Bratislava, Slovakia

The second half of my trip was Bratislava and finally Prague. (See my planning posts for Bratislava here and here.)

I spent 24 hours in Bratislava and, while I loved it and thought it was a charming city, it was enough for me to see and do what I wanted to.

Day one: Walking Tour, 1. Slovak Pub, Hostel Stories and Steinplatz
Day two: Grassalkovich Palace, Primates’ Palace, The Church of St. Elizabeth, Buchtáreň

Day one: Walking Tour, 1. Slovak Pub, Hostel Stories and Steinplatz

So, I took the bus from Budapest Nepliget to the Bratislava bus station early to have the afternoon in Bratislava. I’d put “Nepliget” into Google Maps and hopped on a bus to get there. On the bus, I decided to look at the directions I was given and realized it was taking me to the middle of a park! I (rightly) assumed I was NOT supposed to go to the Nepliget Park, but rather the Nepliget station. Oops! So, I got off two stops before I was supposed to, to walk down a street to where I thought looked like the station. Took me at least 30 minutes to walk, so it’s a good thing I gave myself lots of time to get there! The bus was uneventful and I got to Bratislava with just enough time to check in and head to the free walking tour.

I got there early (everything was closer than I expected) and bought a tea and read my book at the fountain where we were supposed to meet (at 3 pm). At about 2:55 pm, I looked around and didn’t see anyone with a sign/umbrella etc. to signalize they were the tour guide. Did I have another Vienna Pub Crawl mix up? No, they were just on the other side of the fountain.

The tour lasted about 3 hours and everyone else on the tour ended up having to leave early so I got about 20 minutes with the tour guide myself to ask questions about the best things to do with 24 hours in the city. He recommended a great place for dinner that night and lunch the next day and both places were amazing.

On the tour we made a few stops including the Bratislava Castle with great views of the Danube, the Jewish Quarter, UFO Observation Deck and Synagogue Memorial.

Cost: Donation/tip

After the tour, the sunset was starting to look pretty nice so I scoped out where the best place to take photos would be. I dashed to the Old Bridge and got this shot of the UFO observation Deck, Bratislava Castle and the Danube.

I went back to the hostel to drop off my bag and head for a bite to eat. The 1. Slovak Pub was around the corner from my hostel (which is always ideal!) It gave me enough time to sit and enjoy my food and get back to the hostel for “Story Time”.

The hostel I stayed at (Patio Hostel) gave a free drink coupon at the bar (which ended up being such a fun night out), and every night seems to have some sort of event where you can get to know the other people in the hostel. As a solo traveller, it was a great way to actually meet people in the hostel! So, armed with my drink coupon I went down for “Story Time” where, if you shared a story you got a free beer. Of course, the stories I thought of AFTER were way better than the one I shared.

We stayed in the bar from about 9 pm to midnight and a bunch of us went out to a bar called Steinplatz to keep the party going. I hadn’t brought my wallet to the bar because I’ve been planning on staying for the one drink but ended up staying out with the group until the early hours of the night.

Day two: Grassalkovich Palace, Primates’ Palace, The Church of St. Elizabeth, Buchtáreň

I got up fairly early, even after staying out so late, because my time was so limited in the city. I had a list of places to visit and checked them all off by 11 am!

The first stop was the Grassalkovich Palace (the Presidential Palace) on Hodžovo Square. There was a photo instalment (I’m not sure if it is permanent) with a bit of history on Slovakia and the “Velvet Revolution“. What I liked about this trip was the intertwined history of the four cities I visited and noting the similarities and differences of the history during each walking tour. This was no exception: reading about the Velvet Revolution and the dissolution of Czechoslovakia at Grassalkovich and then reading about the same thing in Prague!

My next step was the Primate’s Palace (pink palace) where I wanted to check out the Hall of Mirros but unfortunately no tours were taking place while I was in the city. So, I took a few photos and continued wandering around the city.

I next stopped at the Church of St. Elizabeth: another colourful example of Bratislava’s charm. I didn’t go in but check out how blue the church is!

At this point, I was tired and hungry so I went to Buchtáreň (by the recommendation of the tour guide) to try the steamed dumplings he was raving about. After my first bite I could see why it was his number one suggestion for sweet food to try! I would go back just to have one more. They are steamed dumplings with various fillings and toppings. I got one apricot and one vanilla, topped with melted butter, caramel, cocoa and bread crumbs. (OK, not the healthiest breakfast/lunch but SO worth it).

After that, I checked out the hostel and made my way to the train station to head to my final destination: PRAGUE.