Bratislava was a sweet little big surprise! I took a day trip from Vienna bus station by booking the ticket online to Bratislava. The bus does not drop one off to the city centre. From the last stop you have to buy a half hour ticket from the ticket vending box, validate it in the city bus and get dropped off at the city centre. As soon as one de boards the bus at the bus stand below the flyovers you are welcomed by a pedestrian only old town. Your attention also goes to the hill top Bratislava castle overlooking the centre and the Danube river.
Without further ado, I want to dive into the things one can do on a day trip to the capital of Slovakia.
1. Historic Centre of Bratislava
Bratislava is an inviting cozy town with a very put together condensed city centre. You will simply glide into the cobbled alleyways. The beautiful architecture, the colourful attractive buildings, the attractive bars, restaurants and cafes offering alcohol, bakes and meals a real gastronomic treat for a hungry wanderer will just take you deeper and deeper with no need for a map. Go on to look at the historical buildings, shops, monuments, fountains.
2. Holy Trinity Column
An impressive monument that welcomes you as soon as you get off from the bus and start your walk of the city centre. It commemorates the end of the plague. There is plaque that provided more information regarding the event.
3. Old Town Hall & Maximilan's Fountain
The main tower of this arcade is one the oldest in the country. It used be the house of the mayor. Today one can go inside and have a look at the museum and view from the top of the tower.
This is a beautiful square one walks into. A surprise cultural might await you. Check out the shopping streets around walk into an interesting cafe.
4. Slovak National Theatre
Be spontaneous and enjoy a show of ballet, opera or other musical performances at the Theatre.
5. Bratislava Castle
The castle immediately catches your eye. I could imagine how strategically important its' advantageous hilltop location on the Danube must have been. From the terrace you can see the the Rivers and the borders or Hungary and Austria. Historically the castle housed the Crown Jewels of the Hungarian empire.
6. St Martin's Cathedral
On the walk to the Bratislava Castle you will come across the St Martins Cathedral. With its Gothic style architecture its a marvel that you can't miss. This was a coronation church and around 12 monarchs of the Hungarian empire were crowned here.
7. SNP Most and the UFO observation deck
The word Most means Bridge in slavic languages. This eye catching massive structure is from the soviet times. It's the longest cable stayed bridge in the world with only one pylon. On top of the pylon is UFO like structure. One can eat at the restaurant on the UFO while enjoying the view of the Danube and the city from up there.
8. St. Elizabeth's Church/The Blue Church
As I walked and this church revealed itself to me I felt like I'm looking at a giant cake! It so pretty and so rounded and smooth. With its beautiful blue and white decor - it's whimsical to say the least. It is the symbol of Slovakia. The architect in charge of building this church that looks like its in a Disney animation film was Odon Lechner.
9. Monuments & Statues
Walking around spot the famous statues - Cumil, Statue of Hans Christian, Andersen, Napoleons Army Soldier statue, Sculpture the witch, Holocaust memorial, Hviezdoslavov Pomnik, and many more.
10. Devin Castle
Going to the Devin Castle is a cute experience. Its a ruin located on the confluence of the Danube and Morava Rivers. It was the strong hold on the trade route on Danube but became a scenic ruin after the assault by Napoleon.
11. Museums, Zoo, Parks, Art Galleries, Bunker
There are many museums and other places in Bratislava that were beyond my interest at that time like the Slovak national Gallery, Danubiana Art museum, Galeria art gallery, Park Janaka Krala(oldest public park in Europe), botanical garden, transport museum, etc. As per your interest you may indulge.
12. Experiences & The most important things to not miss
Following a list is good. But sometimes it's good to allow yourself to get carried away. For example, I saw the beer bike and I think this is an absolutely fun experience.
But I did not start the trip without an ice cream treat. The beautiful peaks of ice cream had an ASMR quality ! So I am walking on the street and somewhere in Bratislava I see this plaque on an old building that seemed abandoned. The plaque reads -"This house formerly had the kerna restaurant. 20 Aug 1968 Jawahar Lal Nehru & his daughter Indira Gandhi met with Vladmir Clementis. ❤️ To the Indian friends of the Slovak and Czech Nations dedicates Bratislava, City of Peace."
So I got off the bus and I was drawn in the direction of live music. There was a lively event bustling with artists supporting - singers, painters, mainly people who wish to express themselves in the way they know best on an issue they feel passionately about. There was something for everyone like Art and lego based activities for the kids.
13. Food & Shopping
Do try the mildly sweet Bratislava rolls with your tea or coffee and the sweet honey based and tea based liquors Medovina and Tatratea.
Shop for local handicrafts at the souvinier shops and stalls. Honey, Medovina (local liquer), hand made dolls made of straw are some things you can pick up as gifts. I also found some natural room fresheners made of dried citrus fruits and condiments.
In conclusion, taking a day trip to Bratislava is definitely worth it for the small things and the big things. The strangest things leave their mark - The kind family who gifted their time for a complete stranger. They noticed me trying to work the ticket vending machine and even though they had no intention of going in my direction they did drop me till my intended destination with no ulterior motive other than the fact that I remember their small city with fond memories, the dark chocolate and blueberry ice cream & the pleasant conversation I had with the ice cream seller, the blue church, the sight of the noisy happy group on the beer bike and the lunch I stuffed my mouth with - the awesomest strawberry lemonade, bread and pasta (in the order of awesomeness).
I can definitely feel the "Europeaness" in this city. I can easily tell the difference coming from Russia but also what does not escape my eyes are the traces of communist roots, soviet style residential building, the similarity in the slavic group of languages & when I see Russian products on display in a random shop.
I returned to Vienna by bus from the main bus station under the flyovers but you may cruise back to Vienna on the cruise ships parked alongside on the Danube. It will take more time but won't it be a memorable sail to Vienna in Europe's 2nd largest river?
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