# Bratislava The capital of Slovakia, an hour by train or boat from Vienna: a pedestrian old town, a castle over the Danube, the UFO viewing platform and the ruin of Devín. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/slovakia/bratislava · Revisado: 2026-11-12 Bratislava and Vienna are the two closest capitals in Europe: barely 50 km separates them. That is why the capital of Slovakia is the most original day trip from Vienna. In an hour you are in another country, with another language, lower prices and a small, pedestrian old town, crowned by a four-towered castle. You pay in euros, as in Austria, and there are no border controls within the Schengen area, although you must carry your ID card. ## How to get there from Vienna There are three ways. The most practical is the regional train from Wien Hauptbahnhof, about an hour, which goes to Bratislava hlavná stanica via Marchegg or to Petržalka via Kittsee: this Vienna station is not on the closed section of the S-Bahn, so the engineering works do not affect you. The prettiest is the Twin City Liner catamaran from Schwedenplatz, about 75 minutes downriver to the pier by the old town: in winter there are only special departures, such as the Advent ones of 2026. The third is the car, along the A4 motorway, in a little under an hour; you do not need it for the old town. Many people combine a boat out and a train back. ## What to see in a day Start at St Michael's Gate and go down Michalská Street to the main square and the Old Town Hall, with its tower. Continue to St Martin's Cathedral, where the kings of Hungary were crowned, and climb to the castle: the courtyard and gardens are free and the view over the Danube is the best in the city. After lunch, cross the SNP Bridge and go up the UFO, or head to the Blue Church. If you have half an afternoon to spare, bus 29 takes you to the ruin of Devín, above the confluence of the Morava and the Danube. ## What to eat Slovak cooking is mountain and potato food. The dish you have to try is bryndzové halušky, potato dumplings with sheep's cheese and bacon: the 1. Slovak Pub serves them every day at a good price. For a more refined dinner, Modrá Hviezda, below the castle, which at weekends opens at midday. ## A day or a night? A day is enough for the old town and the castle. With a night you add Devín, the UFO at sunset and a dinner without watching for the last train. For sleeping, the ARCADIA, inside the old town, the Marrol's, by the Danube, or the Patio Hostel, if you are on a tight budget. If you are continuing to Budapest, Bratislava is a good stop halfway. ## Dónde está - Zonas: Danube, Christmas markets of Europe - Cerca: Schloss Hof and the Marchfeld (a 15.2 km · Austria), Carnuntum (a 18.6 km · Austria), Lake Neusiedl (a 50.1 km · Austria), Eisenstadt (a 55.0 km · Austria) ## Qué hacer - **Bratislava Castle** (2 h · All ages; the climb from the old town is 15–20 minutes on foot · Grounds and gardens free; museum paid): The four-towered castle that can be seen from all over Bratislava, on a hill beside the Danube. The courtyard, the walls and the Baroque garden are free and open from 8:00 to 22:00: from above you see the river, the SNP Bridge with the UFO and, on the other side, the blocks of Petržalka. Inside is the History Museum of the Slovak National Museum and the Crown Tower, the oldest part, where the Hungarian coronation jewels were kept for more than two centuries. The museum is open Wednesday to Monday from 10:00 to 18:00; it is closed on Tuesdays. From the main square you climb in 15–20 minutes through the streets of the old town and the castle steps. - **St Martin's Cathedral, the coronation church** (30 min · All ages): Bratislava's Gothic cathedral, at the foot of the castle, where kings and queens of Hungary were crowned when Bratislava, then Pressburg, was its capital. It can be visited every day from 9:00 to 11:30 and from 13:00 to 18:00, except during Mass; on Saturdays with baptisms, the afternoon starts at 13:45. It is on the western edge of the old town, on the way to the castle. - **Old Town Hall and its tower** (1 h 30 · All ages; the tower is climbed by stairs): It is not one building but several medieval houses joined over the centuries around arcaded courtyards, on the main square (Hlavné námestie). The oldest, that of the mayor Jacob, keeps its defensive tower, and a cannonball is still lodged in the facade. Inside is the City Museum, for more than 150 years, and the visit includes the tower, with a view over the rooftops of the old town and Maximilian's Fountain. Open every day from 10:00 to 18:00. Allow one or two hours. - **St Michael's Gate and Tower** (45 min · All ages; narrow stairs): Of the four gates Bratislava's walls once had, only this one remains, at the end of Michalská Street, with its tower topped by the Archangel Michael. You climb the tower, with views over the old town and the castle. It is open Wednesday to Monday from 10:00 to 18:00; it is closed on Tuesday. Beside the gate, the city's kilometre zero marks the distances to other capitals in the pavement. - **Blue Church of St Elizabeth** (20 min · All ages · Free): The church