Bratislava Things to Do Tips by Ekaterinburg

Bratislava is small enough to walk around comfortably but if you haven't had time to do preliminary research, a guided tour is a good idea. Even if you have done all the research then it's still very helpful to get an overview and saves a lot of time wandering around later. We took this charming red choo-choo train and found it very satisfactory indeed. It's very comfortable, the windows are huge and give great views and the guide was excellent. We travelled through town and up to the castle, then back downtown where we continued on foot through the Primate's Palace and the Old Town to St Martin's Cathedral.

This tour cost EUR 8 per person and I would consider it very good value for money. At the end of it I knew enough about the important events in the city to appreciate and understand what was on offer and was then free to carry on with my own explorations.

There are a huge range of guided tours available from the tourist services of Bratislava. Visit the website for details

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Phone: 421 2 16 186
Directions: You can pick up the red train from the main square or in front of the Bratislava passenger port.
Website: www.bratislava.sk
Other Contact: touristinfo@bratislava.sk

This is not my description of the Slovak National Gallery. I think this description, ( which was the opinion of our guide ) is inaccurate and a little unfair. Certainly, the front of the building as seen from the riverside is a monument to ugliness in its worst form but that is not the whole story. The photo shows this fairly gross communist architectural feat but behind that is a nice grassed courtyard and the bulk of the gallery which is housed in a converted naval barracks and a former palace. Most of the interesting works of art are in this Esterhazyo Palace and its interior bears absolutely no resemblance to the unfortunate exterior.

It's a welll-presented gallery with permanent collections of Slovakian and European art and a varied programme of events and current exhibitions. At the moment these include 'Flying Dutchmen" and a retrospective of the work of Ales Votava, a well-known Slovakian stage designer and artist, now unfortunately deceased.

What impressed me most about the Slovak National Gallery is that they charge no admission fee to students of art, culture, history of art etc. Maybe other European galleries could learn from this.
Admission is SKK 80 for adults and SKK 40 for students and anybody else who can claim a concession.Opening hours are from 10.00am - 6.00 pm daily, except Mondays.

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Phone: 421 2 5443 2081 2
Address: Namestie L'. Stura 4
Directions: The gallery is facing the riverside, just a few minutes walk from the square where the Slovak National Theatre and the Reduta are situated.
Website: http://www.sng.sk

In front of the National Gallery and all along the banks of the Danube, you can't miss Novy Most. While much of the communist architecture in Bratislava is pretty gruesome, this bridge is definitely an exception. I'm not sure if opinions are divided on this but as far as I'm concerned, this bridge looks amazing.

Formerly known as the SNP ( Slovakian National Uprising ) Bridge, it was built between 1969 and 1972 and is the 7th/8th largest suspension bridge in the world. But unlike the other great suspension bridges, pillars are noticeably absent on this one . The pillars supporting the 'flying saucer' appear to lurch dunkenly backwards and the whole thing is held up by steel cables. The aptly named 'UFO' restaurant sits on top and a viewing gallery which can be accessed by elevator for a minimal fee. I didn't avail of this service, as merely looking at it made me dizzy but I was interested to read later, that the communists didn't like people going up and enjoying the views over capitalist Austria.

The bad news about this bridge of course is, that a whole slice of the old town, including the Jewish area, was destoyed to facilitate its construction. This is why, when you cross it, you are abruptly landed practically right in the centre of town.

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Address: Connecting Petralzka with the Old Town
Directions: The bridge is visible fom anywhere along the river bank and from most parts of the city.
Website: www.bratislava.sk

Between the river and the Old Town is Hviezdoslavovo Namestie, a long street with fountains and statues, which incorporates the lovely cobbled square containing the Slovak National Theatre. We spotted the theatre the minute we got out of the bus and were delighted to find that this was where we would be going to the ballet, later on in the evening. It's a cheery yellow colour which slightly offsets the formality of its neo-classical facade and the busts of Mozart, Goethe, Shakespeare and other artistic luminaries.

An evening performance of "Sleeping Beauty' gave us a chance to check out the interior and it was even more impressive than we expected. A completely circular auditorium with gold gilding everywhere - beautiful - and superb orchestra and dancers. All this cost EUR 20, a fraction of what it would cost in most European cities.

The box office for SNT is at Kommenske Square, just behind the building. Tickets for both opera and ballet, start at around EUR 18.

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Phone: 421 2 5443 3764
Address: Hviezdoslavovo Namestie
Directions: About five minutes from the Old Town, near the Hotel Carlton.
Website: http://www.snd.sk

Diagonally opposite the SNT, and directly opposite the Hotel Carlton, is the secessionist Reduta, home of the Slovak National Philharmonic. This building, painted a bright cream colour, has many interesting architectural features and is home to a casino and restaurant as well. This is where all the classical music concerts are held and again these are very cheap compared with prices in other cities.

The Slovak National Philharmonic has been around now for 59 years and is highly regarded internationally. The box office is situated in the Reduta building and is open from Monday to Friday.
Wednesdays: 8.00am - 2.00 pm; other days: 1.00 pm - 7.00 pm. Their website is excellent and gives full details of all the chamber orchestras, choir and philharmonic as well as an online schedule and booking facility.

