SLOVAKIA | Things to do in Bratislava

After a couple of days in Austria, we passed through Slovakia (the fourth country on our Europe trip), on the way to Czechia. Slovakia is a small landlocked country known for its stunning castles, folkloric traditions, and – surprisingly – cars!

Fun fact: Slovakia is the world’s largest producer of cars per capita with major automotive companies like Volkswagen, PSA (Peugeot and Citroën) and Jaguar operating in the country. We didn’t spot any of those cars though, as the main historic center is pedestrianized, which made walking around very pleasant.

Slovakia was formerly part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and later Czechoslovakia, so the Slovak culture shares similarities with neighboring countries. My first impression of Slovakia was that it was clean and orderly like Vienna, but the vibe in the cafes and shops was a bit more Bohemian.

Most locals we encountered in souvenir shops and restaurants in Bratislava were friendly and welcoming and the price of food and souvenirs was generally more affordable.

Bratislava is the smallest capital city in the European Union and the only capital in the world that borders two countries (Austria and Hungary), making it ideal for day trips. Bratislava lies along the Danube River, surrounded by vineyards and mountains and crisscrossed with forested hiking and cycling trails.

The main sights and landmarks in the historic center are all within walking distance of each other near the Old Town, so going on a self-guided walking tour is a good option for those with limited time.

Here are some things you can do (including free attractions) in Bratislava on short visits.

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Visit Bratislava Castle

Bratislava is known as the “City of Kings” since it’s the capital of several kingdoms and empires, including the Kingdom of Hungary and the First Czechoslovak Republic. Slovakia ranks third in the world in the number of preserved castles of the XIII-XVII centuries designated by UNESCO.

The reconstructed Bratislava Castle, one of the city’s most famous landmarks, is perched atop a hill overlooking the old town and the Danube River. If you’re on a short visit, the grounds and gardens are free to explore. If you have more time to spare, you can spend a couple of hours and pay to enter the castle, visit the museum and climb up the castle towers.

Wander around the Old Town

Bratislava’s Old Town is a lovely, pedestrian-only, 18th-century area with all the major landmarks. This small, but preserved medieval city center is packed with charming cafes and boutiques, churches and shops within clean surroundings and cobblestone streets.

I admit I didn’t do much research before our trip and we missed a few sights. Notable landmarks include the Blue Church, the Bratislava Riverfront and cultural institutions. The Old Town is where most of the foreign states’ embassies and Slovak institutions are located, including the National Council of Slovak Republic; the Summer Archbishop’s Palace, the seat of the Government of Slovakia, and Grassalkovich Palace, the seat of the President of Slovakia. Even if you don’t know the history behind each building, all the buildings astound architecturally.

Cross Michael’s Gate

Michael’s Gate is a prominent landmark in the middle of the capital, with a history spanning over seven centuries. Among the oldest town buildings, this is the only city gate with preserved medieval fortifications. The gate was built sometime in the year 1300, while its present form is the result of baroque reconstructions in 1758 when the statue of St. Michael and the Dragon was perched on top.

The tower now contains the Bratislava City Museum, which exhibits medieval weapons. The sixth floor of the tower has a balcony that offers views of the Old City, the Castle, and surrounding areas for those willing to pay the admission fee. You can climb to the top of the tower for €4.50 to get views over the old town.

It’s easy to miss, but you can also find a zero-kilometer with world sides right under the gate. This landmark shows the distance of European and world capitals from Bratislava. It was cool to stand on the spot from where all distance measurements are made. The road past Michael’s Gate contains a number of luxury shops such as Christian Dior and Swarovski where you can browse, souvenir stores and cafes.

Snap photos with quirky bronze statues

It’s hard not to notice all the bronze human-sized statues all over the Old Town. These figures depicting historical or notable personalities including Napoleon’s Army, Schone Naci, Hans Christian Andersen, and more are some of the most photographed attractions of Bratislava.

One of the most famous statues, that drew the longest line from tourists was that of Cumil, a worker peeking out from a manhole. This whimsical depiction of a sewer worker was created by Slovak artist Viktor Hulík in 1997 as part of a project to revitalize the Old Town after the communist rule. Today, tourists hunt down and snap photos next to the various statues.

Dig into unique Slovak specialties

Slovak cuisine relies on seasonal veggies and fruits grown in Slovak gardens. Simple ingredients like potatoes, meat, cabbage, flour, mushrooms, onions, milk products and garlic are used to whip up rustic, heartwarming Slovak dishes.

Slovakia’s national dish is bryndzové halušky (potato dumplings with a special sheep’s cheese called bryndza), which is similar to a gnocchi with feta cheese. Other specialties recommended to tourists include goulash (tomato-based beef stew), Kapustnica (a sour cabbage soup) and Vyprážaný syr (deep-fried cheese).

Lots of bakeries sell Trdelník, a sweet, crispy dough pastry rolled around a stick and topped with walnuts, sugar or cinnamon. Bakeries like Pressburg were also advertising “bajgels” or traditional Bratislava rolls, similar to a bagel but with a half-croissant-like form instead of round like a donut.

Buy crafts at ‘the Oldest Shop in Town’

While walking around, we stumbled upon Obchod v Muzeu, which branded itself as “the Oldest Shop in Town”. This traditional gift shop felt like a museum with old posters and memorabilia displayed. Walking around this lovely little shop felt like stepping back in time.

The shop sold beautiful traditional gifts, including small dolls, postcards, food products and craft beer. We found bottles of wine, beautifully packaged chocolates, clothes bearing traditional embroidery, ornaments and quirky cat postcards here. I highly recommend you check out this shop even if you don’t plan to buy anything.

Sample the local brews

Some of the local alcoholic drinks of Slovaks are Borovička, a traditional spirit spiced with Juniper Berries and Slivovica, a blue-plum brandy. We spotted a few craft beer bars including Bratislavka, which offered craft beer tasting, but it felt too early in the day to drink during our visit.

Another interesting bar is Slovak Folklore Garden, a 600-year-old cellar bar that serves traditional food.

If you’re looking for mainstream beers, the most popular brands in Slovakia are Zlaty Bazant, also known as Golden Pheasant and Urpiner. Other popular beers include Saris, Steiger, Kaltenecker, Pilsner Urquell, Gambrinus, and Corgon, to name a few. Czech beer is commonly drunk in many pubs as well. Slovakia is known for producing fabulously flavored honey.

You can find honey-covered nuts and medovina, or honey wine. There are dry and sweet varieties, best served after dinner as a dessert wine. As a unique souvenir, we took home a bottle of Medobeer with honey.

While we only spent a few hours in Bratislava on the way to Prague, we enjoyed the short and sweet visit. The capital had a nice small-town feel and didn’t feel too overwhelming.

Other things to do

We didn’t have time to visit this, but another top draw in Bratislava is the UFO Tower which has an open-air observation deck located above the Danube River. On clear days, you can enjoy a 360° view as far as 100 kilometers.