Bratislava travel guide

Formerly known as Presporok (Slovak), Pressburg (German and English) or Pozsony (Hungarian), Bratislava is made up of a winding, medieval inner city encased by panelaks (blocks of flats) not unlike Prague. Vienna is only 60km from here and rural Slovakia is just a stone’s throw away. Although Bratislava is one of Europe’s youngest capitals, it used to be one of the most important cities in the Austro-Hungarian Empire and has been strongly influenced by a host of peoples including Austrians, Germans, Hungarians, and Slovaks. This is a place where people love to promenade and it is often described as having a Mediterranean atmosphere even though it’s nowhere near the sea!

Music

Bratislava was closely linked with the Viennese cultural and music scene in the past and activities flourished in the 18th century. Mozart played here as a six-year-old boy and Haydn, Liszt and Beethoven also showcased their talents. Today everyone still seems to be carrying instruments under their arms, and the city hosts the Bratislava Music Festival in late September to mid-October, an International Festival of Classical Music in July, Bratislava Jazz Days in October and the Vychodna Folk Festival in late June or July. You can find out about Slovakian folk instruments in the Museum of Folk Music in Luginsland Tower, Bratislava Castle. There are also three theatres here (with cheap tickets) and it’s worth catching the internationally acclaimed Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra.

River life

The Danube (Danuj in Slovak) is an inseparable part of everyday life Bratislava. The Baroque Vratislav (Bratislava) Castle is the city’s focal point and towers above it (the Slovak National Collections are housed in here). The river was the main way to get food supplies into the city and provided fish to residents via the steep slopes below the castle to Fish Square, home to the magnificently Gothic Saint Martin’s Cathedral. Five bridges also cross the Danube here, so you can easily cross it on foot. The left bank is adorned with flowers and boasts the National Gallery and the National Museum; the opposite side adjoins a park and can draw a party crowd at night. You can also sleep here (in ‘botels’ on the river), eat and drink (in floating restaurants and bars) or take out a canoe!

Nightlife

Continual development and regeneration of the city has brought some cool cafes, bars and fine dining to Bratislava. If you’re not scared of heights then venture up the 84.6 metre-high pylon of the Novy Most Bridge to the UFO bar, club and restaurant – the panorama alone is worth the 45-second ride. For traditional Slovakian fare head to Traja Musketieri, Leberfinger or Modra Hviezda. Get coffee and sweets at Kaffe Mayer.

Going for a long weekend?

Here’s an idea of what you could do with only three days to spare…

Day 1

Explore the historical old town at your leisure – Bratislava is a small place so there’s no need to rush. You’ll find the cobbled winding streets at the bottom of the hilltop-dominating medieval castle and past the spire of St Martin’s Cathedral. There’s a choice of riverside cafes to lunch in – or find tasty local snacks in the Central Market Mileticova and have a picnic in the Botanical Gardens. Then catch an evening performance by the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra in the Concert Hall of Reduta.

Day 2

Hire a bike and take your sightseeing into the countryside. It’s quite a steep ride but the views are great. You can either head towards the lookout hill of Devinska kobyla, from access points in the neighbourhoods of Devin, Karlova Ves or Dubravka, or you can venture into the foothills of Male Karpaty – the Little Carpathian mountain range.

Day 3

You could arrange to fly back from nearby Vienna and get there by taking a two-hour boat or hydrofoil ride up the Danube from Bratislava (they run from April to October). The most popular route is by Twin City Liner from Bratislava Propeller Dock to Vienna Schwedenplatz. You’ll see scenic villages and beautiful countryside and get a better idea of the unique location of Bratislava. Plus you can compare the cosmopolitan elegance of Vienna.

Getting there

Plane

You can get cheap flights from the UK – including London, Manchester, East Midlands, Birmingham, Cork and Dublin – to Bratislava with several different airlines. These include Ryanair, Air Slovakia and Skyeurope Slovakia. You could also fly to and from nearby Vienna. For more details see www.flightmapping.com/Europe/Slovakia/Bratislava/ and www.flightmapping.com/Europe/Austria/Vienna/.

Train

If you have a bit longer you could also get there by train. This can be done by taking the Eurostar from London to Brussels, taking a high-speed train to Cologne and then taking a night-train to Vienna Westbahnhof (this travels by the side of the Rhine and offers great views). It takes just over an hour by train to Bratislava from Vienna Südbahnhof. See www.seat61.com/Slovakia.htm for more details.

Find out more

Get more information and holiday ideas from www.bratislava.sk/en and www.slovakia.org/tourism. Guidebooks like Bradt’s Bratislava City Guide, Lonely Planet’s Czech and Slovak Republics Country Guide and The Rough Guide to Czech and Slovak Republics can also help you find your way around while there.

Stay insured

There are crime and health risks in Bratislava as you would find in any European city. You are especially at risk of petty crime in areas such as markets, monuments and museums, which draw lots of tourists. If you hire a car, you also need to make sure that you are covered to drive in Slovakia and that you have sufficient breakdown cover. Plus don’t leave valuables in cars. Direct Line can help you cover all these with both travel insurance and European breakdown cover.

With Direct Line it’s quick and easy to sort out travel insurance online. Our single-trip travel policy is perfect for weekend breaks as well as longer holidays to Eastern Europe, Slovakia and Bratislava

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