Have you ever seen the film Eurotrip? The film from 2004 documents a group of teenagers travelling across Europe where they end up in Bratislava. This is the only time I was ever really exposed to Bratislava on TV and let me tell you – it is not a good depiction of how amazing the city is! (you can watch the clip on the film here!)
We came to Bratislava right at the end of our inter railing trip last Summer. Unfortunately, after taking a bus from Ljubljana that stopped at 5am in Vienna for an hour or two we didn’t arrive in high spirits and ended up taking a nap in our BnB when we finally arrived. I feel bad in a way because when we finally arrived in Bratislava we were fairly exhausted by Castles & Old Towns so we probably didn’t give the city the recognition it deserved, and we didn’t even make it to the Castle – as beautiful as it looked from the outside.
That being said, we did get a pretty good taste of Bratislava as a city and despite our tired heads and the bad weather, we still really loved it. The Old Town is filled with gorgeous cafés and shops everywhere and unlike your Old Towns in Croatia or Montenegro, it is not full to the brim with tourists. The architecture is really stunning and there are not many ‘modern’ buildings within the Old Town Walls. One of the most famous parts of the Old Town is St.Michaels Gate – a stunning entrance that really sets the tone for the rest of the Town. You will come across amazing Graffiti throughout the city too, like this wall at the edge of the Old Town. I think this was one of my favourite parts of Bratislava!
While in Bratislava, you can visit a type of ‘ruin bars’ similar to Budapest. During the war, they used to congregate and drink in bunkers under the ground which have remained as pubs to this day! We left it quite late to explore these after our dinner so the bunker nightclub ‘subclub’ was closed on the particular night we were around so make sure to do your homework before dinner, unlike us! While we didn’t find any ruin bars ourselves, we did go to a number of bars throughout the city. The drink is really cheap here which makes it a popular spot for Stag & Hen dos.
One of the best things about the city are the Satirical statues placed throughout. There is ‘Cumil’ which translates to ‘the watcher’ peeking out from underground, Schone Naci which is a statue of Ignac Lamar from the 19th Century and the Napoleon Solider who stands in the main town square, leaning on a bench minding his own business! These statues are such a treat to come across and they are hard to miss as they usually draw a crowd!
While we didn’t get to do everything in Bratislava (like visit their famous Blue Church), we did see enough of the city to know how amazing it is. It is the perfect destination if you want a cheap, fun filled weekend away. They have good food, cheap drink, beautiful architecture and you are always met with a smile. I don’t think you could ask for much more!
Have you ever been to Bratislava, or would you like to go there?
Reblogged this on Travel News Updates With A Twist.
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I loved the ruin pubs in Budapest. I had no idea they were in Bratislava too! Sounds awesome. 🙂
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Yeah we didn’t get to go to the bunker club but every bar we went to was pretty funky! 🙂
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Reblogged this on Voices inside your head.
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That is beautiful…the place and your publish!
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Coming from a country in South East Asia, everything looks new to me. It kinda reminds me of some of the Game of Thrones scenes. 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
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It’s a really beautiful city! Thanks for commenting 🙂
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I’ve been wanting to visit Bratislava. I’d love to see the castle and Old Town! And the rooftops look so pretty!
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It’s a really stunning and underrated city in Europe, and so cheap! Thanks for commenting 🙂
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Those rooftops…this looks absolutely amazing. I love the idea of the ruins pubs, too! Being from the Chicago area, makes me think of speakeasies.
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I don’t think you can get nicer rooftop views than Eastern Europe! Thanks for commenting 🙂
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Hey lovely! I tagged you in the Travel Tag: https://ellamaygarrett.com/2017/05/23/the-travel-tag/ xxx
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I love graffiti walls and street art! I always seek things like that out when I’m in a new city.
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I know me too! That’s why I was so happy when I found this here right on a main street 🙂
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I haven’t been yet but definitely want to! Those ruin pubs looks fun and love the statues. Am trying to go this summer.
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It’s a brilliant place to visit and so close to Austria and Hungary!
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I went to Bratislava when I was a kid but now looking at the pictures I realize I don’t remember anything. Sure worth a second visit!
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Oh really? What a pity! I visited Amsterdam when I was younger and a similar thing happened me. I barely recognized it when I went back!
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This town sounds fantastic, especially the bunker bars.
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Yeah it’s the perfect place for a little weekend break!
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I’ve never heard of this town before!! It’s seems really fun!
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It’s the capital of Slovakia.. It’s really beautiful but very underrated!
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What an amazing little city! I love the look and feel of the architecture. That castle is just stunning! & really neat graffiti, too
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It’s really beautiful, it’s a pity it doesn’t get more recognition!
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Thanks for sharing! Bratislava is on my list now!
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Thanks.. it’s a really wonderful and underrated city!
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The castle looks like a fairytale movie set! Hope to visit Bratislava soon 🙂
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It’s really amazing! You will love it 🙂
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Eastern Europe really has some gems of places. Bratislava just seems so rustic and charming at the same time. I will add it to my Europe bucket list
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That’s making best use of the available time
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Now you got me interested in seeing bunker bars! And the castle looks surprisingly modern-ish.
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