Lady’s Guide to 24 Hours in Bratislava, Slovakia

Today I want to share my travel itinerary for 24 hours in Bratislava with you. The capital of Slovakia is one of the most underrated cities in Europe. It’s worth a special trip to discover it.

24 Hours in Bratislava

My 24 hours in Bratislava surprised me. When I studied in Prague years ago my professors told me and my fellow classmates that we should all go hiking in Slovakia, but that we should skip its capital city.

Several students ignored their advice and did the exact opposite. They came back with tales of a small city that paled in comparison with its Czech counterpart. They assured the rest of us we shouldn’t go.

I took their advice, but not my professors’. It was unfortunate, since all the other recommendations my teachers made were great.

Spring break in Croatia was amazing (not least because it wasn’t on the tourist map yet), Slovenia’s Lake Bled was beautiful, and all the Czech towns our study abroad program took us to were well worth a visit.

It always irked me that I didn’t make it to Slovakia, though. Ever since I moved to London I’ve meant to go for a weekend of hiking in the mountains, and a few months ago my boyfriend and I finally booked a trip.

Coincidentally, so did two of our friends. The husband is from Slovakia and he and his American wife were going back to spend a long weekend at the same time we were.

They generously invited us to join them at their house in a town near the High Tatras in northern Slovakia. Hiking, spas, and lunches in Poland were all on the itinerary.

So was 24 hours in Bratislava. I was a bit worried at first that I wouldn’t like the Slovakian capital, but I went along with the plan.

Hotel in Bratislava, Slovakia

My boyfriend booked us into the Sheraton Bratislava Hotel for the first night of our stay, and it proved a great introduction to the city.

The hotel was beautiful and our frequent guest status got us an upgrade to a great junior suite on the top floor. We settled into the room and enjoyed the chocolate-covered fruit the hotel brought us as a gift.

Eurovea

After that we continued our 24 hours in Bratislava by meeting our friends for a drink at the city’s sparkling waterfront development, Eurovea.

A shopping mall, a national theater, grand plazas, waterfront restaurants, and a riverfront park were all part of the area’s appeal.

Our Slovakian friend told us the Irish had developed Eurovea as a bet the city would be the next Dublin economically.

Four car companies had recently opened factories near Bratislava, the city was business-friendly, and per capita GDP had overtaken that of Barcelona. Bratislava was on the rise, and Eurovea reflected it.

Bratislava Old Town

After a drink at one of the shiny cafes on the Danube, we continued our 24 hours in Bratislava by walking along a riverside path to make our way to the old town in Bratislava.

The pedestrianized streets there were full of lively bars and restaurants, and the area had a great atmosphere.

The buildings in the old town had beautiful historic facades, and the quirky sculptures along the streets were reminiscent of David Cerny’s art in Prague.

We settled in at an open-air bar for a drink before heading back to the hotel for the night. It was still warm outside at 1am, and even warmer when we woke up in the morning.

Bratislava Castle

After breakfast at the hotel, our 24 hours in Bratislava continued as we met up with our friends to do some more sightseeing.

Our first stop was at Bratislava Castle. Sitting on the city’s highest hill, the historic fortress was visible from everywhere in the capital.

Likewise, the views from the castle walls allowed us to see the entire city and along the Danube into Austria.

One of the things we could see from the castle was a Soviet-era bridge with a space-age pod on top. Our friend explained that locals call it the UFO, and that it’s home to a good restaurant. We were sold.

Lunch at UFO Restaurant in Bratislava

Lunch at UFO Restaurant was a formal affair. Waiters with white gloves served us kangaroo goulash, partridge fillets with gratin dauphinoise, and Thai coconut soup with prawns.

As we ate, we gazed across the Danube to the castle and Bratislava’s old town. It was an enjoyable lunch. Well, except for the bottle of water that cost 17 euros. Ouch.

Beyond Bratislava

After lunch we walked through the old town to pick up our friends’ car. They drove us back to Bratislava airport to get our rental car, and then the four of us were off to their house in northern Slovakia for the rest of the weekend.

Excited as I was to go hiking in the mountains and experience the Slovakian spas, I felt a twinge of sadness that our 24 hours in Bratislava were over.

I was pleasantly surprised by how enjoyable our time there was, and I was grateful to our friends for not only showing us around, but also putting the city on our itinerary.

It would have been a shame to miss out on what’s perhaps the most underrated city in Europe. To be continued…

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