Bratislava, Slovakia
June 2023
We were so glad that we added a day in Bratislava to our Central Europe itinerary, as this was one of my favorite places! Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and is located along the picturesque Danube River. I've added a map that pinpoints Bratislava, since you may be like me and not know exactly where it is 😉. As you can see, Bratislava borders both Hungary and Austria, so it was literally on our way as we travelled from Budapest to Vienna. We stayed just one night in an Airbnb on the ninth floor with a great view of Bratislava and the castle.
Bratislava is very compact, and in one day we were able to wander around Old Town, walk along the Danube River, go up the UFO Tower to see some great views, and visit the Bratislava castle grounds as the sun started to set.
~ Click any image to enlarge ~
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Strolling Around Town
Bratislava is made for strolling. The pedestrian-only Old Town is very picturesque, and is known for its cobblestone streets, quirky art, lively bars and cafés, and its gourmet ice cream treats. We also strolled along the Danube riverbank through the more modern riverside park with luxury condos, bridges and restaurants.
The Soup Shop is a small shop in Old Town that serves vegetarian and vegan cream soups in edible bread cups! You take a sip of your soup, then nibble on the bowl. What a fantastic idea!!
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UFO Tower
The UFO sightseeing tower is a flying saucer shaped structure that sits on top of Bratislava's "New Bridge" at 95 meters high. At the top of the tower there is a bar and posh eatery plus an observation deck above that provides great views of the city and the castle! Clearly my phone camera was not able to capture the panoramic views of the city very well 😦 . . . but you get the idea.
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Bratislava Castle
The reconstructed Bratislava Castle overlooks Old Town and the Danube, and because of its size and location it has been the city's most prominent landmark for centuries.
We visited near the end of the day, so it was too late to do a tour or see the courtyard gardens. But I managed a photo of the castle gates as the sun started to set! The castle provides views of not only Bratislava, but also Austria and parts of Hungary.
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Street Art
Similar to Prague and Budapest, the Bratislava Old Town is known for it's quirky street art. Probably the most popular sculpture is ÄŒumil (Slovakian for "The Watcher") which is a bronze sculpture of a sewer worker peeping out of a manhole on the street. Apparently the sculpture was intended to be somewhat ambiguous and is all the better for the mystery! Is ÄŒumil just resting after cleaning the sewers? waiting for his shift to end? taking a sneak peak up the girls' skirts? The stories are plentiful and so are the car accidents that have happened to poor ÄŒumil!
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Thanks for visiting!
