One Day in Bratislava: The best things to do

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We visited Bratislava as part of our trip around Europe by train. The Slovak capital is relatively small so one day in Bratislava is enough to see all the main sights.

You can easily visit Bratislava as a day trip from Vienna. Or, like we did, stay the night to enjoy the restaurants and ambience of the old town in the evening.

With more time you could do day trips in the surrounding area too. Although small, Bratislava old town is full of character and charm.

Getting to Bratislava

Bratislava is located in the heart of Central Europe but has great connections to many other European destinations.

Slovakia‘s largest airport is located here if arriving by air, but it is also easy to get to by train and even river ferry.

Arriving in Bratislava by air

Bratislava airport is just a 15 minute taxi ride from the city centre and has direct flights to many European destinations.

Vienna airport is only 40km away so many use this airport to expand the choice of flights, particularly if flying long haul.

From Vienna airport there are frequent buses directly to Bratislava. Busbud is a great site to see all services and book your transfer.

Arriving in Bratislava by train

We didn’t arrive in Bratislava by train but we did leave by train from the main station, Bratislava Hlavná Stanica.

This is around a 10 minute bus or tram ride outside of the main old town. We took tram 1 from Poštova, just outside the old town.

If taking the tram you need to buy a ticket before boarding. There are small machines at most tram stops but these are mostly cash only.

Predictably we didn’t have any cash on us but Adam managed to dash into a small Tabak across the road and buy the tickets there using a card.

Bratislava has good rail connections with other parts of Slovakia including Poprad, gateway to the High Tatras, and Kosice, Slovakia’s second largest city.

There are also good connections to other cities in central Europe including Budapest, Prague, Brno and Vienna.

Arriving in Bratislava by river ferry

If you are travelling from Vienna then there is also the option to arrive by river ferry along the Danube.

We took this option and have written another post about the boat trip. The great thing about arriving this way is that the dock is right on the edge of the old town, meaning if visiting for the day you are straight into your sightseeing.

If, like us, you are staying overnight, you are likely to be staying in the old town so will be able to get to your accommodation on foot.

Things to do for 1 day in Bratislava

1. Explore the old town (Staré Mesto)

We arrived from the Danube which hugs the edge of Bratislava old town. The area is compact and very easy to explore on foot.

Much of it is pedestrianised which makes the whole experience even more enjoyable. Since it is so small, you are likely to come across most of the highlights by just wandering. Here’s our favourite things to look out for.

Michael’s gate (Michalská brána)

Perched at the top of Ventúrska Michlská, this gate is the most impressive entrance to the old town and one of its most notable landmarks.

For a small fee you can climb the tower for views out over the old town. Buy tickets for this at the old-fashioned pharmacy on the North side of the gate.

Underneath the arches of the gate there is a ‘kilometre zero’ sign in the ground. Our children enjoyed looking at this and seeing how far away we were from other European and world capitals.

Main square (Hlavné námestie)

In the centre of the old town is the main square. It’s a lovely place to hang out with an ice cream, let the kids have some space and admire the stunning architecture surrounding you.

Around the square are some really impressive buildings including the town hall.

National Theatre

A short walk south from the main square along Rybárska brána brings you to the National Theatre. This is a stunning building overlooking Ganymede’s fountain.

St Martin’s Cathedral

This 13th century cathedral is worth a quick peak. Compared to cathedrals in other European capitals it is quite small. It is however free to enter, as long as you have shoulders covered.

2. City Walls

Close to St Martin’s cathedral you can walk along sections of the city walls. Our kids really enjoyed this and there are information boards giving a bit if history of the city.

3. Visit Bratislava Castle

One attraction you definitely shouldn’t miss in Bratislava is the castle. You can’t miss it, standing proudly on the headland overlooking the Danube and the old town.

Getting to Bratislava Castle

We walked up the hill to the castle. This is easily doable for most people of reasonable fitness and takes around 20 minutes from the old town.

It is pretty steep but is a pleasant walk up winding cobbled streets. You can always stop for a rest on route at a small cafe or on a bench if needed.

If the walk up doesn’t inspire you, trolley bus 203 or 207 go up the hill from the city centre. Look out for the stop ‘Hrad’ (castle).

When to go to the castle

We visited late afternoon in the summer. This meant the main heat of the day was subsiding and we got to explore the castle grounds in the cooler early evening.

It also meant we got to admire a stunning sunset over the Danube. If you’re only in Bratislava for the day, this may not be an option but the views are worth seeing at any time of day.

What to see at Bratislava Castle

We chose not to pay the entry fee to the castle so can’t comment on what there is to see inside. Having read up beforehand we decided it wasn’t a spending priority for us.

We still thought it was definitely worth the visit to see the castle grounds and admire the beautiful views.

Once in the grounds, make sure to fully explore views from all sides. We also peaked into the castle courtyard and some of the more formal gardens that flank the castle.

Don’t miss the main gates out front which at sunset were spectacular.

