedules apply to Monday – Friday. There are fewer buses on Saturday and Sunday.

·       The last bus from Nitra to Zlate Moravce on Saturday is 9:35 PM.

·       Saturday afternoon returns from Bratislava are 2:30 PM, 6 PM, and 6:30 PM.

Other Bus Tips:

·       There are multiple bus companies and they charge different fares. If you’re going to Bratislava just hand the driver a 10-euro note and say Bratislava. He will give you change.

·       Some of the buses make two stops in Nitra. The first is on a busy street near a shopping center that has a Subway and a Billa. This is not the Nitra bus terminal. The Nitra bus terminal looks like a proper terminal with approximately 30 positions for arrivals and departures. If you’re going to Nitra for the first time, don’t get off at the Billa stop.

·       If you are going to Bratislava for the Friday MeetUp the two best bus options depart at 13:55 and 14:50. I recommend waiting for the later bus. The 13:55 makes an additional stop in Trnava that takes a long time. It usually arrives in Bratislava at 16:25. The 14:50 bus skips Trnava and arrives in Bratislava at 16:50.

·       You can experiment with different combinations of buses passing through Nitra if you’re returning from Bratislava. For example, on Saturday there is a Regiojet bus that goes from Bratislava AS at 17:30 directly to Nitra AS (and then continues on to Banská Bystrica). Regiojet buses are very comfortable and have movie screens so I usually take that one to Nitra. I wait 40 minutes in Nitra and catch a different bus back to Zlate Moravce.