Bratislava

Visited: Feb 18, 2024

We arrived in Bratislava by bus from Vienna (which you can read about here), but ended up getting off at the wrong stop, turning what should have been a 15-minute walk to our apartment into a 40-minute one! Fortunately, this detour led us to stop right in front of Bratislava Castle with the Danube flowing nearby, so it wasn’t all bad.

Our first challenge was figuring out how to get a bus ticket, which took a bit of trial and error until we found a machine. Once on the bus, the driver was speeding like a madman, but the metal music blasting in the background made the ride rather fun!

Arriving in the neighbourhood where we were staying, we had some trouble locating our apartment as it was well hidden. When we did find the building, we were met with a complicated lock system, but after a bit of effort, we figured it out. Inside, we were pleasantly surprised—the apartment was super modern with a sleek black and gold interior and even its own balcony. Very cool!

After dropping off our stuff, we headed back to Bratislava Castle to get a closer look. It had been stunning from a distance, but up close it was even more impressive. From the top of the castle, we had an amazing view of the UFO Bridge and the Danube—it was breathtaking.

Next, we visited the Presidential Palace before heading to a traditional Slovakian restaurant. For starters we shared soup in a bread bowl, what a great way of serving it! For mains Bobby and Kyle had Bryndzové Halušky (potato dumpings with sheeps cheese and bacon), whilst Tammy opted for a Schnitzel and for dessert, Bobby and Kyle shared Nutella-filled potato dumplings (Tammy wasn't a fan of the texture of them so didn't partake), Bob and Kyle washed this all down with a few beers and some Slivovica and Tammy kept it simple with some Pepsi!

After the meal, we made our way back to the apartment, though the return trip was a bit of a challenge. Bobby and Kyle, having had a lot of beer, were in a race to get back before their bladders gave in! To make things even more interesting, the bus driver was speeding again, making the ride extra bumpy!

We finally made it back to the apartment, a bit tipsy, and settled in for the night. As we prepared for our return to Vienna the next day, we were grateful that we’d decided to spend the day in Bratislava. Our only regret was that we didn’t stay longer, as we absolutely loved it and will definitely be back to explore more of Bratislava and Slovakia in the future!

Want to read about the final day in Vienna, you can find it here.