Bratislava has been at the crossroads of European culture for centuries, and is one of four capital cities standing on the Danube. The famous blue river is the tranquil setting for a city that’s perfect for exploring at a slow pace over a long weekend. That’s exactly what we did, and now we’re ready to share our secrets with you! These are our favourite things to do in Bratislava to absorb the city’s charm and intrigue.
If you’re planning more travel around the region, check out this Central Europe itinerary for some inspiration.
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Bratislava activities: top things to book
In a hurry to get planning? Before we go into more details, these are our top picks for things to do in Bratislava that you can book ahead of your trip:
🚶 Free walking tour with Discover Bratislava: see highlights of the Old Town
🍻 Bratislava craft beer tasting: visit a microbrewery and sample great local beers!
🏰 Devín Castle tour: see the thousand-year-old ruins and taste currant wines
Things to do in Bratislava: sightseeing
1. Take an Old Town free walking tour
Free walking tours are a great way to find your bearings when you first arrive in a city. At the same time, you can learn peculiarities about the history, see the main landmarks and get local recommendations on places to eat and drink.
If you are spending one or two days in Bratislava, taking a free walking tour will give you a quick and immersive introduction to the most notable sights around the city.
The Old Town is Bratislava’s historic centre and prettiest area, filled with winding narrow streets, baroque architecture, and fairytale churches and palaces. It’s also the focal point for various free walking tour that operate in the city.
We took a tour with Discover Bratislava that walked through historical highlights such as the Old Town Hall, St Martin’s Cathedral and the National Theatre, and continued up to the castle. This tour runs daily at 10:30am, 12noon and 2:30pm and took us just under 3 hours.
Another option is Be Free Tours, which runs at 11am and takes about 2.5 hours.
2. Take the quirky Bratislava sightseeing bus
If you would rather explore the city without needing to walk too far, the Bratislava sightseeing bus is a great way to do it.
This isn’t a hop-on hop-off bus as you might have seen in other cities. The Bratislava sightseeing bus has two fixed departures at 10am and 3pm every day. And rather than a standard double decker sightseeing bus, you get to ride in a quirky red open trolley bus.
The ride includes a 20-minute stop at Bratislava Castle to explore, and also ventures to sights well beyond the Old Town like the Slavín Memorial and the Slovak Radio Building (more on those below!).
3. Visit Bratislava Castle
Bratislava Castle is the dominant feature of the city’s skyline. Perched on a hill by the banks of the Danube, the white fortress towers majestically over the Old Town.
It’s possible you’ll see the castle as part of a walking tour, but it’s not always included. It’s easy to reach by foot just a few minutes to the west of the Old Town. Inside the grounds, you can walk around the lush, cultivated gardens, explore the on-site history museum and look out upon the landscapes surrounding the city. Parts of Austria and Hungary are visible on the horizon from the castle’s elevated position.
The castle itself dates back over a millennium to the earliest modern settlements of Bratislava. Over time, destruction and restoration has seen its appearance evolve. The entrance gates standing today were built between the 15th and 18th centuries.
4. See quirky statues around the Old Town
Dotted around Bratislava’s Old Town are various statues and sculptures that pay homage to the city’s past. One such example is Schöner Náci on the corner of the main Old Town square. This is the nickname given to Lamár Ignác, a famous figure around town during World War II and afterwards.
At a time of trouble and depression, Ignác inspired happiness in people around the city through his jovial manner and regular greetings.
Another example is ‘Man at Work’ or ‘Čumil the Peeper’, a bronze sculpture of a communist-era worker clambering out of a manhole. You can find him a few short steps from the main square, on the junction of Laurinská and Rybárska Brána.
5. Behold the Blue Church
Bratislava is home to many churches, but perhaps the most famous is the Church of St Elizabeth, otherwise known as the ‘Blue Church’. It is a striking example of art nouveau architecture located about ten minutes’ walk to the east of the Old Town.
As you may have gathered from the name, everything about the church is blue, both inside and outside. It makes for a pretty picture, especially on a clear day.
6. See the city panorama from UFO Bridge
One of the most striking features of Bratislava is Most SNP, also known as ‘UFO Bridge’. Built during the communist era, at over 430 metres it is among the world’s largest hanging bridges.
Most notably, at the top of its structure is a restaurant and observation deck resembling a flying saucer. For a fee of around €10 depending on the season can enjoy a great panoramic view of the city. For a little extra, you can buy a “day and night” admission, which allows you to enter twice, seeing the city in daylight and lit up in the darkness. Check the latest prices on the UFO Bridge website.
The bridge is itself quite a sight to behold. There are many good spots from where you can see it; one of the best is from the south side of Bratislava Castle.
7. Walk up to the Slavín war memorial
If you’d rather not pay for a city view, you can get one for free by taking a walk to the Slavín war memorial. The structure stands at a higher elevation than the top of UFO Bridge and you can see back down to the castle and Old Town, albeit through some obtrusive trees.
