Walking Bratislava, Slovakia

Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, is set along the Danube River by the border with Austria and Hungary. It is surrounded by vineyards and the Little Carpathian mountains, criss-crossed with forested hiking and cycling trails. The pedestrian-only, 18th-century old town is known for its lively bars and cafes. Perched atop a hill, the reconstructed Bratislava Castle overlooks old town and the Danube. Bratislava has a population of about 450,000, and is the country's largest city. The greater metropolitan area is home to more than 650,000 people.

Bratislava is the cultural heart of Slovakia. Owing to its historical multi-cultural character, local culture is influenced by various ethnic and religious groups, including Germans, Slovaks, Hungarians, and Jews. Bratislava enjoys numerous theatres, museums, galleries, concert halls, cinemas, film clubs, and foreign cultural institutions.

Bratislava is an ideal destination for a day trip by car or train from Vienna. Alternatively, it takes 1hr 30min to get to Bratislava by hydrofoil from Vienna. The hydrofoil operates from Rázusovo Nabriezie Embankment, Bratislava. We attempted to buy ticket online but we couldn't make the website accept our booking (it wanted to mail our tickets to Australia, even though we were in Bratislava and wanted to sail the next day). We rang the phone number and just got a recorded message so we gave up and went by train. I hope you have better luck.

Rail Travel Times:

Bratislava to Vienna: 1 hr

Bratislava to Munich: 6 hrs

Bratislava to Prague: 4 hrs

Bratislava to Budapest: 2 hrs 30 mins