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Phone: 421 2 5443 3352
Address: Hviezdoslavovo Namestie.
Directions: Directly opposite the Carlton Hotel.
Website: http://www.bratislava.sk/

In post communist Bratislava many measures were taken to brighten up the city and surroundings. As well as substituting bright colours for grey, amusing bronze statues were placed around town as focal points and topics of conversation and speculation. The daddy of all these is Cumil , at the corner of Panska and Rybarska streets. My introduction to Cumil was not ideal. Looking up at the street names and thinking how Polish the Ulica looked, I stumbled and almost fell on top of him. He looked quite amused but then he seems to be enjoying himself. My first thoughts were that this was a monument, as in Warsaw, to soldiers fighting in the sewers but I couldn't have been more wrong. Cumil just IS, and looking around, having people stop and admire him is his only function.

Other staues worth seeing are Napoleon's soldier in the main square, Schone Naci and the Paparazzi photographer, near the restaurant of the same name.

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Address: The corner of Panska and Rybarska
Directions: On Panska Street, midway between the Carlton Hotel and the Old Town
Website: www.bratislava.sk

The most visible landmark in Bratislava, Bratislavsky hrad is in full view way before you ever hit town. It looks really good perched up on that hill, despite the unflattering comparison to an upside-down table but unfortunately, the closer you get, the less impressive it becomes. The present building is the result of reconstruction during the communist era and there is little surface evidence of its long history. It's too modern looking to have any dramatic impact and the interior courtyard is the drabbest and most featureless, I have ever seen in a public building anywhere.

There is a museum here, The Slovak National Museum of History, and probablya visit here would fill in the gaps left by the shortage of external detail. There's also a treasury and a small museum in one of the watchtowers. I didn't have time to visit any of the museums and my verdict on the castlewould have to be very disappointing. The views from the castle however made the trip worthwhile . ( Details in 'Off the beaten Track')

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Phone: 02-5934 1626
Address: Bratislavsky hrad
Directions: On a hill over the city, impossible to miss
Website: www.bratislava.sk

No matter how many European cities I visit, I never get tired of the 'Old Town' syndrome.
Almost all of them have 'old towns' and most of them are very touristy but it doesn't matter. The first whiff of a little cobbled street and some quirky gabled roofs and I'm sucked in. I suppose this is a direct result of living in Ireland where, although we have really spectacular scenery, quaint old town centres are definitely few and far between. Bratislava's Old Town was well up to picturesque standards and of course the whole Christmas market thing added greatly to my pleasure. All around the Old Town Hall and Hlavne namestie, Frantiskanske namestie, Michalska Street, Kapitulska Street etc., you couldn't wish for more beautiful atmospheric streets, squares and buildings. This Old Town has plenty of street cafes and restaurants but I think outside of the main square is considerably less touristy than most 'old towns' I've visited. Another unusual feature of this visit for me, was that for once, I hurried away from the 'Old Town' to get to the more historically and (for me) architecturally interesting 'New Town".

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Address: Old Town
Directions: The central area of the city between the Old Town hall and St Martin's Cathedral
Website: www.bratislava.sk

The Old Town hall faces onto the Hlavne namestie on one side and behind has an absolutely delightful courtyard. Both sides are very beautiful and both, in December, had absolutely buzzing Christmas markets. The building dates from the 14th century when a mayor built a house with a tower there. Eventually, several buildings merged nito one and by the 15th centyry, the town hall was roughly as we now see it. It's a bit of a mishmash of architectural styles with gothic, renaisance and Baroque all geting a look in. From the front, the yellow, baroque tower strikes a colourful note against the red roof tiles and the courtyard behind this tower is also a very striking space.

The Old Town Hall houses two museums, the Vinohradicke Museum, with a nod to the Slovakian wine industry and the City Museum , Muzeum historie mesta. This includes some torture implements as part of an exhibition of feudal justice and various other art and artefacts associated withthe town's history.

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Phone: 421 2 5920 5135
Address: Hlavne namestie
Directions: In the centre of the Old Town
Website: www.muzeum.bratislava.sk

St Martin's Cathedral is probably the most famous of Bratislava's churches. During the construction of the bridge and dual carraigeway that carved up the Old Town, it just about survived intact but now has the dubious attraction of a major road almost going right through it. Approaching from the Old Town side though, it still retains its character and you have to crane your neck very high to see the tip of the spire which has a replica of the royal Hungarian crown on it. This crown weighs 300kg, 4kg of which is actual GOLD, so I'm wondering if there have been any attempts to steal it ?

The importance of this church stems from the fact that it was the coronation church for the Austro-Hungarian Empire. By 1830, 8 queens and 11 Hungarian kings had been crowned here. Toay it's hard to imagine the pomp and splendour that must have taken place here, because the interior is quite ordinary. The most interesting feature is the large statue of St Martin, depicted as a Hungarian horseman who cuts up his cloak and shares it with a poor man.

Open Monday to Friday: 10.00-11.45 am and 2.00- 2.45 pm.
Saturday: 10.00 am - noon and 2.00 - 4.45pm.
Sunday: 2.00 - 4.45 pm
Admission prices are posted in the porch of the church but when I visited, nobody was collecting them

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Address: Rudnayovo namesti
Directions: Not far from the Old Town square.
Website: www.bratislava.sk