Bratislava?
 

I'm going to be in Vienna in March and was curious if it is worth a day trip or an overnight to Bratislava. I don't know anything about the city, but it is very nearby.

Been there twice. I can't pinpoint what it is that I like about BTS, but I really do like it (may have to do with the incredible local "talent" evident on the streets, in the cafes and so on :o )! Definitely worth a daytrip...Go up to the castle, then stroll down to the old city and find a nice little place to eat dumplings or something homely.

Yes, you can make it as a daytrip by a speed boat from Vienna. But one day it´s enough, because there are not really a lot of sights to see.

and don't eat anything :p

I know a lovely little hostel you can stay in...

I've done the day-trip from Vienna a couple of times (by train rather than boat - never could get organised in time to do the boat). By train, you have the option of a swish, new, fast train to the incredibly inconvenient Bratislava-Petrzalka or an ancient one-car railcar through some bizarre border backwaters to the much more convenient Bratislava hl. st (a short tram ride to the old town). I prefer the latter, but then I like things like that (I'm actually disappointed that it now runs through, and that you don't have to hop off on to the tracks at the border, wait for the police to turn up, and then hop across the tracks to an even more ancient one-car railcar).

The old town has been very well restored, with some lovely squares and back streets that are good for wandering around. You can get decent food and drink for very cheap (some of the more back-street bars do have some raw meat dishes that I wasn't too keen on, though...) At weekends, it can be popular with heavy drinking groups of lads who come from all over (not least from the UK) to take advantage of the cheap prices and behave accordingly.

It's a good place to wander round, explore the old back streets, and look at the bizarre welcome-to-our-alien-overlords boat over the Danube.

It does have its seedier side, and it does have its organised crime. The two often collide in nightclubs and strip clubs. You probably won't come across this, but it's a good idea to make sure you don't.

:confused:

Is there much in the way of history or museums or anything besides the castle? Is the food pretty much similar to what I would find in Budapest or Vienna?

no offense intended, i just find the food in bls...lacking.

vienna and budapest are international cities, you'll find all sorts of food at all sorts of prices there. bratislava has traditional slovak food and bad italian food.

While it will not be available during your upcoming trip, Starwood is planning a new hotel in the city. Also from VIE there appears to be frequent bus service dirctly to Bratislava.
PS- Why do I keep thinking of that Slasher/Horror flick HOSTEL, whenever the name Bratislava comes up :eek: ???

Mmm...stay at a suite in a local property for €100 or pay Starwood €230 for a double room at the Sheraton (that's the going price in KRK) ? That'll be a tough one ;)

Maybe you can hook into a local tour while there. I totally enjoyed one. Can still see a canon ball 1/2 buried in a wall that was supposed to have been put there by Napolean's army. The tour I ended up on was all Germans except for me. My German is minimal. The guide would go though her full spiel in German, and then turn to me and repeat the whole thing in English.

The city has sort of an Austrian feel to it. Spotlessly clean and similar architecture.

Romelle

I took the boat there, thinking of sort of drifting lazily down the Danube. It was a rushing thing with water splashing up in all directions. We were inside and couldn't see out of the windows because of the splashing water. You will get more scenery with a train.

Yup, this is the first thing that came up to my mind when i heard Bratislava.:eek:

Hostel was filmed in Prague ;)

:D Yup.
Or stay in a local hotel in the town square for about 100euro or a hostel in the town square for 19euro

I can usually get a nice room at the Sheraton Krakow for 140 euros, including breakfast. Maybe you're saying during busy times?

And if you like to go out clubbing, do check out the Harley Davidson club. It's not what you come to expect from hearing the HD name but seems to be one of the better clubs in Bratislava.

About six of us (me and the guys/girls I met at the hostel) went there one night and it was on the Valentine weekend last year. I remember at one point in the night, they cleared out the ring they have in the middle of the club and this really hot Slovak girl (stripper?) danced and then stripped completely nude in front of everyone. It was quite interesting :cool:

As for the city, it was nice to stroll down the small roads and admire the architectures. You can visit the castle (you can't miss it as you can see it from anywhere in the city) or take the local bus to the castle outside of the city.