If you would like to go inside the castle and look around details of prices are on the website. There is no need to purchase ahead of time, but can buy at the kiosk by the castle entrance.

4. Have a look at the Presidential Palace

Grassalkovich Palace, which is mostly referred to as the Presidential Palace is a beautiful building. It’s a short walk from the North side of the old town walls.

It was built as a summer palace in 1760 and is the official residence of the Slovak President.

In front of the palace is the large fountain The Planet of Peace. We enjoyed hanging out in the large square for a while to check out the palace and fountain.

We also timed it right to catch the changing of the guards, which the kids enjoyed. This happens every hour and had the children transfixed.

Behind the palace is a park with a playground which if you’re there as a family is a good place to let the kids run around a little.

This was originally the palace gardens and is accesses via Štefanikova or Banskobrystrická Streets.

5. Look out for the city’s statues

As you wander around central Bratislava you can’t help but notice a number of interesting statues.

The most famous of these is Curnil, which is a seweage worker popping his head out of a manhole.

It can be easy to miss (or trip over!) this low-lying statue if it’s busy. Look out for the ‘man at work’ sign on the wall nearby as a prompt to look down.

There are lots of other statues to discover throughout the old town of Bratislava so look out for them all.

Where to stay in Bratislava

We stayed at the Palace Apartments on Michalska, within a stones throw of St Michaels Gate. We really liked our apartment here and thought the location was perfect.

There are multiple apartments to choose from all unique but spacious. On booking.com you can see a few photos of each apartment meaning you can choose the exact one that you want.

The location was so central to the old town that it meant nothing was far away. The only downside could be getting here with luggage.

The street directly outside is pedestrianised meaning if getting a taxi you would need to walk a little to arrive there. The walk would be less than five minutes and very straightforward.

Since we travelled around using public transport this didn’t bother us as we were used to walking between locations with our luggage and had backpacks for this reason.

Where to eat in Bratislava?

The old town of Bratislava is packed with restaurants and bars, making it difficult to choose. Clearly we didn’t try them all but have a couple of recommendations.

For traditional interiors: Kormuth Confectionery

Kormuth Confectionery (Cukráreň Konditorei Kormuth) is a tradtional tea room, perfect for tea/ coffee and cake. It has the most incredible interior, which has been restored with each wall a work of art.

The downside is that is can be incredibly busy and there is often a queue to get in. It also isn’t particularly cheap but you are paying a premium for the exquisite decoration.

For delicious cookies with a castle view: Doris cookies

We called here for a morning coffee on our walk up towards the presidential palace. Doris is just outside the city walls and is only tiny but has really delicious cookies and coffee.

There are a couple of pavement tables outside which we enjoyed since the weather was great. There is also seating inside if the weather isn’t as good.

The bonus of sitting outside was the castle view.

For a meal to keep all the family happy: The Farmhouse Restaurant

We had lunch here on the day we arrived in Bratislava and were impressed with the selection. Really tasty pizzas for the kids as well as plenty of pasta options.

I had the chicken, which was huuuuuge!

The Best Day trips from Bratislava

If, like us, you’re planning more than one day in Bratislava there are lots of opportunities for day trips around the city. Some of these can be organised yourself using public transport but others are best done with a tour company.

1. A day in Vienna

We stayed in Vienna before arriving in Bratislava, but it would be very easy to visit for a day while staying in Bratislava.

The benefit of this would be the lower costs of staying in Bratislava compared to the Austrian capital.

Getting to Vienna is easy either on the train or the river ferry and takes around an hour each way.

Once in Vienna the main difficulty is prioritising which sights to see. With just one day I would head for the central sights meaning you can get around more of them in less time.

We enjoyed seeing the stunning St Stephen’s cathedral, the beautiful State Opera house and the central Hofburg palace.

We also really loved the Haus der Muzik museum. I would particularly recommend this if you are travelling with children, although us adults loved it just as much.

2. A trip along the Danube to Devin Castle

Since we had arrived in Bratislava on the Danube we didn’t do this trip. It was on my list of things to do though so would have been a definite had we not already sailed the Danube on the river ferry.

The easiest way to arrange this is to book a round trip river cruise to the castle. Devin castle is a ruined castle overlooking the Danube.

You can travel both ways on the Danube or alternatively do a one way trip and then get a bus back to Bratislava. Bus number 29 goes straight to central Bratislava in around 20 minutes.

3. Visit the wineries of the Small Carpathian Hills

In less than an hour from central Bratislava you can be in the beautiful surroundings of the Carpathian hills and Slovakia’s main wine region.

A trip here is best done on an organised tour so that you can visit all the main sights and sample some wine without having to worry about driving.

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If you have longer it is really worth exploring other parts of Slovakia, the Tatras mountains in the East of the country are spectacular and we loved the Slovak paradise national park.

We also really enjoyed a brief stay in Kosice, Slovakia’s second largest city, which has an old town just as beautiful as that of Bratislava.

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