Temperature test of Bratislava

In beginning of April I went to Slovakian for the first time. I was going to collect another marathon to my list and on the same time visit a new country. I can honestly tell that I had not huge expectations for Bratislava but on the same time I was curious to visit the Slovakian capital.

Boat trip from Vienna

My trip started with the absolute highlight on the whole trip. Taking the boat at Danube from Vienna to Bratislava was both efficient and beautiful. It took 75 minutes and the cruise along Danube was nothing else than amazing. I wanted to travel the same day and could not book online so I walked to the ticket office and purchased my ticket. If you travel during the summer I would though suggest prebooking. Twin city liner is the company organizing trips between the cities. Tourist fun factor: 10 of 10.

Bratislava castle

A highlight on the trip was to walk up to the castle. The castle I read is nothing special inside so I did not walked in but the view was very nice and the surrounded park also. Perfect place to stop by for a pick nick or at the coffee place. Tourist fun factor: 6 of 10.

Blue church and architecture

It is not an overload of beautiful buildings to look at like in Vienna and many other cities nearby but there are a few in the city center and nearby. Bratislava reminds me architecturally more about other cities in Eastern Europe which is not my cup of tea. Tourist fun factor: 3 of 10.

Old town

A must for every visitor. Its there and filled with souvernier shops and tourist places to eat. Some looks more tempting than others. And a lot of bars. Its not a big old town and after walking around a couple of rounds on the cobble stoned streets you will have had enough. Tourist fun factor: 5 of 10.

History and charm

There are some charming places in Bratislava but not to many. I found one old shop which was said to be the oldest one and it was very cute and had nice a little bit unique stuff to buy so I got my magnet to my collection from there. There was also a handful of other small stores that had nice ceramics that I could think of bringing with me but due to space in my luggage I did not bought anything. Tourist fun factor: 6 of 10.

Waters of Bratislava

I was in Bratislava to run a marathon as my main reason and during the course I saw a little lake. At google maps I saw some other ones but did not checked them out in real life. I like cities with water and the most positive part when it comes to water here is Danube which has a lot of potential for aesthetic reasons and for activities. Tourist fun factor: 8 of 10.

Coffee culture

If you have a sweet tounge this is the place to be. Not as many coffee shops like Vienna or Budapest but there are plenty and very cozy ones. Old ones, new ones and chain ones. It is just to pick your favorite place. Tourist fun factor: 10 of 10.

Surprises

Sadly the city did not surprised me with some overwhelming sights or impressions more than a statue. Sadly it didn’t blown me away. Maybe there are other hidden treasure but I could not find many of them when walking around the streets. Tourist fun factor: 2 of 10.

Places for relaxing

There are many sites to visit for getting a green break. Both parks and locations alongside the water. Also some small squares in the old city are perfect spots to take a break and enjoy a bit. Many hotels also has SPA areas. I was staying at Hilton and enjoyed myself in the sauna and pool. Tourist fun factor: 7 of 10.

Total impressions

Honestly I had not the time of my life visiting Bratislava. It was a nice city to visit but I would not recommend it more than for a day visit taking the boat back and forth to Vienna. The city is not visually appealing to me. I am not a very big fan of the Soviet era buildings. I rather prefer Southern parts of Europe more than these more “stiff” cities. Been there, done that I would say about my Bratislava visit. Tourist fun factor: 5 of 10.

Have you ever been to Bratislava? if so, did you liked it or not?

/ Pernilla out to explore the world