The monument at Slavín is the resting place of thousands of Soviet and Slovakian soldiers who were killed at the end of World War II. It’s a peaceful place for some walking and reflection, and can be reached by foot in around half an hour from the Old Town.
8. Take a Soviet era and post-communist tour
Slovakia endured a turbulent time through much of the 20th century due to its strategic position at the crossroads of Europe. On a Soviet era and post-communist tour you can learn about life in the city during these times while travelling around in a Soviet-era Škoda car.
The tour explores Soviet architecture around Bratislava and includes a visit to the Slavín war memorial as well as abandoned factories, communist-era neighbourhoods and the villas of communist leaders. It explores the major political changes and their effects over the decades, from Europe’s largest social housing project to the transformations of post-industrialism and capitalism.
9. See one of the world’s ugliest buildings
One landmark – or some would say eyesore – visible from the Slavín monument is the Slovak Radio Building. The upside-down pyramid has been ranked as one of the ugliest buildings in the world.
The building was completed in the early 1980s after some 15 years of work. It was part of a wider urban planning idea for Bratislava known as the Transverse Axis, which never quite came to fruition.
While the building has drawn negative attention, it does have its advocates. What’s certain is that you won’t see another building quite like it anywhere in the world.
10. Go shopping at Eurovea by the river
While much of Bratislava’s charm lies in its historic buildings and stories, the city also has a modern edge to it. You can glimpse this at Eurovea, a large shopping and entertainment complex on the riverfront between the Old Town and the Ružinov district.
Opened in 2010, Eurovea hosts a swath of high-street stores as well as a nine-screen cinema. Outside along the riverbank, the complex features several modern restaurants with great views of Bratislava Castle and UFO Bridge.
A major extension of the shopping centre, known as Eurovea 2, was opened in summer 2023 after four years of construction. The enlarged complex features a massive glass dome as well as Bratislava’s first skyscraper!
Things to do in Bratislava: food and drink
11. Eat soul-warming Slovakian food
Slovakian food is wholesome, hearty, and – above all – filling. Potatoes, gnocchi, dumplings, pork, cabbage and sheep’s cheese tend to be among the principal ingredients in the nation’s favourite dishes.
We did our best to eat our way around the city’s renowned spots and sample as many local favourites as we could during our stay. For a deeper insight into our culinary experiences in the city, read our article on Slovakian food in Bratislava.
There is plenty of crossover between Slovakian food and influences from neighbouring countries. Goulash from Hungary, pierogi (filled dumplings) from Poland and svíčková na smetaně (sirloin in cream sauce) from the Czech Republic are all common sights on menus in Bratislava, often with a local twist.
Many restaurants offer Slovak food platters featuring dumplings, sheep’s cheese, sauerkraut with bacon and other delicacies. Another local special is cesnaková polievka, creamy garlic soup served in a giant bread roll. Try the Slovak Pub for traditional food, or for somewhere a little less tourist-inhabited, hop over the road to Viecha U Sedliaka.
12. Drink Slovakian craft beer
If you like a good beer, then Bratislava is a happy place to be. The art of brewing has been alive in the city for centuries, but the the popularity of craft beer has skyrocketed in recent times.
A whole host of microbreweries emanate out from the epicentre of the Old Town. The original establishment, Meštiansky Pivovar, remains among the very best. This place first began plying its trade in 1752 and is still going strong today. Try one of their dark beers with a local speciality dish. Just perfect.
There are plenty of pubs and bars around the city’s streets where you can sample excellent beer, too. Our favourite was Zbrojnoš, which also stages live music.
You might be taken aback to see that most beers are labelled from 10% to 12% strength. Don’t be alarmed – this does not refer to ABV. Slovakia, like some other Central European countries, simply uses a different system to denote beer strength. This article on the Slovak Spectator explains it in detail.
If you want to learn more about the scene first-hand, you can take a Bratislava craft beer tasting one evening. You will visit a great local pub and microbrewery, and learn all about the city’s beer culture from an industry expert.
13. Try the famous homemade ice cream
Another hallmark of Bratislava’s food scene is its incredible homemade ice cream. You will find dedicated gelato shops dotted all over the Old Town, and wow – this stuff is great!
We allowed ourselves an ice cream each day, because, well, why not? The quality was superb everywhere we tried; the only factor that seemed to change was the range of flavours on offer.
Luculus (try the chilli chocolate) and Koun (forest fruit sorbet, mmm) on the south of Old Town are top picks. Our favourite, though, was Arthur Ice Cream, more centrally located. You will probably have to queue, but it’s worth it. The Ferrero Rocher gelato is out of this world.
14. Sample the local alcoholic spirits
Fancy something a little stronger? Slovakia has its own special ecosystem of alcoholic liquors and spirits. It’s a popular tradition in the country to drink certain tipples before and after eating.
As gin lovers, our personal favourite was borovička, a juniper brandy. This stuff packs quite a punch, but it can be toned down with a splash of grapefruit juice, which creates a drink called grepovička – give this a try at the KGB Bar.
