Bratislava is a small town, so the a day and a half I had set aside to explore the Slovak capital, I found to be enough. If you don’t mind rushing things a bit, a day trip from Vienna is probably doable too. As in a lot of places, the old part of town beats the new part by miles, so I suggest you don’t spend the little time you might have in the new part. To me, the best part of Bratislava is just strolling around the old town enjoying the townscape, and popping into one of the nice cafes with their super rich cakes. In my opinion there are no must-see sights, but the somewhat anonymous castle (I didn’t go inside) has a superb view, which makes the uphill climb worthwhile. Enter the castle grounds from St. Martin’s Cathedral (which by the way wasn’t all that), as it is a lot nicer than from one of the main roads further up (seen from the river). What surprised me most about Bratislava were the quiet streets. A Tuesday morning felt like a Sunday morning in Oslo, like no one had gotten out of bed yet. Even though the level of activity rose as the day progressed, it still had this nice, calm serenity to it. P.S. Don’t leave without trying Slovak food! The Beef Stroganoff I had for dinner was veeery nice 🙂
I travelled from Vienna airport to Bratislava, and from Bratislava to Vienna train station, and I stayed at Patio Hostel.
Plus 1 to Bratislava. It’s a handy destination if you find yourself in Vienna on a religious holiday like we did. Everything was closed in Austria but Bratislava was open and bustling. #wkendtravelinspiration
Oh really, didn’t know that. Glad you found something to do!
Bratislava is so close to Vienna, and yet I’ve never been. Shame on me!
Ha ha, yes, shame on you 😀 I had a great time!
I did exactly that, a day trip to Bratislava from Vienna and really enjoyed it for it’s quiet small town vibe. But I’d disagree with you about no must-see sights, I’d recommend the Blue Church for sure, it’s gorgeous and completely unique. I wrote about it here http://www.loumessugo.com/en/blog/entry/the-blue-church-bratislava
I agree, this one looks super cool! Didn’t know about it. What a pity! Well, had an amazing time in Bratislava still 🙂
I did exactly that when in Vienna in 2013 and planning a return again in December. I love that Bratislava is much smaller and only an hour away, such a quaint little town we have written about on our blog too. Great to find you through #wkendtravelinspiration
Glad you get to go back! I guess it’s all dressed for Christmas in Dec, and will be even more lovely.
Bratislava seems to be popping up everywhere. I would love to visit. We recently published a post Top Travel Writers share their best coffee shops in the world, and one from Bratislava was written about.
It doesn’t surprise me. There’s a lot of cafes with rich cakes 🙂
Bratislava is super cute! I’ve done it twice!
Wouldn’t mind doing it again, but there’s so many places to see 🙂
I honestly don’t remember if I’ve been to Bratislava the time when I went on a hiking camp in the Tatras. I don’t think so. I’m glad you went, but if you traveled just a bit further, you know, you could have gone to Poland! 🙂 In any case, I’m pinning this post to my “Central East Europe” board.
Had Monday to Friday only. Divided my time between Vienna and Bratislava. Actually preferred Bratislava over Vienna… Have been to Poland once, Warsaw. Have my eyes set on Krakow, though 🙂 Did you do the Tatras in Poland or Slovakia? Thanks for pinning it!
That time we were hiking just in Slovakia. It was fantastic! Though Polish Tatras, and the whole mountain range is pretty amazing too.
🙂 Have you ever been hiking in Romania? Came across an ad a while back, and it looked pretty good! When I go hiking I prefer short and steep to long and “flat”. Maximum reward (amazing views) in “minimum” time 🙂
No, I only rode through Romania on the train on my way to Bulgaria long time ago. Travel Notes and Beyond has several nice posts about Romania, though, that are worth checking out. http://www.travelnotesandbeyond.com/
Was the scenery nice? Thanks so much! Will check it out.
If you liked Bratislava, you can maybe check out Kosice another time 🙂 It’s similar only even more beautiful I think!
I really liked Bratislava! Had no expectations though… Coming to Vienna from that, was like coming to New York – well, with some modifications 🙂 Cool! I think I’ve heard of it, in relations to skiing, maybe…? Thanks for the tip!
Yeah, there are some ski resorts nearby :). No problem, thanks for the great photos you shared here!
No skiing for me 😉 Just connected with you on Facebook. Looking forward to more tips!
Avoid the skiing then, but the city of Kosice is very beautiful! There’s also an impressive cave nearby (Domica). Put it on your list! 😉
Will do 🙂
And thanks for the follow 🙂
How exciting! Vienna is one of my favorite cities, so I might just end up taking a short day trip to Bratislava as well!
It’s a lot smaller than Vienna, and very different. If you have a day to spare, I would highly recommend it 🙂 You might want to consider going by bus both ways, as it is approx half the price, and not a lot more to see on the train ride. I would have gone by boat (back to Vienna), but they stopped sailing the week before. The ferry ticket is apparently approx double the train ticket…