City Rating: Bratislava
Population: 420,000
Date of visit: March 2019
Attractions & sights: 3/5
Nightlife: 2/5
Safety: 4/5
Infrastructure: 3/5
Low budget factor: 3/5
Total: 👍👍👍/5 (very generous)
The city in a nutshell:
Bratislava is a small and cozy city with a few good sights. However, compared to the capitals of the neighboring countries, Bratislava is a rather unspectacular city. This is certainly also due to its size, as Bratislava is the smallest of the Visegrad capitals with only 400,000 inhabitants. The capital of Slovakia has enough to offer for a fun weekend, but Prague or Budapest are the better choice in the end.
Where to stay:
Old town. It doesn’t necessarily matter where in old town, as it is a very small area (from one end to the other it’s a maximum of ten minutes by foot). In any case, the worthwhile things of Bratislava are in and around old town.
The Good:
Bratislava is a cozy city, in which you can enjoy a relaxing city trip. There are some places of interest and the size of the city offers the advantage that everything is within walking distance.
Among the most important sights are the castle, the UFO bridge and old town. The interesting thing is that the omnipresent castle can be seen from a different angle, depending on where you are in the city.
However, it is mandatory to look at the castle from a distance. Here, there is also a worthwhile view over Bratislava and the castle also has a nice garden.
By the way, one can also eat excellently in Bratislava. Especially recommendable are ROXOR BRGR, where I ate one of the best burgers of all times, and the restaurant Hradná Hviezda, which is located in the castle.
The Bad & The Ugly
The size of the city is not only a strength but also Bratislava’s greatest weakness. Theoretically it would be possible to see the city and its sights in one day. A weekend is therefore probably the maximum worthwhile for Bratislava. Or in other words: the city will get boring quickly. And the fact that one of the best cities in Europe (Vienna) is only half an hour away does not benefit Bratislava either.
Moreover, the old town of Bratislava is rather expensive. If you think you’ve landed here in the cheap east, you’re terribly wrong. Prices for food and drinks are based on the upper EU standard. In certain bars, the prices for drinks are even at Swiss level.
And speaking of drinks, Bratislava’s nightlife is below average. The streets on a Friday or Saturday evening are mostly empty and the bars and clubs don’t get beyond “mediocrity” status.
All in all, Bratislava is well worth a weekend, even though it doesn’t come close to its competitors Prague and Budapest.
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