The people there are really nice and friendly. I remember one night, after my late arrival into BTS, I took the local bus from the airport to the train station. From there, I transferred to another local bus to the presidential palace area. The thing is, I don't know where my hostel located. All I know was it's near the palace. It was raining at the time and I had two luggage and a backpack with me. I walked around for about 20 mts, got all wet until I found this woman who was walking her dog. I asked her help to find me the hostel and she grabbed one of my luggage, walked me all the way to the doorstep of my hostel and left. You can't find something like that in the States without getting robbed :p

Also, I remember when taking the local bus to the castle outside of the city. I asked the bus driver what time the next bus leaves from the castle. He said the bus I was in would be the last bus. He told me the castle is closed anyway (I got there too late) but if I want to take some pictures, he will wait for me. Once I got there, I thought he would just leave me there but he didn't. Instead, when I returned to the bus and showed him the photos I took, he noticed that I didn't go to the lake behind the castle where you can see some bullet-riddled statues. He drove the bus there, told me he would wait couple more mts so I can go take some more pictures. Again, this is almost unheard of in the States :D

Not many people there speak English and those who do speaks very minimal. Or at least in my experience.

I didn't eat any Slovak food. Believe it or not I ate at this Chinese restaurant downtown and liked it so much that I went back the next day lol

I was there for 2 days and I felt it was enough.

Bratislava definitely a must see city in Europe and is one of my favorite cities.

Edit:

Here's some pictures I took in Bratislava: 1 2 3

There are a lot of these clubs at BTS !! :D

I was in Bratislava about this time last year. Meant to spend a week visiting a friend but (ashamed to admit this) I only stayed 2 nights and then scarpered over to Vienna.

Bratislava is nice but really apart from the castle and the old town there isn't much and wouldn't be worth more than a day trip.

If you do get the chance I would recommend seeing an opera there. Given its proximity to Vienna the level and quality of the productions are amazing. My friend, knowing how much I love opera (he cannot stand it), was kind enough to get us tickets to 'The Magic Flute' - by far the best production I have ever seen anywhere. Even my friend enjoyed it!

Oh and be wary of the slivovica - drunk for the kick not the taste ;)

I am considering breaking up my hydrofoil trip between Vienna and Budapest, if possible. Does anybody know if there is a secure left luggage option available?

Does anyone have any recommendations on hotels in the city? Oddly enough, I was looking at burning some Starpoints, but since that isn't an option... :D

Would like to keep it close to or under €100/night, if possible...

Thanks!

I wonder why nobody mentioned the regular coach service between Vienna and Bratislava (always calls at VIE airport in either direction ! ).

It is by far the most convenient way (schedule + price wise) to travel between both cities ! ! !

It´s operated (shared) by the austrian "POSTBUS" and the slovak "Slovaklines" and runs 17 times daily each way !

How's the drive between Vienna and Budapest, and how much time? Besides Bratslava, any other stops not to be missed?

I've stayed at a suite in City Hotel which, while not the most sophisticated property I've been to, had very friendly service, free internet, a great breakfast and charged less than EUR100 for the suite. Slightly outside the city centre- 20 mins walk or about 8 in a taxi (very cheap).
I see prices have gone up a bit (the Czech and Slovak crowns have been gaining against the Euro), but I'd still recommend it- just stay at a "business double" or some such.

Thanks! That was indeed one of the hotels I spotted in my searches, but hadn't heard much about it. Will check it out! ^

Hydrofoils were not designed to be poncy barges, you know :D
I really liked the boat ride from Vienna. You do speed down the river quite fast, but it's charming to be on the open top in the sunshine and the wind rushing, and you can duck down below whenever you get cold, and go up when you get warm. On a train, you're stuck with being too hot. Plus the boat has good views of the riverbanks; you go past people fishing / picnic-ing / having a nude sunbath and lots and lots of trees with no humans around.

The downtown is small, but pleasant. You'll be charged extra for the privilege of a lager at an outside table, but it's still cheap. I ate the food and had no trouble. Outside the downtown, however, it's... less scenic :)

PS Never saw "Hostel", but Bratislava is comically featured in "Eurotrip", though I don't think it was actually filmed there. It's a pleasant detour from Vienna-- get you away from all the coffeehouses and fancy cathedrals!