Bratislava - Vienna's little sister

It is like crossroads of three worlds. The medieval town meeting art noveau city boulevards in Vienna style all covered in a shell remembering the times of the socialist brutalism. Once a Hungarian capital and coronation city, later moved to the periphery of the Empire's main events, only recently rediscovered as the majestic capital of independent Slovakia. Welcome to Bratislava.



For a long time Bratislava has been locked away behind the Iron curtaion, not to mention decreased to a second level city in Czechoslovakia. Since the breakup of the country and the slovakian Independence, the city has experienced a continuous growth. The center of the town has been restored, filled with restaurants and cafés that expand to the pedestrian areas of the streets in warmer months creating one big lively environment with cozy atmosphere. Let's visit some of the most beautiful sights.

Bratislava castle
Generally a must while visiting Bratislava. Located on a cliff above the Danube, it is a natural landmark of the city and provides you with interesting panorama views of the river as well as the city center. The castle itself is worth the visit itself. It houses one of the branches of the Slovak National Museum. The ground are accessible for free, the entrance fee to the museum is 8 EUR.

SNP Bridge and the UFO panorama deck
One of the most iconic bridges in the whole of the former Czechoslovakia. It's a cable-stayed road bridge across the Danube - fun fact - it is actually the world's largest single pylon cable-stayed bridge. On the top of the pylon you can find a restaurant and an observation deck.providing a beautiful view of the city and the castle. The entrance fee is 6 EUR, but if you eat in the restaurant, is the view for free.

St. Martin's Cathedral
Another landmark of the city. The 85 meter high spire of this Gothic church dominants the skyline of the old town. It is one of the oldest churches in the city and served as the Hungarian coronation church for nearly 300 years. Most of the interiors is accessible for free, the entrance fee for the payed rooms is 2,50 EUR.

St. Elisabeth church
Probably the most beautiful one in the city. It is also called the Blue church due to its characteristic facade. This landmark even represents Slovakia in the Mini-Europe park at the Atomium in Brussels. Definitely worth checking out.

Getting in
The city's only airport is the Milan Rastislav Štefánik Airport about 10 - 15 minutes far from the city. It is a hub for various budget airlines such as Ryanair, Wizzair, and there are several other flights served by other airlines from neighboring countries. The airport is comparatively small, but don't be mistaken, you may very well get stuck in a long queue, especially if you have a checked-in baggage and do not arrive in advance. In order to get to the city center, just hop on the bus N. 61. The bus driver doesn't sell tickets, so you need to by one in advance from the automates. The bus will take you all the way to the Train station.

Don't get intimidated if you choose to arrive by train. The main railway station (Bratislava Hlavná stanica) is quite awful, but if you get past that, you find out that it is actually quite good navigable and you will get by just fine. There are direct trains to Vienna, Prague, Budapest and Košice, as well as some day and night trains to some more distant cities like Berlin, Warsaw, Kyiv, Minsk or Moscow.

Getting around
Bratislava is quite small and the center can easily be walked on foot. The historical center itself is actually a large pedestrian zone. If you need to get any further away, there is a decent network of trams, trolleybuses and buses. The short ticket cost 0,70 EUR for 15 minutes, 0,90 for 30 minutes and 1,20 for one hour. All tickets are transferable, just don't forget to mark them in the validating machines.

In conclusion
Slovakia is part of the European Union and the Shengen area, so a Shengen visa should be enough for you to visit. They use a E and C power outlets, use Euro as their currency and drive on the right side of the road.

Have a fantastic day and let's see each other next time :)

Lex