Other fruit-based brandies you will find in Bratislava are slivovica (made with plums) and hruškovica (made with pears). Herbal liquors are also hugely popular in Central and Eastern Europe, and Slovakia’s own brand is called demänovka.
If you prefer something less intense and a little sweeter, medovina might be for you. This is a mead drink made by fermenting bees’ honey and water. There’s also pereg, a blackcurrant wine.
Finally, perhaps the powerhouse of a Slovakian drinks is tatranský čaj, a mountaineer’s tipple also known as ‘tatratea’. This ranges in strength from 22% to 72%. Some hardcore hikers in the High Tatras partake in a custom that involves taking a 22% shot at the beginning of a trek, followed by progressively stronger shots culminating in a 72% shot when reaching the summit. The ritual is then repeated in reverse on the way down, finishing with a 22% shot again at the bottom. Of course, this isn’t the safest way to hike! We were content to save our tatratea until after we’d finished.
15. Drink a selfie coffee at Five Points
The craft coffee phenomenon that has swept across Europe in recent years has taken hold in Bratislava. The city is speckled with cafés and creative spaces where you can grab a delicious cup and bury yourself in a laptop or a good conversation.
At the vanguard of the craze is Five Points, a chic joint near the heart of the Old Town. This is the only place in Bratislava where you can order a coffee with your selfie printed on it.
To order the ‘selfiecinno’, you just need to scan a QR code, upload your photo to their app, and within two minutes you’ll be sipping your face on a frothy cappuccino with your face on it.
Things to do in Bratislava: day trips
16. Tour Slovakia’s most stunning castles
Beautiful castles are a defining feature of Slovakia’s landscape. Driving around the Slovak countryside it felt to us like barely half an hour would pass before we saw another one. It’s hardly surprising, as there are over 100 castles dotted around the country. Bojnice, Trenčín, Orava and Spiš are among the most stunning examples.
The quickest and simplest way to get around Slovakia’s castles is by hiring a car. We found the country’s roads nice to drive on, and the scenery – wow. Check RentalCars to find the best prices.
17. Take a trip to Devín Castle
One of the castles within closest proximity to Bratislava is the ruins of Devín Castle, just a few kilometres outside the city centre. The ancient stronghold’s remains loom high on a cliff above the confluence of the Danube and Morava rivers.
Dating back over a thousand years, the castle has seen settlements come and go, and empires rise and fall. Its glory days ended spectacularly in 1809 when it was destroyed by retreating French forces during the Napoleonic Wars.
The relics of the old castle remain an impressive sight, and can be reached easily from the city. From the north side of Most SNP, the number 29 public bus takes you to the foot of the castle in 20–30 minutes. In the summer months, an additional 129 bus service also operates on the route.
Alternatively you can book a 3-hour guided tour from Bratislava, which also includes a tasting of some currant wines, which are famous in the region.
There are a handful of pubs and restaurants dotted around the foot of the cliff at the castle grounds. If the weather cooperates, a glass of local beer in the sunshine is a great way to round off the trip.
19. Go wine tasting in Modra
We’ve talked about the beer and the spirits, but Slovakia also produces some pretty good wine. The old royal town of Modra is one of the pillars of the Lesser Carpathian wine region and home to some of the country’s finest wine bars.
On a wine-tasting tour in Modra you can visit a family winery and explore the vineyards, learn the local techniques and traditions and – of course – try plenty of the produce.
18. Take a trip to medieval Banská Štiavnica
The quaint medieval town of Banská Štiavnica in Slovakia traces its beginnings back over 2,000 years. The town has a rich history of gold and silver mining, and is today a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site.
On a day trip to Banská Štiavnica from Bratislava you can learn about this history, visit the town’s open-air mining museum, and see the many artificial water reservoirs in the surrounding area.
20. Take a day trip to Vienna
Vienna is one of Europe’s greatest cities. Named the world’s most liveable city, packed with majestic architecture and at the forefront of artistic advancement throughout history, it’s a place you should visit at least once in your life.
Luckily, in Bratislava, you are only an hour away from it. Vienna is just a 60-kilometre hop over the border into Austria. You can take a train for as little as €10, or a bus for even less. Once you arrive, this itinerary for a day in Vienna will help you plan what to do.
Where to stay in Bratislava
We stayed in hostels on our first trip to Bratislava. We love the atmosphere and the opportunity to meet other travellers and socialise. But these days we’ll also look for mid-range hotels around the Old Town if we’re going for a weekend break or workation.
Our guide to the best hotels in Bratislava includes a guide to the best areas to stay around the city and our top recommendations for different travel styles.
These are some of our top picks:
- Hostel Folks, a comfortable, clean hostel in a great location right next to the Old Town.
- Hotel Antares, a fantastic value mid-priced hotel with 4-star quality in the leafy Palisády neighbourhood (and within walking distance of the Old Town).
- Marrol’s Boutique Hotel: gorgeous luxury hotel with a retro 1920s design and spa facilities in the Old Town.
Have you visited Bratislava? Let us know about your experience in the comments below.
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