Bratislava, Slovakia
Nestled in Central Europe you will find the country of Slovakia. The largest city and capital is located on the Danube River and is a short train ride from other European Capitals such as Prague, Vienna, and Budapest. It is a stop on many Danube River cruises and it is a very nice one. The city is far from the depiction in the movies Hostel and is actually a very nice place to visit. You can see a unique culture, beautiful churches, interesting architecture such as the “UFO Bridge”, castles and good food. You can see in Bratislava the Soviet Union influence on the city but that is only one part of the city. Donna and I took a day trip to Bratislava in 2017 and we took a train from Vienna to get there. It was a nice tour and I hope to make it back there again some day for a longer stay.
Getting to Bratislava and Transportation
Donna and I took Austrian/Slovak Rail to Bratislava from Vienna and to me that is the easiest way to get to Bratislava. It was about an hour train ride and the trains depart frequently from Vienna’s Hauptanoff to the main station in Bratislava (Bratislava hlavná stanica). The cost of the rail ticket is very affordable and there really is no need to reserve a ticket in advance as we did. From the train station you could take a tram/light rail to most places within the city or of course a taxi. We took a private tour through Gray line and we got around in private car and by walking through the city. At the end of the trip we used the tram/light rail to get back to the central station to head back to Vienna. There are other ways to get to Bratislava. Bratislava does have an international airport you can fly into but the carriers are somewhat limited into the city. Vienna has the much larger airport. You can also visit the city on river cruises that dock in the area. The city is easy to navigate and is one of the smaller capitals in Europe.
Other Country Information
Slovakia is a relatively new country as it split from the now Czech Republic (formerly Czechoslovakia) in 1993. Slovakia is part of the European Union and is also a member of the Schengen agreement so once you have entered the Eurozone you can enter Slovakia with no border check as we did coming from Vienna. The currency of Slovakia is the Euro which is usually worth slightly more than a US Dollar. The national language of Slovakia is Slovak but we did not have any issues communicating with anyone in English. As can been seen in our pictures in the winter Bratislava can be quite cold (we went in January) so check the weather before you go to see what to expect. The cold weather did not effect our trip to Bratislava and we still enjoyed our time there.
The Blue Church
Our first stop as we drove through Bratislava with our guide was to the beautiful Blue Church. It is in the Art Nouveau style and was built in the early 1900s. The church reminds me of a fantasy or candy of some sort. The style also reminded me of Barcelona and Antoni Gaudi’s work there. We did not get the chance to go inside but we were able to take pictures and take a peak through the windows. At the time of our visiting across the street was the remnants of another era in Slovakian history. There were abandoned communist buildings. You can tell it is communist with the straight lines and stern plain style.
Slavin (Russian Soldiers Memorial and Cemetery)
After driving through the city and seeing some of the ambassadors homes and the capital we stopped on top of a hill to visit the Slavin. The Slavin is a memorial and cemetery of the many Soviet soldiers killed while fighting the Germans to free Bratislava. Late in the war they were successful and Czechoslovakia a few years later became a communist country allied with the Soviet Union. While here you can see a large memorial with a Russian soldier carrying a flag and stomping a Nazi symbol and the graves of the soldiers. There is also a good view of the city and the “UFO” bridge in Bratislava. It is a nice and unique stop.
Bratislava Castle
Our next tour stop was the impressive Bratislava Castle high on a hill overlooking the city. It has been a site of a castle from quite some time but the castle was destroyed but Slovakia rebuilt the castle in the 1950s. The huge castle has four towers with the largest being the Crown tower. There are also statues outside the castle. We were not able to go inside the castle for a tour due to it being closed that day but we did walk around the castle. There was a nice gift shop at the castle where we got some good items from Slovakia including a national flag (we buy a flag from every country we go to) and other items. The castle also offered nice views of the city and UFO Bridge. The day we were in Bratislava it was quite cold and snowy so our views were a little obstructed but were still nice.
St. Martin's Cathedral and the Holocaust Memorial and site of a Synogauge
After stopping by the Bratislava Castle we walked with our local guide down the hill and we had the chance to talk to her about her country and a little bit about ours. I always recommend chatting with the locals to learn more about their culture and ideas. You become a much more well rounded person and learn about people different than yourself. Its also a good way for others to learn about us and hopefully dispel any misconceptions. As we taled we passed by some very thin homes on the way to the memorial to the Slovaks killed in the Holocaust. It is on the site of a synagogue that was torn down by the Soviets to build the UFO bridge. After spending time at the memorial we went to visit the historic St. Martin’s Cathedral. It is a beautiful church built in the 1400s. We viewed the outside and then went inside to look around for a little while. Its a nice stop a long the way.
Old Town Bratislava
On our final stop of the tour our guide took us to Old Town Bratislava (the city center). The area was full of pedestrian streets with nice shops, interesting architecture, and restaurants. We passed by some interesting metal sculptures around one of the squares that are meant for people to take pictures with. We took pictures with some of them. The US Embassy is located on one of the larger squares in Old Town Bratislava (Hviezdoslavovo námestie). We walked past the beautiful national theater and other buildings. Its a very nice area and a place you should definitely visit in Bratislava. After an orientation walk we bid our local guide goodbye and then stopped by a local restaurant to try Slovakian cuisine. We had wonderful stuffed potato dumplings at the restaurant. It is the one and only time I have ever seen that dish offered in places I have been. It was great and I recommend giving it a try if you go to Bratislava. After our dinner it was time to head back to Vienna so we took the local light rail to the train station and boarded our train back to Vienna. It was a great day trip!
Other tips
Bratislava is a nice place to spend some time. A day trip or a couple days will allow you too see most of the sites in the city. There are museums and areas we did not see. You can also visit the historic Devin Castle in Devin Slovakia. The tour did not run to Devin Castle during the winter so we were not able to visit. We made this trip from Vienna and I highly recommend visiting in this manner or on a river cruise. While there I recommend trying the local food especially the Potato Dumplings. Bratislava is a safe and nice place to visit so if you are in the area go visit it and if you can spend the money (around $100) for the private guided tour.
