If you're looking for high-end fashion and designer goods, Slovakia probably isn't the place to get them. The only place you'd be likely to find anything of that nature is Bratislava, and even if you do come across the few shops offering such items, prices will be roughly comparable to Western Europe. However, that doesn't mean Slovakia doesn't have other goods on offer.
This Slovakia Shopping Guide will give you some ideas of what is available, and what items are popular tourist purchases. Check out the Bratislava Shopping and Slovakia Parks Shopping pages for information on specific shops to visit in order to purchase your perfect holiday souvenir. A guide for gastronomes can be found at our Slovakia Restaurants page.
Slovakia Shopping Guide
The main souvenirs of visitors to Slovakia include porcelain, pottery, hand-embroidered clothing and food items. Woodworking and wood carving is also quite popular, and tends to be of a high standard. Many of the crafts come from Modra, a village in the Carpathians, and within easy reach of Bratislava. Tours can be arranged to the village to see the craft-making first-hand. The centre for craft arts can be found at ULUV.
Quite a number of little shops specialise in things such as glass and crystal, and the quality of these items is often excellent. These tend to be Czech, rather than Slovak, though, so if you are looking for an authentic Slovak souvenir you may want to look at something else. For instance, a little known specialty known as wiresmithing may be of interest. This is the practice of shaping wire into creative designs and unique, decorative objects.
Finally, you will most likely come across a number of antique stores, which tend to be clustered in town centres, such as Bratislava's Old Town. Known as "Starozitnosti", these shops normally offer paintings or small decorative items, and can be fun to browse around in for a while.
