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Is Bratislava Worth Visiting? Absolutely – It’s Great

Are you wondering if Bratislava is worth visiting?

Well I think it absolutely is.

Read on for what I loved about Bratislava and why you should go there too.

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Is Bratislava Worth Visiting?

Is Bratislava Worth Visiting?

Bratislava is a lovely city set right beside the beautiful Danube river in Slovakia. It has a cute old town, interesting architecture, alongwith great food. It’s well worth visiting

So I have to be honest – Bratislava wasn’t on the top of my travel list. However, when I decided to go to Budapest my trip grew to include a return from Vienna and Bratislava along the way. What’s more I got to visit 3 countries in one trip.

Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and it is just under 3 hours from Budapest and just over and hour from Vienna.

The population of Bratislava is 475,000.

Is Bratislava Worth Visiting Video

Is Bratislava Visiting?

Getting to Bratislava

Bratislava is easy to reach, whether it be by train, plane, bus or boat.

I travelled on the train from Budapest. What a lovely train journey it was with my own little compartment. The train was comfortable and it was so interesting to see the changing views across the country, including travelling alongside the Danube river.

The train cost 44 Euros because I booked on the Austrian train carrier OBB. If I had booked on MAV, the Hungarian train company the same train and journey would have been 15 Euros.

There are plenty of options for travelling by bus, including Slovak Lines and Flixbus.

You can also easily reach Bratislava from Vienna. There is a Flixbus that runs from Vienna Airport to Bratislava, as well as Slovak Lines.

There is even a boat that runs between Vienna and Bratislava, the Twin Deck Liner.

Check out flights to Bratislava on Kayak or check out my travel tools for trains

Is Bratislava Worth Visiting?

When to Visit Bratislava

I visited Bratislava in March. It was warm and sunny with temperatures of 15 degrees which was ideal for exploring.

May to September are busier times because the weather is warmer.

Here’s the yearly averages for Bratislava during the year

is bratislava worth visiting post image showing bratislava castle

Is Bratislava Worth Visiting?

Getting Around Bratislava

Getting around Bratislava was pretty easy.

I didn’t use any public transport because I was staying close to the city centre so I could walk everywhere I wanted to go.

Public transport is integrated and you buy a ticket at the machines before boarding a bus.

On arrival at the train station I followed the signs for centre and walked downhill until I reached the Presidential Palace which is at the top of the old town area.

My accommodation was within a 10 minute walk of the old town so I went most places on foot.

I also used the Bolt taxi service. I’m told this is similar to Uber. You put in your request and the job gets allocated to a driver and you are sent the car and driver details.

My plantar fasciitis was playing up so I got a Bolt taxi down to the old town to save my feet a little bit.

Little Tip from Me: Bratislava is set on a hill which slopes down to the Danube. The train station is at the upper part of the town. The old town is nearer to the river👍

Is Bratislava Worth Visiting?

Bratislava as a Solo Female Traveller

I felt safe and comfortable walking everywhere around the old town area, to and from my accommodation. I also walked along the river and from the train station and then to the bus station as well.

I didn’t stay out after dark but that was only because of my sore feet. I would have been comfortable to do that in Bratislava.

Is Bratislava Worth Visiting?

Is Bratislava Expensive?

Bratislava wasn’t cheap, nor was it expensive. It was pretty much OK in terms of everything I did, transport, taxis, food and drink etc.

My accommodation was good value though. £56 for a super little studio apartment – more on that below!

Is Bratislava Worth Visiting?

Staying in Bratislava

I stayed in a little studio apartment in a hotel. It was on the ground floor, very quiet and within easy walking distance of the old town.

The hotel was the Mamaison Residence. The reception team were very welcoming and helpful with directions and information too.

Check out hotels on Booking.com, holiday rentals on Vrbo and reviews on Tripadvisor

is bratislava worth it post image showing view across danube

Is Bratislava Worth Visiting?

Things to Do in Bratislava

I didn’t have much of a plan in relation to activities in Bratislava, and wanted to see how I felt when I got there.

As I’m not a lover of heights I knew that the viewpoint on the Most SNP bridge, often referred to as the UFO, wouldn’t be for.

Having been a bit overwhelmed by the amount of choice of places to eat I headed back to my hotel and discovered a bookshop with a cafe. How fortuitous that was. They had a small selection of books in English and I enjoyed some lovely home baking and a Toastie in the cafe as well.

I did take a sightseeing bus. It didn’t go very well, mainly because of a very unpleasant man in the seat next to me and a full bus meaning I couldn’t move.

It was a minibus and when I boarded there was only 1 seat left, next to a man in the front seat. He was quite large but he also seemed to have no consideration that I was next to him. I had to sit with a leg out in the aisle and a bum cheek off the seat. Despite that he leaned across me, turned round and leant back against me, pushing me further off the seat. It was so bad I got off the bus at the castle stop.

I did love the view from the panoramic restaurant, The Parlament Restaurant. This had a lovely terrace and it was full of people enjoying the sunny weather.

A Bolt taxi picked me up and took me to the Blue Church. This lovely church is set back from the river area, surrounded by modern apartments but it is well worth visiting.

On the way back I stumbled into the Slovenia National Gallery. It made a great cafe and bathroom stop as it was very close to the Most SNP bus station where I got the Flixbus to Vienna.

Check out tours and activities in Bratislava on Get Your Guide

Bratislava Surprises

I had hoped to be able to take a boat from Budapest to Bratislava. However, despite both being on the Danube river there is no boat service connecting the two.

It was funny to go all the way to Bratislava and find the Loch Ness Pub, complete with pictures of Nessie on the outside. It was closed during my visit otherwise I would have definitely gone in to say hello.

Is Bratislava Worth Visiting? – Conclusion

  • Yes it’s definitely worth a visit. I only had 1 day there and that was good to get a feel for the place.
  • Bratislava is easy to get to from Vienna, Vienna Airport and Budapest.
  • I found most people spoke English in Bratislava which made life much easier.

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