Our train from Budapest left just after 5 a.m. for the couple hour ride to Bratislava. We had a reserved carriage to ourselves for most of the trip and managed to nap a bit before we arrived. We were all a bit tired when we got to Bratislava, so it’s hard to say much about first impressions. However, after checking in, dropping off bags and getting a few espressos and croissants in our systems, we were all really struck with just how friendly the town is. With few exceptions, all the shopkeepers and locals we’ve interacted with have been really welcoming. Bratislava seems to lack some of the (at times) snooty pretension that we’ve encountered in some other cities on this trip. We stayed here overnight, basically making an extended day tour of the city. We did manage to see the things we planned to prior to visiting, but we all agreed that Bratislava would be a great place to relax and unwind for a few days. There really aren’t a lot of big attractions to see, but just the pace of things in old town is really chilled out, clean, quiet and (seemingly) safe. I understand that across the river amongst the sea of old soviet-era housing complexes can be a dangerous place at night. However, the winding cobblestone streets in old town seemed filled mostly with fairly sedate tourists at all hours.
After breakfast we caught a bus that took us a little way out of town to Devin castle. The area around the castle is very quiet and a bit rural, with fields dedicated to grazing sheep and goats. The castle dates back to the 5th century B.C. and was destroyed by Napoleon’s forces in the early 19th century. It was pretty empty during our visit there. Interestingly, it seemed (maybe lost in translation) that they sold out of tickets, because they would only sell us three tickets. This worked out fine though as they just let all four of us in anyway. We had a good time and basically just goofed off and made a spectacle of ourselves.
Our bus stop back in Bratislava is right on the old town side of the Most SNP bridge (Most Slovenského národného povstania or Bridge of the Slovak National Uprising). Our plan was to grab dinner at the top of the UFO tower on the other side of the bridge but we just made it a late lunch. The view from the restaurant up top was pretty amazing. The Danube river splits the city; on one side giving you a sunset view of Bratislava castle looming over the cathedral spires and red tiled roofs of old town and on the other the pastel colors of rows of soviet block-housing. By no means a unique feature, the bathrooms have you doing your business in front of floor-to-ceiling glass while looking down on the city. It was a nice spot to relax for a couple of hours. The drinks were nice, but the food was kind of mediocre for the price. For such an iconic monument, it’s really a can’t miss place for a visit to Bratislava.
Bratislava castle was rebuilt in the 1950s, a detail that was enough to have us kind of skim over the place. The best part is really the view across the river of the Most SNP and UFO tower. We really spent the rest of our time strolling around old town, checking out little shops and buying enough goodies to have to begin to get creative with our baggage. We stayed at the Arcadia Hotel, which had an expansive and beautiful “spa and wellness” area with wet and dry saunas and a cold plunge pool as well as a very large hot tub. Alternating between the sauna for several minutes and then jumping in the cold pool was… invigorating. Greg said it made him “feel all the feels.” Closing out the evening with that was just great after days of schlepping around city after city. Also, The Arcadia Hotel is just a massively thick stone structure that is completely silent inside your room. With the drapes pulled, it is black as night and totally silent. Oh yeah, and they have real pillows (Europeans seem to hate pillows as much as they hate ice). We got a full eight hours of sleep, which was a real treat on this trip. The train ride from Bratislava to Vienna was about an hour. After the relaxed stay in Bratislava we’ve started our time in Austria well rested and in great spirits.
Slovakia Gallery:
