What to do in Bratislava and where to find delicious food and drinks

For the last stop of our journey through the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia we had chosen Bratislava. The cities of Vienna, Salzburg and Munich would all have been on our way as well, but we were curious to see a city we didn’t know at all.

If you haven`t yet followed our journey through Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia and are curious what we experienced, you`ll find the entries under the countries Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia in My Travel.

For once I had not informed myself about this city before. I thought that I might find something about it on the net, especially since it`s the capital of Slovakia. After a short search I found their website and was positively surprised. I had not expected such a good and contemporary online presence.

On the spot it became immediately clear that you don’t really need much information about the city in advance, cause you can find your way around so easily. We only had 2 days at our disposal, so we limited ourselves almost completely to told town and the sights located there.

Here you can see what we checked out:

1. The Bratislava Castle

Why it`s considered a landmark of the city becomes clear quickly . Impressively, this white shining castle with brown towers is enthroned on a hill at the foot of old town. It has a large garden, a café, a restaurant and a historical museum.

Easy to reach on foot from old town. But we have also seen cars and buses near the entrance.

Zámocká 2, Bratislava.

2. Restaurant Hrad and the great view of the city

Restaurant Hrad is located at the castle and is perfect for a break or a romantic dinner. The view from there was superb. So you can get an idea of the layout of the city right from the start.

3. The Ufo

In 1972 the bridge and the lookout tower with the really fitting name was finished. At that time, it was one of two buildings in the world, who were constructed in this way. The lift takes one in 45 seconds to the observation deck, which is located at 95 m.s.l. The tower`s definitely worth a look, even if it`s a matter of tast.e 😉 We didn`t go up to the paid platform. The view from the castle was good enough for us.

A bar and a restaurant are also located on top. Reservations & information for the restaurant and the bar: Tel.: 00421 2 6252 0300, Email: reception@u-f-o.sk, Restaurant: Noon – 11 pm. Bar and observation tower: 10 am – 11 pm, free parking under the UFO.

By the way, from June to September under the UFO and therefore directly on the Danube, there`s a “beach” with a lounge and play area, a restaurant and a nice view of the castle.

Tel: 00421 905 456 641, Email: plaz@redmonkeygroup.com, June – Sept. open daily from 11 am – midnight

Not exactly near the old town, but worth a detour.

Viedenská cesta, Nábrežie pod Novým mostom, 851 01 Bratislava

4. City Park Sad Janka Krala

Directly behind the UFO there`s a beautiful park. Numerous roses bloomed during our visit by the statue in the middle of the park. A very nice picture.

5. Old town of Bratislava

Old town is, similar to many Swiss old towns, very manageable. Therefore, it invites you to stroll around and relax.

Here are some sightseeings:

6. The St. Martin Cathedral

7. The Primate`s Palace

8. and the Michael`s Gate

9. The blue church

In direct distance from old town you`ll find the extraordinary Roman Catholic Saint Elisabeth Church, which is also simply called the blue church cause of its light blue colour. A really impressive building!

The blue church can be reached on foot from old town in about 5-10 minutes.

Bezručova 2, Bratislava.

10. Street Art

As a result of the Street Art Festival 2017 you`ll find find brilliant graffiti scattered everywhere. I especially like the two huge ones on the way from the restaurant Mestiansky Pivovar to old town.

Campsite Zlaté Piesky

We stayed here during our time in Bratislava. This campsite`s really huge! It even has its own beach etc. It was too big for us, but the location to the tram stop for the old town was ideal (late at night you have to take a taxi back) and the sanitary facilities were clean.

From the campsite it`s about 5-10 minutes walk to the train station Zlaté Piesky. From there to the old town (train station SND) it takes 23 minutes by tram.

Cesta na Senec 2, Zlaté piesky, 821 04 Bratislava 2

If you`re interested in more info about the campsite, you can read my separate entry about it.

Info and tips:

• Tickets for tram rides can be purchased directly at the station from a ticket machine. But one does not buy the zones themselves, instead one buys the valid time of the ticket. Or you can buy the Bratislava Card for 1, 2 or 3 days.
• Just wander around, you`ll find many beautiful buildings and corners.

My culinary guide for Bratislava

Restaurant Hrad

It’s situated by the castle. From the terrace you can enjoy a beautiful view over the city.

Zámocká 2, Bratislava.

Restaurant Urban House

Total hipster place. I really liked it there. We even went there twice. Once for drinks and once for drinks and a good dinner.

Laurinska 14, Bratislava, Tel. : +421 904 001 021, Email: donaska@urbanhouse.sk

Urban Bistro

Also very cool furnished. Bagel was unfortunately not more than ok.

Michalska 5, Bratislava, Tel.: +421 948 569 003, Email: manager@urbanbistro.sk, Mo 9am – 10 pm, Tue – Thu 9 am – midnight, Fr + Sa 9 am – 2 am, Sun p am – 10 pm

Extraordinary bars

Old Fashioned Bar

In the same building (just one door to the right) is one of the best bars I`ve been to so far. Don’t let the run-down facade and the strange-looking entrance keep you away! That seems to be their gag. On the upper floor you`re welcomed by a lady right after you entered. She escorts you to a sitting area. By then you`re already in a really great bar with fancy 20’s furniture and really exclusive drinks. Yes, they they`re pricy (long drinks are available for 10-15 euros), but the entertainment of watching the bartenders mixing the extraordinary drinks (which I always enjoy doing) and of course the pleasure itself, was worth every cent! Fortunately there are many pictures of the bar on their homepage. We were only with our cell phones that night and that made just acceptable photos of my drinks.

Laurinska 14, Bratislava

Baudelaire Evil Flowers Bar

Also a great bar with an equally inventive drinks menu.

Panskà 6, Bratislava

Nightlife

The Club Bratislava

Cool club, a good Djane played while we were there. Unfortunately many people smoked right in the middle of the club, which reminded me a lot of clubbing in the past. Maybe that was changed in the meantime.

The club can be reached on foot from old town in about 5 minutes.

Rybné námestie 1, Bratislava, Tel.: +421 910 777 789 / +421 903 707 789 / +421 911 447 333, Email: theclubbratislava@gmail.com,Thu10 pm – 4 am Fri + Sa, 10 pm – 5 am