A Day Trip to Bratislava — The Ginger Guy

If you’re visiting one of the delightful destinations on the Danube like Vienna or Budapest, you should take a day trip to the charming and affordable Bratislava. The Slovak capital has not quite tipped over into a go-to tourist destination yet, but given its looks, food and charm, it soon might.

My partner and I had spent a week in Vienna and fancied a day out of the city. Truthfully, we wanted a taste of some Eastern European beer - not to slight Austrian beer, but after four days we’d had our fill. Budapest seemed like the obvious option for a day trip but it averaged around 3 hours each way on the train and it would be a shame to rush somewhere that was on a lot of bucket lists.

Getting There from Vienna

The train from Wien Hauptbahnhof to Bratislava-Petrzalka is about an hour or 44mins if you get the faster service and prices range from £9 to £15 depending on how far in advance you book.

Getting to Bratislava from Budapest

By rail Budapest-Nyugati to Bratislava hl.st. is around 2 and a half or 3 hours and depending on how far in advance you book, costs around £30.

Things to do

Once you arrive, you can catch the tram to the city centre, but I recommend the walk to take in the architecture and get a feel for the place. You can also stop at one of the many cheese vending machines dotted around the city streets. They contain traditional cow and sheep cheese and are ideal for a chilled dairy snack.

The obvious place to start is Bratislava Castle that dominates the skyline. Atop a rocky hill, this truly historic site has had people on it since the stone age. The castle is home to the Slovak National Museum-Museum of History, The Treasury and a stunning Baroque garden that is worth your time. There is a handy train-bus that is designed to take tourists around the city if you don't fancy the walk up or down.

However if you do take the walk down the hill and fancy a rest, you will come across a charming cat cafe called Mačkafé (cat-cafe), with friendly and cheeky felines to keep you company. The staff here are friendly and welcoming; just don't get any cream on your coffee as it may just get snatched away by a confident cat.

After the fall of communism and the dissolution of Czechoslovakia, known as the ‘velvet divorce’, it was decided that the nation had to liven itself up to shake off the past and attract tourism. One of the ways this was done in Bratislava was through the addition of some fun, if unusual statues that have become a firm favourite of visitors.

One thing is true about Bratislava: it’s quirky. If not just for the statues of men popping out of the ground, it's the observation deck that looks like a UFO. Yes, the only place in the world outside of Nevada and Bonnybridge you have a fair chance of spotting a UFO is Bratislava.

Since its construction in the early 70s, guests have enjoyed views of the Danube from ET’s pad. On a good day you can see Hungary and Austria. If the 430 steps don’t sound like fun, you can take the angular elevator up. Angular because it rises up inside one of the tilted legs of the structure. The prices of the drinks are worth it for the view, as is braving the cold of the rooftop observation deck.

Most Eastern European cities offer fantastic food and drink. Bratislava does not disappoint. Lunch was had at the helpfully named Slovak Pub, offering Slovak favourites as full meals or tasting plates. Ideal for the visitor who seeks to sample a bit of everything. I can recommend the soup in a bread bowl (Kotlíkový guláš s chlebom) along with the Slovak plate (Slovenský tanier) that includes potato dumplings and a helping of Slovak dumplings with sheep cheese (Slovenský tanier).

All of this was perfectly washed down with a healthy amount of Zlatý Bažant, the most exported Slovak beer. However, not just beer helped our digestion. Slovak Pub kindly provides a tasting menu of flavoured spirits to try for a very reasonable price. Almond, cherry, plum and pear. Did I say cherry already? No, you’re drunk!

Late afternoon took us to do some tipsy shopping at Aupark Bratislava. A fabulous place to get some retail therapy before heading back into the Old Town for some sightseeing and dinner.

Dinner was had at the also helpfully named Bratislava Flagship restaurant. It’s a feast for the eyes as well as the taste buds as you sit in a stunning wood-panelled ornate theatre to have your meal. The consistency of delicious, hearty food continued. Frankly you HAVE to go here, as it says on their website: “If you have not been in Bratislava Flagship Restaurant, you don't know Bratislava!”

As we visited early in the week, I can’t say we got to truly sample the LGBT+ scene as the city’s queer nightlife ramps up to the weekend, based on opening times and days. If you do go, please visit and spend your money at any gay establishments in the city. In 2022, two people were shot and killed with another injured outside Teplaren bar in a homophobic attack on the city's queer community. The city rallied and thousands attended a vigil days later in response to the murders. The community, in shock, came together. Just over a year later, there was still a sense of pain in the city, in a country that has still to truly reckon with its own treatment of LGBTQ people.