Garnished with the same grandeur as Vienna, Budapest and Prague, Slovakia’s capital gets a fraction of the visitors of its Austro-Hungarian empire cousins. This Danube-straddling city has former royal residences painted in sugar-almond colours, verve-filled restaurants and a supremely walkable, extremely old old town. Beer is almost cheaper than water, but Bratislava’s drinks scene is showcasing a new generation of Slovakian winemakers as well as jewel-like cocktail bars.
What to do
● Locals know how to start a Saturday — and also know to arrive hungry. In the Old Market Hall, between 9am and 3pm, candy-striped awnings house the wares of Bratislava’s top artisans and producers. The stalls sell cut flowers and socially conscious coffee, natural skincare and hot sauces, vintage clothes and traditional bakes as well as books and records (staratrznica.sk).
● There’s something Wes Anderson-adjacent about Bratislava’s terracotta-topped castle, and it’s worth the uphill slog to see it up close. The Baroque Garden, with topiary mazes and sassy baby statues is the main draw, especially as the spring flowers bloom. The castle’s interior — in parts from the 9th century — houses the Museum of History, but unless you’re a fan of Slovakian art it’s not essential (free entry to the gardens; bratislava-hrad.sk).
● Hidden away in the candyfloss-pink courtyard just behind the Hlavne Namestie central square is the Bratislava City Museum. Heading up the narrow stairs to the clock tower gives views across the sprawling city rooftops while the museum gives a thoughtful whistle-stop tour, including video diaries from the city’s time under communism (£7; muzeumbratislava.sk).
● There’s no getting away from it: a walk around the old town (there are regular free walking tours) is the thing to do. A breadcrumb trail of gold-coloured crowns marking the traditional coronation path starts at St Martin’s Cathedral and heads down into the toytown streets, past the cake shop Kormuth with its baroque interiors (konditoreikormuth.sk) and into the main square before finishing up at the copper-topped St Michael’s Gate.
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● The Soviet-era fascination with spaceships lives on in Bratislava’s UFO bridge and tower, with a spaceship-shaped cupola that is higher, at 95m, than the Statue of Liberty. You can swing your way around the structure, which was built in 1967, between April and October as part of the UFO Skywalk. A bird’s eye view of the castle from its observation deck and sky-high restaurant come as standard (£9; u-f-o.sk).
● If you don’t mind squeezing in a quick road trip, the magnificent riverside remains of Devin Castle are at the end of the No 29 bus route — just 30 minutes from the central bus station. There’s a small museum, but essentially you’re here for the impressively well-preserved ruins and 4th-century church (£7; muzeumbratislava.sk). Make sure to dine at Slovakia’s hottest table, Eck, which overlooks the site (eckrestaurant.com).
The coolest neighbourhood
The area around the city’s much-loved Blue Church on the easterly edge of the old town is now Bratislava’s most desirable place to live. This is where young dads come to stroll through the park with their babies and impeccably dressed university students hit Fleur Bakery for croissants or join the queue for natural varietals at the wine bar Otto (ottobratislava.sk). The church itself is a brilliant landmark, painted in powder blue with Gaudi-looking curves and motifs.
Where to eat and drink
Bistro St Germain
Who needs Paris? With its ceiling-high bookshelves, draping fairy lights and slouchy leather armchairs the bistro St Germain is as scrumptious as its butter-fried, cheesy croque monsieur, made with smoked salmon and emmental. Homemade cordials – a standard feature on most Bratislavan menus – include a delicious sea buckthorn lemonade and the mighty patisserie cabinet gleams with ganache (mains from £7; stgermain.sk).
Grand Cru Wine Gallery
Slovakian wine suffered under communism, but Martin Pagi is helping to change that one glass at a time. Down a cobbled side street beside St Michael’s Gate, Pagi’s Grand Cru Wine Gallery champions Slovak grapes including a frankovka modra rosé (glasses from £3; grandcruwinegallery.com).
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Albrecht
Tucked away in the pretty residential perimeter of the old town, butter-yellow Albrecht is worth the pilgrimage for the potato velouté alone (although don’t skip the veal cheeks, which shred apart on your fork). Best of all, however, is a romantic outdoor terrace — a must-visit in the summer (mains from £14; hotelalbrecht.sk).
Modra Hviezda
Out of a raft of traditional restaurants, Modra Hviezda is the finest (Divny Janko, serving schnitzel and goulash next to the Presidential Garden, is a close second). For lunch go upstairs, where the dining room mimics an Alpine farmhouse. Come evening, slink into the cavernous depths for a crispy-skinned rabbit leg and Slovakia’s most famous dish: potato dumplings with sheep’s cheese, topped with salty bacon (mains from £16; modrahviezda.sk).
Irin
The city’s newest and most ambitious restaurant has a focus on provenance and hyper-locality, precision plating and soul-stirring flavours. Opened in 2022, its tasting menu changes “impulsively”, according to the chef Lukas Hesko, with wine pairing for an additional £36. On a warm evening, snag an outdoor table under the weeping willow (seven-course tasting menu from £66; irinrestaurant.com).
Antique American Bar
Michalska Cocktail Room has speakeasy charm, while Spin will show you a good time via all manner of kooky receptacles. But if there’s one bar worth seeking out, it’s this one on Rybarska brana in the old town. The owner, Erik Lorincz, headed up the American Bar at the Savoy in London for almost a decade. There’s a roll-call of classics but the white-coated barmen are just as happy to whip up something off-book (cocktails from £10).
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Where to stay
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Marrol’s Boutique Hotel
This five-star hotel sits where the riverbank and the old town are at their closest, and the walk to both takes less than five minutes. Inside it looks like a modern country manor, with a cosy leather-shod library bar, and 51 rooms made up of stately dark wood and light cream, plus three suites. The ground floor restaurant, Houdini, offers finessed Slovakian cuisine (B&B doubles from £80; hotelmarrols.sk).
Loft Hotel
The unmistakable thrill of a free minibar lives on in this hotel just north of the old town, beside the pretty fringes of the city’s Presidential Garden. A tale of two halves, 111 of Loft Hotel’s rooms have exposed brickwork, burnished leather and tough metals. The ten Wilson rooms are a classier, more palatial affair in the older part of the building (room-only doubles from £86; lofthotel.sk).
Grand Hotel River Park
The mirror-like 11th floor swimming pool overlooks the treetops of Pecnianska forest; the best suites face directly onto the Danube. Bratislava’s most luxurious hotel is big — there are 231 rooms, but that means there’s enough space for the city’s largest spa and a buzzy lobby bar (B&B doubles from £168; marriott.com).
If you only do one thing
Take the No 47 bus 20 minutes north of the old town to Horsky Park, a 150-year-old forest fantasy. Beneath a blanket of moss-coated yews, redwoods and Douglas firs you’ll find bandstands, a sculpture garden, a petting zoo and Funus, a pub in a blue and white cottage.
By Hannah Ralph, who was a guest of Grand Hotel River Park (marriott.com)
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