Bratislava

Slovakia was part of Austria-Hungary a thousand years ago and after World War I, it merged with the Bohemia and Moravia - present day Czech Republic - to form Czechoslovakia. Slovakia celebrated its independance from Czechoslovakia fairly recently in 1993.

Bratislava is not only the capital city of Slovakia, it's also the cultural, political and economic centre of the country. Vienna and Bratislava are probably the closest capital cities of 2 countries in the world and are only about 60 km away. We took a train from Vienna's Sudbahnhof station and arrived Bratislava 75 min later.


Bratislava has got very graceful medieval old town with narrow winding cobblestone alleys. Getting to the city centre by tram was so cheap from the Hlavna Stanica railway station. It costed us €0.20 per person only! Comparatively, the cheapest bus ticket in Dublin is €1.05.




The Old Town is compact and easy to navigate with Hlavne Namestie being the central reference point. The main square was bustling with tourists and locals and many were enjoying a cuppa at the alfresco cafes under the wonderful Spring weather. The Old Town Hall stands prominently at one corner of the square and currently houses the Municipal Musuem. We strolled around the alleys off the main square.






In an attempt to enliven the city, a number of funny and quirky statues have been installed in recent years. Apparently they have become a tourist attraction. Well, we did a little treasure hunt to locate them as well. Hm. We should have spent our time better to visit other area. ;)


Primate's Palace was a neoclassical palace built in the 18th century and is now the seat of Bratislava's mayor.




The beautiful street of Sedlarska. We even stumbled upon an Irish pub along our way. Irish pubs are known for their atmosphere, or craic as how the Irish call it. Irish pubs are so popular to the extent that there is scarcely a major city in Europe and North America that doesn't have one.






St. Michael's Gate is the only fortification left and preserved from the medieval period. It was built circa 1300 and is among the oldest town building in Bratislava. Today it houses the Exhibition of Weapons of Bratislava City Musuem.




Under St. Michael's Gate and along the street of Michalska are many designer shops and alfresco restaurants and is one of most expensive streets in Slovakia.




St. Martin's Cathedral is the largest and oldest church in Bratislava. It's also the seat of the Archdiocese of Bratislava. The gothic cathedral was built in 14th century.




Hviezdoslav Namestie is a large square nearer to the Danube River.




Slovak National Theatre. This neo-Renaissance theatre was constructed in the 19th century and consists of 3 ensembles - the ballet, opera and drama.

Bratislava is a marvellous city which still retains the medieval atmosphere at its Old Town area. It's just nice spending a day to explore it. :) Unfortunately, Bratislava Castle was under renovation.