A Weekend in Bratislava
Bratislava, Slovakia first entered my radar when I took my mom to Vienna for a girl’s trip to the Christmas markets. A quick train ride to Bratislava was recommended by our Airbnb host, but we were unable to fit it in our schedule consumed by Glühwein and apple strudel. So, in our greedy mindset of visiting as many countries as possible, we added this wonderful city to our list.
Let me walk you through how these impromptu trips come to life: We have our Australian friend, Elly, over for G&Ts (obviously). We decide a trio trip needs to happen. We book our flights approximately 3 minutes later. This is the beauty danger of living in a city that makes travel anywhere in Europe (and beyond) insanely accessible.
Getting there:
Flights direct to Bratislava from Amsterdam were pricey, but flights to Vienna can be dirt cheap. The train from Vienna Central Station is about an hour, but we decided to rent a car “to drive all over Slovakia!” We clearly knew nothing about this country, let alone what was in store for us at the rental company in the Vienna Airport. We learned that because we were driving out of the country, we had to pay a fee that amounted to the price of our rental car. Sure…logical.
Bottom line: even though it was convenient to not have to rely on public transportation timelines, we were able to blast our own music and joke around at our own sound level, the train makes more sense for a weekend trip. Uber is the cheapest we’ve experienced, and we weren’t there long enough to leave the city.
Where to stay:
We stayed in a neighborhood outside of the city center because we’re suckers for a good, local vibe and absolutely loved it. It was still in walking distance to the center, but we were able to experience local bars and restaurants with local prices. This is always our favorite way to explore a new city.
We can’t recommend our Airbnb enough: Mi Apartments
Friday Night:
Once we arrived in Bratislava, we started with the most important item on our list – find a local neighborhood bar and order our first (€1.50) beers.
We then walked downtown for dinner at Slovak Pub and ordered all the Slovakian food. Such began our Bratislavan food tour.
Saturday:
Luke is my favorite husband and woke us all up with coffees from the café next door, which was the perfect kick start to our highly aggressive day.
The best.
First order was actually from our Airbnb host – walk to the neighborhood market for wine and roasted chicken. Yes, you read that correctly. WINE. At 10am. Can’t argue with that.
Next on the agenda was the Bratislava Castle. So, after breakfast wine and BBQ, we hopped in our 50 cent Uber (dramatic, but not far off) and, quite literally, sped toward old town.
The Bratislava Castle overlooks the Danube River and old town and boasts a stunning flower garden. You can pay to enter the castle, which is reconstructed, but the food and beverage tour must go on.
We then explored the 18th century old town, which mainly consisted of us sitting outside Drak & Finch with local cheeses and wine that the store owner handed to us through a window.
We spent a brief period among fellow tourists….
Then ditched them for Wake Lake, swimming, drinking beers and judging wake boarders from a distance.
Professional judgers.
We began the evening at Magio Beach, just across the Danube River. We grabbed wine and lounged by the river, enjoying the sunset while a movie played on a projector behind us.
Dinner was consumed at the “Best Tex Mex in Bratislava” which turned out to be burgers and ACTUAL AMERICAN RANCH DRESSING. Wasn’t angry.
#texmex
Sunday Morning:
Breakfast was consumed at another perfect recommendation from our Airbnb host, Žufaňa Bistro, where we ate for 5 people. There is no photo because we were very busy…ending our time in Bratislava the way we began…eating.
