A thrilling tease: Out of town, be prepared to be a center of interest. Many Slovaks have lived in privation most of their lives and still can't afford to travel. I spent an afternoon with a jovial lodge-keeper near VelkO Javor~ina, in the mountains outside Bratislava. As he regaled me with colorful tales of Communist officials commandeering his establishment for secret drunken meetings-and as he plied me with 43¢ pivo (beer)-I noticed that patrons seemed to be staring at me. Finally, my new friend finished his story. "Excuse," he concluded, sheepishly. "May I please make your picture?" Americans, once the enemy, are now v iewed as exotic curios. (Where else in Europe is that still true?)

Exploration is rewarded in town, too. Bratislava's pedestrianized old town (unscathed by recent European flooding) is more than cobbled streets and weathered wooden doors. It's burrowed under with unmarked cabaret theaters, whittled from behind with surprise alley bistros, and in its quietest courtyards slumber mammoth winepresses, still hulking in the shadows from days when vineyards began beyond city gates. Unlike other cities, where the rich renovate old buildings down to the last plank, many of these interiors are original. Snooping is expected.

Poke around (to take just an example) Hlavn? nOmestie (Hlavn? Square), lined with baroque palaces in confectionery colors: marzipan green, custard lemon, and pudding white. East of the square, in a courtyard that otherwise might go unnoticed, is the PrimaciOlny palOc (Primate's Palace; free). Once the archbishop's winter home, it contains the world's only complete set of English tapestries, original to Charles I but mysteriously sealed under wallpaper in this palace for over a century. In the square itself at 10 p.m. nightly, lasers from the fourteenth-century MichalskO brOna (Michael's Gate) crisscross crooked streets to the StarO radnica (Old Town Hall) for a free, '80s-chic show; in summer, pavement cafes provide front-row seats. In the old town's lanes, rewards multiply: I routinely find no-cover jazz clubs, antique shops selling $45 wardrobe trunks, galleries offering distinct works for $20, and heirloom jewelry for less than $30. With simple patience, curious visitors reclaim the true pace and value of Europe's forgotten lifestyle.

Danube dreaming

The most memorable inns, though, are the "botels" (boat hotels) securely tied quayside. I'm enraptured by the sensation of drifting to sleep as reflections of the Danube, hastening to the Black Sea, flicker across my ceiling, so I love the Botel Gracia, near the National Gallery. All 30 cabins are giant, with at least three wide windows each, cable TV, private bathrooms-and virtually no rocking. The roof is a popular cafe with meager tariffs and a river breeze. (ROzusovo nObrez~ie, 02/5443-2132, botel-gracia.sk; $40/single and $56/double, including breakfast.)

If all the choices I've named are full at the time of your visit, there's always the 122-room Hotel Bar-nka (Mudrochova 2, 02/4488-2089, baronka.sk), a few miles' tram ride from the river. Its restaurant and pool buzz with foreign groups. Rooms are $27/single and $39/double, with breakfast.

Feeding mind and mouth 

Even trendy bistros, packed with the country's elite, are shockingly cheap. Take-away counters are in short supply (Slovaks prefer to eat in and so they haven't embraced fast food), but the profusion of low-cost cafes makes dining out easy. My quirky favorite is Pras~nO Bas~ta (ZOmoc~n'cka 11, 02/5443-4957), tucked near Michael's Gate, the best source of a meal so beloved it ought to be on the Slovakian flag: bryndzov? halus~ky (potato gnocchi with sheep cheese and bacon chunks-a peasant's delight).

Musicians serenade courtyard diners; regular acts include a piano-and-flute rendition of the Dallas theme and "Mission: Impossible" on the squeezebox. Just outside of the old town (in the ugly new town, or nov? mesto), on a busy student drag, there's KGB (ObchodnO 52, 02/5273-1279), serving standards like c~evapc~ic~i (spicy meatballs) and, of course, bryndzov? halus~ky, for around 60Sk ($1.41) a tummy-stuffer. And just across the New Bridge in Janko KrOl Park, Leberfinger (ViedenskO cesta 257, 02/6231-7590), with its jolly outdoor pub, is a noted source for fine Slovakian fare costing around $4.25. Napoleon is said to have provisioned here (then again, he also blew up Dev'n Castle, so no points there).

All cafes pull a perfect coffee-another Viennese touch-but in summer, finding a seat takes dedication. Butterfly Bistro (PanskO 8) is an arty haven, and The Dublin er (SedlOrska 6) attracts English-speakers. Once pub conversation begins, prepare for deep cultural exchange, and be warned that even 19-year-old Slovaks know more about the U.S. than you do.

Of the Slovakian beverages-many bracingly bitter-Zlaty(r) Baz~ant ("Golden Pheasant") beer is probably most beloved, and costs 25Sk to 40Sk (59¢ to 94¢) per hefty bottle. The soft drink of choice is white-grape Vinea tonic, 20Sk to 35Sk (47¢ to 83¢) a serving. To toast a Slovak, raise a little plum brandy, the national tipple, costing about 60¢ a knock, or some egg liquor (same price), which tastes like intoxicating vanilla pudding.

Once beers are drained, remind the residents of Europe's "ugly duckling" about what happened at the end of that tale. Even now, their city is becoming a swan. Everyone in Bratislava is young, exquisitely beautiful, carefree, and kissing each other at the tram stops, under church steeples, and at outdoor cafes. It's a city in springtime, and a marvelous place t o be.

Cultural quirks: Slovakia

YOUR SLOVAKATION

Bratislava's tourist office is at Klobuc~n'cka 2 in the old town (east of Hlavn? nOmestie), or call 02/5443-4370. Also: slovakiatourism.sk.

Bratislava is in a cluster of popular eastern European cities. To travel easily between them, get the European East Pass from Rail Europe (888/382-7245, raileurope.com), which costs $154 for five days of unlimite d travel throughout Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Poland, Austria, and Hungary. To/from Vienna, it's an hour by rail, plus border crossing ($21); to/from Prague, four hours ($42); to/from Budapest, four hours ($27), or in summer take a ferry down the Danube (Fajnorovo nObrezie 2, 02/5293-2226, spap.sk; $59 one way, $83 round trip).

The Web site e-vacations.com (888/653-8242) sells a six-night air/hotel trip that stops in Bratislava for two nights (an industry rarity); it also visits Prague, Budapest, and supplies rail transfers. April 1 to June 15, it's $799 from New York, $959 Chicago, $1,079 L.A.

East of Bratislava, the Danube plain gives way to lush forest and the alpine High Tatras (for resort towns like Stary(r) Smokevec), medieval fortress towns (Levoc~a), and some of Europe's most picturesque castles (Spis~sky(r) hrad). Use an East Pass to explore Slovakia.