How to Explore Bratislava, Slovakia in 24 Hours

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From Vienna, our next destination, country #3, was one I was less familiar with but eager to learn more about. After a quick one-hour train ride, we arrived in Bratislava, the capital and largest city in Slovakia. Our hotel, Aplend City Hotel Perugia, was in the center of Old Town Bratislava and walking distance to almost everything. It was quaint, quiet, and located in a pedestrian-only zone, where we could walk freely, without worrying about vehicle traffic. A breakfast buffet was included with the room cost, which was a perfect way to preserve time while also having a tasty meal that would keep us full while on the move. We only had 24 hours here and a lot to explore.

Manhole Statue - Click for his story

We set off to the Bratislava Castle, located on a hill overlooking the Danube River. Originally built in the 9th century, this structure has been rebuilt several times. It was destroyed by an accidental fire in 1811 and remained in ruins until it was rebuilt in 1953 and since 1968 has been used to house exhibits from the Slovak National Museum. It was also briefly home to the President of Slovakia in the 1990’s.

View of Danube from Bratislava Castle

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Bratislava Castle

The most recent renovation was in 2010, completed with a televised unveiling of the prominent statue of King Svatopluk, which you see as you enter the castle.

Statue of King Svatopluk

From here, we made our way back down the hill and stopped at a museum recommended to us by a local friend. Multium was unlike the other museums we’d visited so far on this trip. It was a gallery consisting of 6 rooms, all filled with different optical illusions. We entered one at a time and each room made you feel like you were in another world. Pictures don’t do it justice but I highly recommend paying it a visit.

Multium

​After finishing up at the museum we set off to meet our Slovakian friend, Zuzana (Zu for short), who would be showing us around for the evening. We met outside The Grassalkovich Palace, the President of Slovakia’s residence, which was glistening from a recent rain storm.

The Grassalkovich Palace

Selfiecinno's at Five Points

Preparing us for a late night, Zu’s first stop was a coffee shop called, Five Points, located in Old Town Bratislava. The unique touch to this café was their “Selfiecinno”, aka a cappuccino with your face on it. How could you resist? This was a fun way to get the night started and energized us for the activities to come. 

Stop #2 of the night was a pub called Zlateho Bazanta, meaning Golden Pheasant, for a couple of pre-dinner drinks. A “couple” quickly turned into Zu conversing in Slovak with our waiter and us receiving a large beer tank accompanied by shots of Tatratea, a tea-based herbal liqueur (find it here), and a gigantic basket of wings to share. Everything was delicious, the service was friendly, and the live music made for the perfect atmosphere.

Beer Tank at Zlateho Bazanta

A room in the Slovak Pub

After many, many mugs of beer and belly laughs later, it was time for dinner. We walked to the Slovak Pub, a place I had read excellent things about during my research prior to the trip. The fact that Zu, a local, approved of this restaurant only solidified our choice. The Slovak Pub is the largest bar in Bratislava and exuded a casual and friendly environment. The pub was comprised of 11 rooms, all of which represented a different era of Slovak history. 

Find Tatratea here

With local white wine and more Tatratea, we toasted “na zdravie” to our first dinner in Slovakia and left the ordering to Zu. Once again, she did not disappoint. As if we didn’t get enough in Prague, we shared two creamy garlic soups, which came in home-made bread bowls and were topped with fresh farm cheese. This was divine. Of course, we couldn’t let the bread go to waste so, once we were done with the soup, we took big bites out of the bowls until every last bit was gone. Talk about a clean plate club.

Garlic Soup

Slovak Platter

Determined to try a form of dumpling from each country we visited, for our next course we shared the Slovak Platter. This platter contained sheep cheese gnocchi, meat pierogi with sheep cheese, and dumplings with cabbage and bacon. Each bite was more taste-filled than the last and we savored every fork-full. For entrees, we all shared the pork with smashed potatoes and the roasted pork ribs. 

Very full of traditional Slovak cuisine and spirits, it was time for stop #4. We approached what looked to be a café closing up for the night. Some words were exchanged in Slovak and we entered. Walking past the baristas and up a flight of stairs, we came to what looked like a closet. The wooden doors opened to a large, heavier door, which lead us into a secret speakeasy, Michalska Cocktail Room. It was extremely cozy, dimly lit by candles and fringed lamps, and covered with drapes and rugs.

Michalska Cocktail Room

Juraj at Michalska Cocktail Room

Our bartender, Juraj, was enthusiastic and ready to entertain. His cocktails were perfection and he educated us on the different local liquors he was using to concoct our drinks. After several hours of indulging, it was time to call it a night. We thanked Juraj for a wonderful experience and headed to bed to rest up for an early morning of our remaining sightseeing.

Devin Castle

The next day, we took a short cab ride to the Devin Castle. This castle is one of the oldest in Slovakia and is said to have been built 864. Now in ruins, after being destroyed by Napoleon I of France in 1809, the castle was originally used as a fort to watch over a trade route that ran along the Danube River.

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From the castle you can see a beautiful view of Austria just across the river, as well as the “Maiden Tower”, whose name came from old legends claiming that imprisoned lovesick daughters were kept there. 

The Maiden Tower at Devin Castle

Devin Castle

Devin Castle

Several photo ops later, we rode back into the city to visit the Church of St. Elizabeth, also known as “The Blue Church”. It was no secret how it got its name. The blue color of the church blended with the sky and the blue mosaic tiling was stunning. Even the interior was covered in shades of blue and gold. It was designed in the 20th century by a Hungarian architect and is truly unique in Bratislava.

The Blue Church - Interior

The Blue Church

​Eager to squeeze in one last meal in Slovakia before catching our train, we walked back to Old Town for a less traditional, but equally satisfying meal at Green Buddha. I normally wouldn’t think to have Thai food while in Slovakia but I couldn’t help but notice the rave reviews and tasty looking menu as we walked by.

Gai Satay

We started with Gai Satay, grilled chicken skewers, served with a creamy peanut dipping sauce.

For my entrée, I enjoyed the Pad Thai, my usual go-to when ordering Thai food. Everything was authentic and delicious and I would recommend it to anyone looking to change things up from traditional Slovak food.

Pad Thai

Ready for a train nap, we headed to the Bratislava Station to catch our train to our 4th and final city, Budapest, Hungary.

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Ignac Lamar, a lovesick man who enjoyed greeting people on the street

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Final STOP - PART IV: Budapest, Hungary

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