Bratislava (Slovakia)

I went to Bratislava while working in Vienna for a summer as it is only a hop, skip and a jump away from the Austrian border. I knew then, and to this day know very little about Slovakia as a whole. I don't tend to read historical guides for fun, so can tell you little of this country's history or politics, but I can tell you what it was like to spent a few days exploring this one city. To set the scene I was 18, female (still am, for that matter) and travelling alone, speaking decent German but next to no Slovakian. Even back then Bratislava was a city that had high aspirations, and was keen ... more

On Saturday May 1st Slovakia will finally join the European Union, one of 10 states to do so. The names of the lesser known of these states are becoming more familiar so I though it would be a good idea to update my review and maybe inspire a few people to visit a city I fell in love with. For years Bratislava had to play second fiddle to Prague as Czecholslovakia's main city. As a result, fewer people have visited this city and this has affected the city in both positive and negative ways. Now that Bratislava is the capital of an independent Slovakia, has it's time come? The city is often ... more

The capital city of Slovakia, Bratislava, has been greatly overlooked by tourists in the past. At first it seems unattractive compared with the likes of Prague and Budapest. However, dig a little deeper and you will find a town rich in culture and art, fine restaurants, elegant buildings, churches, cathedrals, museums and galleries. It has an inescapable charm and, these days, quite a cosmopolitan buzz and ambience. The city, which has a population of 400,000 and is situated on the border of Austria and close to Hungary, has a long and fascinating history. For two hundred and fifty years it ... more

Bratislava is only about an hour and a half from Vienna, and is well worth a detour to, or a stopover via if you are en route to Budapest. If you are staying for a couple of days or more then I would recommend the Slovak Spectator, a fortnightly publication in English, which has details of events in Bratislava, although the style is dreary. For great views, climb up to the castle and look down over the Danube, or take the lift up the SNP - looks like one of The Tripods... and there are great views other the city. For a weekend trip some hotels offer discoutned rooms and in any case prices are ... more

I went to Bratislava while en-route from Austria to Hungary. I was really surprised at how civilised it was, I thought it would be an old ghost town but it was totally the opposite - it had massive motorways going into the city which had hardly any cars on at all, so there was no traffic to get held up in and in the centre there were quite a few tower block flats but there were also some nice historical sites to visit. On top of all the history, there were tonnes of high street shops, including a McDonalds and Tesco's!!! It was really comforting to see homely things like that when you're in a ... more