TRAVEL GUIDE: BRATISLAVA

I am so excited to share my travel guide for Bratislava, Slovakia. I visited Bratislava in early October which was the perfect time to visit. Bratislava is a lesser known and visited city within Central Europe, but is a worthwhile visit. The city is very conveniently located on the Danube River, and is 55 minutes from Vienna and a little under 2 hours from Budapest. Vienna and Budapest are more popular cities for tourists, but given its close proximity, Bratislava is absolutely worth a stop. If you are planning a visit to the city, or are inspired to pay it a visit, I hope you find my travel guide useful!

Hotel

We stayed in Bratislava for two nights and stayed in the AC Hotel by Marriott. The hotel is centrally located in the historical section of Bratislava. It is very walkable as it is a 5 minute walk to Old Town Square and a 20 minute walk to Bratislava Castle. The hotel is modern and clean and the rooms have plenty of space. The hotel features a bar which is always a nice perk to have in a hotel. If you are visiting the city, I recommend this hotel for the above reasons and its reasonable nightly rate.

Things to Do

The intention of our trip to Europe was to visit Prague for the NHL Global Series. We stayed in Prague for four days and wanted to visit another city in Central Europe for the rest of the week. There are so many options within 5 hours of Prague, but we decided to visit Bratislava. It is a little more on the obscure side, but my husband and I both are almost entirely Slovak, so visiting Slovakia was a bucket list item for me.

To get to Bratislava from Prague, you can take a 4.5 hour train ride. Each city has a main train station and the train fares are fairly cheap. This was such an easy and affordable option to get to Bratislava, and a nice way to see the countryside of Czech Republic and Slovakia. When you arrive at the train station in Bratislava, it is a bit of a culture shock. I will be honest and say that the train station is very run down with some sketchy people around. Outside of the train station is bus stops and subway stations to get to the city center and other areas. We were planning to take the subway or an Uber to our hotel but we ended up walking for about 12 mintues instead. As I walked to the hotel, the city didn’t seem very glamorous as I had pictured. The outskirts of the train station definitely still have remnants of a communist look, but as you approach the city center it does become nicer. We walked by Grassalkovich Palace, a beautiful palacewhich is the residence of Slovakia’s President and was right near our hotel.

Bratislava has an Old Town area which is the historic center of the city. This main square is relatively small but is a preserved medieval section featuring sites that date back to the 14th century. In Old Town Square you will find Bratislava’s Town Hall, Michael’s Gate, Primate’s Place, along with plenty of shops and cafes. Old Town is a lovely walkable area, and while it isn’t very large, it has its perks. After spending a few days in Prague, while it is absolutely beautiful, there is no denying that it is very crowded and populated with tourists. The thing that Bratislava has going for it is that it is not nearly as popular of a tourtist destination as Prague is, so walking around is very relaxing and leisurely. There are tons of cafes that line the streets with outdoor seating and none of them are too crowded to get seating.

Another popular thing to do in Bratislava is to visit the Bratislava Castle. The Bratislava Castle sits on top of the hill and overlooks the city and the Danube River. You are able to visit and walk around the castle grounds and gardens for free and visit the inside of the castle for a fee. Unfortunately on the day we visited, the inside of the castle was closed but we enjoyed walking around the grounds. The castle has stunning gardens that are perfectly maintained and spacious. The outside of the castle is simple but pretty. To get a good distant view of the castle, you can cross the nearby UFO Bridge and climb the observation tower for a bird’s eye view.

Another noteworthy site to see in Bratislava is the Blue Church, or the Church of St. Elizabeth. This church has a unique Hungarian Art Nouveau style and is pale blue from top to bottom, both outside and inside. The church is located in a regular neighborhood and is a 10 minute walk from Old Town Square. My favorite color is light blue so the church was a must-have Instgram moment for me.

Where to Eat and Drink

I’m not a very adventurous eater, but I knew the one thing I wanted to eat while in Bratislava was authentic pierogies and haluski. These have always been a staple in my Slovak family, but these dishes are obviously much more Americanized here in the US. We went to Bratislava Flagship Restaurant which was a quick 5 minute walk from our hotel. Bratislava Flagship Restaurant is considered one of the largest restaurants in Europe, and is both a brewery and a restaurant. The restaurant is multiple levels and is in a former monastery. Here you will find plenty of beer and all of the traditional Slovak dishes. I ordered the pirohy filled with potatoes and bryndzové (sheep cheese), along with the kapustové strapačky. Kapustové strapačky consists of dumplings and cabbage which is similar to the American version of haluski. In Slovakia, their version of haluski is made with dumplings and bryndzové, which I didn’t try but is very popular in the country.

I mentioned that Old Town has tons of cafes lining the streets and we had plenty of options to choose from while walking around in the afternoon. We went to Brixton House which has a really lively atmosphere both inside and out. It was 70 degrees the day we visited so we sat outside, but the inside of the restaurant is modern and trendy and features a full bar. Brixton House offers a full array of food which leans more American and other cuisines and not Slovak. It has beer options, tons of cocktails, and even coffee, tee, and cold press juices. Everything we had at the restaurant was great and our server spoke perfect English, which is always an added bonus while traveling abroad.

Overall, we only spent a day and a half in Bratislava but it was such an enjoyable visit. Bratislava is a city that is filled with culture and history, but much less crowded than cities like Prague and Vienna. The city is small, but that is what makes it easy to visit in a day or two. If Bratislava wasn’t on your Central Europe travel itinerary, I suggest adding it for a quick day visit, especially if you plan on visiting nearby Vienna or Budapest. I hope you found my Bratislava travel guide useful..until next time!