Hello Everyone.. We are hosting my dear friend Magdalena Rajtarova at Learn From Locals... She gave us very important tips. Hope you enjoy reading...
What is the best way to explore city (walk, public transport or to rent a car)?
As the historical centre of Bratislava is relatively small (for example in comparison to other European capitals Prague or Vienna) sightseeing by walking would be very recommendable.
Purple Note: there is a very nice trip with a ship Bratislava-Vienna (in both directions) where you can have the best views of the Devin castle and the confluence of Danube and Morava rivers.
Which areas should be preferred to stay?
I would recommend city center.
What are tourist traps? What is to avoid?
In the past tourist had unpleasant experience with taxi prices or services in general but it is improving a lot.
What is must to do?
During your sightseeing you should visit Bratislava castle, Rybné námestie square with St Martin's Cathedral, Hviezdoslavovo námestie square with the Slovak National Theatre, The Main Square with the Town Hall, Blue Church, Grasalkovič Palace with garden (residence of the Slovak president).
You can also visit Eurovea shopping mall with nice river side, restaurants and statue of Milan Rastislav Štefánik or the park Sas Janka Kráľa just on the opposite site of the river where you can get walking through the bridge SNP. Additionally, you can take a lift to UFO on the top of the SNP bridge for 8,90€ (but careful because the restaurant there is expensive).
What is must to eat?
The most typical dishes are with special soft sheep cheese called “bryndza”, for example: bryndzové halušky or pirohy. See: https://www.slovakpub.sk/en/#daily-menu
For the ones with a sweet tooth, in Slovakia you can have even a main dish which is all sweet. For example, dumplings with poppy seeds or walnuts. Nice Slovak dessert is a spit cake, so called “trdelnik”, which you can find in street markets (usually not in restaurants or coffee shops).
What is must to drink?
You shouldn´t also forget to try Slovak beers (the most popular one - Zlatý Bažant, lager or dark) or distilled alcohol from different fruits like plum (Slivovica), juniper berries (Borovička) or herbal liquor Demänovka or Tatra tea.
What are your fav restaurants?
Slovak Pub $ - the easiest way for tourists to try Slovak traditional cuisine in Bratislava
Dunajský Pivovar (Danube brewery, restaurant & botel) $$ - restaurant on a boat with the best city view (in my opinion 😊)
Bratislavský meštiansky pivovar $$ - brewery & restaurant with garden terrace
Zylinder $$ - traditional cuisine from central Europe served in a modern way
Regal rooftop (Hurbanovo namestie 6, 811 03 Bratislava) $$ – burgers with a nice view
Foodoo $ - very healthy, also with nice vegetarian options
Urban House $$ – for your hipster routine
Mondieu (different locations) $$ - for cool brunch 😊
KC Dunaj $ - rooftop bar & disco, sometimes also with cultural program, workshops, presentations and stand-up comedies (in Slovak language)
Which season is the best to visit the city?
One would think that winter is probably not the ideal season for sightseeing but during December you will find nice Christmas markets in the streets of Bratislava and together with the falling snow it can create picturesque ambient. There are usually places in the squares where you can try ice-skating, typical food and drinks (and buy some souvenirs). Nevertheless, spring, summer or autumn would be, of course, easier time to discover the city and also the nature surrounding Bratislava.
What is the best souvenir from this city?
In my opinion, the best Slovak souvenir would be the one with the typical design from Čičmany Village (originally used as painting on cottages and folk costumes).
