A place of quirkiness, facades and colour. This was the city in which we had the least time. A measly 20 hours, starting at 14:00. That’s not a long time, to be sure. Especially when most of those hours are dark and attractions are closed.
I’d love more time to explore this city, and see some things we either missed or didn’t see in great detail. Maybe next time, we’ll actually go up to and inside the castle? If anyone has any suggestions or comments, do let me know!
Here are my experiences and my account of our one day in Bratislava.
Accommodation Evaluation
I think this was one of our favourite rooms of the whole trip. Walking in and seeing the amount of space, as well as the wonderfully spacious and furnished balcony with all its fake grass quirkiness, was just so exciting. And yes, this time I did take photos!
Pension Petit – Deluxe Double Room, Patio, City View – one night at £38.35
We had such a large open space: more than I’ve ever seen before in a hotel room patio/balcony. We could see the Castle, the St. Martin’s Cathedral, the UFO tower and the Presidential Palace was just in front of the hotel. The room was very comfortable and we could, very literally, dance around the room. Or actually swing a cat.
I’d recommend this little place. It honestly doesn’t look much from the front; it’s a wee way out of the city centre, but the room was super cool, super comfortable and the balcony was very pleasant. For the price we paid, I think it was bloomin’ beautiful. Top notch.
Voyage and Discover
We had a little walk around the city, although strapped for daylight time. I’m proud of what we saw and sampled in all its quirkiness, and I hope it inspires you for your trips. Here are a couple of places that we saw or checked out in March 2022.
Old Town Hall
Originally just one town house with a tower, it turned into the town hall in the early 15th century. It then started assimilating further houses into its complex until a redesign in the mid-16th century unified all the buildings’ façades. The Baroque-style appearance of the tower was the result of a 1733 modification and since then, further modifications and changes have been made. Today it stands proudly: yellow and white. Compared to the Zagreb church, the mosaic rooving over the window was nothing. And yet, its quirkiness was still pretty and eye-catching, along with the colourful façades surrounding the upper windows.
This makes me think of a living thing, constantly moving and growing and getting face lifts and haircuts. Just me? Okay.
From medieval history until the early 20th century, the exhibitions of the city show you the people’s life in Bratislava. For more information, click here.
The price was 8€ to check out the exhibits and climb the tower. I’d say it was worth it. The tower was a highlight for us. We had a brilliant view of the gorgeous medieval-looking square and to the right, we could see the castle. The UFO Tower was on the left, St. Martin’s Cathedral in the middle and the city looked quite compact and neat.
Michael’s Gate
Closed and all covered in scaffolding when we visited. Literally nothing to look at bar a looming tower of scaffolding. Jenga-like, one could say.
The only preserved gate of the original four in the Bratislava city fortification. It seems to be open again to the public, and with significantly less scaffolding. For the latest information on the gate and tower, click here.
It’s hard to miss when you must pass beneath the tower to enter from or exit the city’s old-town from the north. Close-knit streets populate the city and are full of quirkiness, pubs and drinkeries. Genuinely didn’t know that was a word, but Google hasn’t given me a red underline, awesome!
Čumil the Sewer Worker, Man at Work
We knew he was around somewhere, and we started from the main square and hunted around a bit for a wee while and then saw him. As a statue, he was interesting enough. Supposedly it’s good luck to rub his head, but coming from Edinburgh we know to not do that, because we’ve seen Greyfriars Bobby’s nose. It no longer matches the colour of the rest of him! Bit of quirkiness, bit of fun.
His exact location is here. On the corner of a crossroads.
Without a doubt, you will see his effigy on every tourist souvenir you can think of. For my souvenir banknote and coin collection, I picked up a couple of bits and, surprisingly, they did not show the ‘Man at Work’.
Bratislava Castle
Balanced against our arrival time and departure time the following day, we decided it was perhaps not worth making the half an hour journey up the hill to the castle. Especially since you can see the castle from everywhere in the city, including our wonderful hotel room. The view was most likely nicer from the city anyway than right on top of it.
The castle added to the quirkiness of the city, with its albeit unusual shape and omnipresent appearance. It was depicted on all the tourist knick-knacks as well. I love this banknote collection as I have found 0€ notes in a few places across Europe and I think it’s a refreshing change from the usual coins and medals you can buy. 😉
The Blue Church – Church of St. Elizabeth
As mentioned earlier, our lack of daylight hours meant we visited this place at dusk. At about 18:45, there was a Catholic service going in inside, so couldn’t really take photos inside and the streetlamps made it hard to get good photos outside. We sat in the pews and listened to a smidgen of the service and admired with our God-given eyes (if that’s what you believe) the unique interior.
Undeniably, this church was a gem to behold, both inside and outside. Quirkiness levels were high. It was unlike any church we had seen, with its baby blue exterior and interior. Certainly worth a visit, although perhaps it is better to check it out in daylight for those gorgeous blue hues. For more information, and for better images, click here.
Bites and Beverages
Looking back, we did not consume much when we were in Bratislava. A part of me wishes we had sampled a bit more traditional fare whilst there, however I do not regret the awesome cheese and meat platter I had in the beer house. Just means I need to go back, oh what a shame!
Farmer’s Platter
This was pretty darn great. Lots of cheese, some unusual meaty-type stuff and bread. Simple fare. Paired great with beer, pretty Bavarian-like really. I couldn’t see it on the Sladovna menu here, and I see lots of traditional stuff we didn’t see at the time, but hey ho, things change.
The establishment itself was pretty cool: an awesome Czech beer house. Inside was quite rustic with wooden furniture and whilst I remember the staff being alright, I found a few of my interested beer questions went unanswered and they seemed a bit reluctant to chat. I wouldn’t say they were rude though. I also might say it wasn’t too cheap, at 16€ for a large portion of the Farmer’s Platter (450g).
Czech Beer Flight
I was on the hunt for Slovakian beer, brewed in Slovakia. It was unclear at the time where this beer was actually brewed, but later research told me it was the Czech Republic. Oh well. I sampled a beer flight of four varieties on draught and so that was a great experience. For more beer details, head over to Volume Beer (once released).
Tantalising titbit: the word for “draught” in Slovakia is not “Točeno” as in Slovenia, but “čapované”. This is just one letter difference from the Czech “čepované”. Not surprising as Slovakia and the Czech Republic used to be the same country, and they weren’t a part of Yugoslavia. “Pivo” meaning “beer” remains the same here as in many countries in eastern Europe.
If you’ve made it this far, congratulations! Just one more country to go in our amazing, fantastical European Tour. We’ve been to Madrid, Sofia, Zagreb and Maribor and now Bratislava!
Phew, I must say, we’re getting a little low on energy after all this wonderful sight-seeing and travelling around. But we wouldn’t have changed it for the world. We got up and were on the train for 9:57am. Next stop…. Budapest: see you there!
One response to “Engrossing Europe: Volume Six – One Day in Bratislava, Slovakia”
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