Slovakia
FIP Information
Slovakia can be easily traveled by train with both FIP 50 and FIP free travel passes. Included in FIP is the operator ŽSR (Železnice Slovenskej republiky, translated as Railways of the Slovak Republic). The trains themselves are operated by ZSSK (Železničná spoločnosť Slovensko), for which the FIP tickets of ŽSR are valid. Particular attention should be paid to reservation conditions on long-distance trains as well as extended regulations for the free transport of children (see ZSR/ZSSK).
Also operating in Slovakia are the operator LeoExpress and RegioJet, which cannot be used with FIP tickets. These are abbreviated in the connection information with LE and RJ (not to be confused with RJ for RailJet). In case of doubt, the operator can be clarified via the respective provider’s website or via Bahn.de.
General Train Travel Information
Slovakia has a dense rail network, which mainly consists of two main routes. One coming from Vienna through the capital Bratislava via Poprad Tatry to the second largest city Košice, and one coming from the Czech Republic from Bratislava via Nové Zámky to the Hungarian capital Budapest. Both routes are well developed and continue to be improved, with trains running between the larger stations often hourly. In addition, there are many beautiful branch lines, some of which are served very sporadically. A special highlight is the ride in the High Tatras with the Tatranská železnica, which belongs to ZSSK and can also be traveled with FIP. This makes it possible to travel up mountain ranges and reach the cable cars to the very high mountains.
FIP Rating
Overall, Slovakia has a good infrastructure and most journeys are operated by ZSSK. This makes it possible to travel a large part of the country with FIP tickets. However, the FIP experience is somewhat marred by reservation requirements (always in 1st class, in 2nd class on Intercity trains) as well as rather poor information systems and often not good scheduling on the branch lines.