Bratislava

I was in Europe for the very first time and wanted to see everything.  After finishing my work in Poland, took a train to Presov, Slovakia to visit a local friend whom I met the year before in California. Followed her advice, I took a train from Kosice, a city to the east of Slovakia to Bratislava. This was the first beautiful train-landscape I witnessed in my last three months, and thus the first beautiful train ride in Europe.

Trip brainstorm

- Bratislava Castle, a guardian angel on a hill. It was once a Roman frontier post and has been sitting here watching over the city since the 9th century.  If you come to the castle from the Old down, you will be on your way to St. Martin’s Cathedral, one of oldest and largest church of Bratislava.  Several Hungarian kings were crowned here. From there, follow the road uphill and past a pretty yellow and white House of the Good Shepherd, now a clock museum.
- Upon returning to the Old Town, a good choice would be the Primatial Palace in Bratislava located in the centre of Old town. There are many oil portraits of the Hapsburg Royal family, one of which is Marie Therese at her coronation in 1742.  The Hall of Mirrors is also very nice to see.
- A must-see sight in Bratislava is St. Elizabeth’s Church (nicknamed “blue church”) , only a short walk away from the main square, on Bezrucova street.  It is said to be one of the most beautiful pieces of art Nouveau architecture in the world.
- My favorite sight (you will never guess this) is a quirky statue of a mischievous-looking construction worker deep down under a sewer with only his face sticking out watching passerby. On top of him is the sign “Men at work.”  Maybe it is a coincident, but I swear the idea of the statue has something to do with band Men at Work and their song Down Under.  (below)
- Bored with all these historical and cultural information?  Take bus 80, 83 or 93 to Aulandia Aqua & Spa Paradise.  Bus departs from Zochova across the New Bridge, only one stop to AuPark.
-  Explore the outdoor at Koliba where there is always something to do like skiing in the winter, hiking in the summer, slide the toboggan or ride the ponies.  Climb the Devinska Kobyla for a view at the top.

Food

Slovak cuisine, like its brother Czeck, is neither special nor great, known and treasured worldwide like famous Chinese or Italian.  Potatoes, onions, garlic, cow, sheep cheese and wheat flour are the bases of the traditional Slovak food.

Restaurants in Bratislava usually fall into 3 price ranges:  expensive (over €40), moderate (€15 to €40) and cheap (up to €15).  This price is for a three-course meal for one person including half a bottle of wine or equivalent, plus tax and tip (usually 10% of the total bill).

Accommodation

Sample Costs

Transportation

- Bratislava Milan Rastislav Štefánik airport, is the home base of Danube Wings.  Bus 61 takes you directly to the main train station. Another option is fly from/to the airport in Vienna, which is only one hour away.  (Vienna and Bratislava are the closest European capitals).
- Several times a day, there are trains to other popular destinations like Vienna (1 hour), Budapest (3 hours) and Prague (4-5 hours).
- The main train station (Bratislava hlavná stanica), is also the hub for many public bus and tram lines going directly to the city center.  Tram 13 is currently the best connection. (Walking only takes 10 minutes.)
- Coaches connect Bratislava with the rest of Slovakia, many Czech cities and destinations in Europe going as far to London and Paris.  The Central Coach Terminal (Autobusová stanica) is at Mlynské nivy, the eastern border of the city center.  To get to/from the main railway station (Hlavná stanica), take trolleybus 210.

Guidebooks

Men down under