Bratislava – The city of colourful buildings & symbolic statues

Slovakia’s capital city, Bratislava has a buzzing atmosphere from early afternoon up till late at night. The number of symbolic statues, colourful buildings, larger than life (graffiti) artwork, historical and fascinating buildings and streets will keep you busy for hours and hours. For those that Geocache, Bratislava is rich in caches and can also lead you to interesting places, not always buzzing with hundreds of tourists. The climate is known to reach 21°C in the summer and -1°C in the winter.

We stayed at Elizabeth Old Town during the festive season. The hotel is quite central to the tourist attractions around the city. The staff is very friendly and accommodating. Their rooms are spacious, clean and also include a mini bar which you can stock up. Their breakfast room is small but the variety of food available will enable you to walk out feeling satisfied and ready to enjoy a day of adventure. Bratislava airport is situated 7km from the hotel.

The tourist attractions are all within walking distances. A few places we’d recommend to visit:

• Michael’s Gate.
• Bratislava Castle (and view the UFO).
• Bratislava Centre Square.
• The various statues that are found everywhere (The man at work, Schone Naci Statue etc.).
• If you happen to be visiting Bratislava during December, be sure to walk through the Central Square and visit the Christmas markets.
• Bratislava Parliament.
• Admire the unmissable graffiti artwork on city buildings found all over the city buildings.

If you plan on visiting a couple of the museums and castles around the city, be sure to look out for museum passes, which allows entry to multiple sites at a discounted rate. The city has a very good public transport system with day and week passes which can be used for unlimited rides within the city transport system. Both trams and buses are reliable and generally on time and can be used to visit all tourist attractions. There is no need to spend money on taxis or Uber cars.

Some tips when planning your trip to Bratislava:

• Buy a Bratislava card for free public transport and city walking tours.
• When visiting the city during the festive season, be sure to visit the Christmas market.