of St Elizabeth, known as the Blue Church, is an Art Nouveau building from the early twentieth century with a facade, roof and details in blue and white, on a quiet street east of the old town. Entry is free; inside, keep quiet and do not wander about during services. The facade can be seen in ten minutes and has its best light in the morning. From here it is another ten minutes to the Danube and the Eurovea shopping centre. - **The UFO, a viewing platform 95 metres above the Danube** (45 min · All ages; the platform has steps and is not wheelchair accessible · Paid, at the entrance): The flying saucer at the top of the SNP Bridge pylon, finished in the early 1970s, is Bratislava's viewing point: an open-air platform 95 metres above the river with a full view of the castle, the old town and the blocks of Petržalka. A lift goes up in under a minute; the platform is reached by steps, so it is not wheelchair accessible, although the bar and restaurant are. Open every day from 10:00 to 23:00. Entry to the platform is paid at the base. Sunset is when it is busiest. - **Devín Castle, above the confluence of the Morava and the Danube** (2 h · All ages; dirt paths and slopes · €8 (April to October) or €6 (November to March); reduced, €4 or €3; family, from €10): The ruin of a castle on a crag about 10 km from the centre, where the River Morava joins the Danube and the border with Austria begins. You walk along the walls and the remains of the castle, with exhibitions and views over the two rivers. The ticket costs €8 from April to October and €6 from November to March, with a reduced rate for children aged 6 to 15, students and over-65s, and family tickets. From April to October it is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00; in winter it closes at 16:00. Last entry is 45 minutes before closing. From the centre you get there on city bus 29, which leaves from the area of the SNP Bridge; by car, about 20 minutes. - **By boat from Vienna to Bratislava along the Danube** (1 h 15 · All ages · From €28 a trip on the 2026 Advent departures; €3 fuel surcharge): The Twin City Liner catamaran leaves from the centre of Vienna, at Schwedenplatz, and goes down the Danube between the riverside forests of the Donau-Auen National Park to the pier by the old town of Bratislava. It is the prettiest way to make the outbound journey and come back by train. In December 2026 there are Advent departures on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 27 November to 20 December: out at 10:30 (arriving 11:45) and back at 16:30 (in Vienna at 18:00), from €28. The 2027 season timetable has not yet been published; the timetable prices do not include a €3 fuel surcharge. Book on their website or on +43 1 904 88 80. - **Christmas Markets at Main Square and Hviezdoslav Square** (2 h · All ages · Free entry): Bratislava stages its Christmas in the old town, a few steps from the Old Town Hall and Michael's Gate. It is a smaller and quieter market than Vienna's, and pleasant for that very reason. Dates and squares According to the tourist office, the 2026 markets run from 26 November to 3 January 2027. The stalls are on Main Square (Hlavné námestie) and on Hviezdoslav Square, and the children's Christmas forest is set up on Primate's Square. The opening is when the trees in the two squares are lit. The tourist office website gives no opening hours; the organisers publish them at bkis.sk/en/bratislavske-vianoce. How to combine it with Vienna Bratislava is linked to Vienna by boat, and the boat trip from Vienna lets you see both Christmases. One option is to spend the morning at the castle and the afternoon at the stalls, with St Martin's Cathedral and the old town lit up. What to look for It is a market of Slovak food and crafts: mulled wine, sausages and sweets. To avoid the weekend crowds, go on a weekday and early in the afternoon. Getting there and getting around Bratislava's old town is small and pedestrianised: from Main Square to Hviezdoslav Square it is a few minutes on foot. If you arrive by train or boat from Vienna, the centre is a short walk away. In December the city has more visitors than usual at weekends, so it is worth booking accommodation in advance if you want to stay the night. How long to spend Two hours at the stalls and a walk through the streets of the centre are enough to see the essentials. If you stay overnight, you have plenty of time to go up to the castle without hurrying and have dinner in the old town with the markets lit up. ## Dónde comer - **1. Slovak Pub** (Restaurant, Bratislava, €). Qué pedir: bryndzové halušky (potato dumplings with sheep's cheese and bacon) or the set menu, with a beer of the house. - **Modrá Hviezda** (Restaurant, Bratislava, €€€). Qué pedir: a Slovak dish from the menu; in November, the duck of the *kačacie hody*. - **UFO Restaurant and Bar** (Restaurant, Bratislava, €€€). Qué pedir: if you do not want an expensive meal, go up for a coffee by day or a cocktail at sunset in the bar. ## Car-free: By train or boat from Vienna, and everything on foot Bratislava is the easiest capital to see without a car: you arrive by train or boat from Vienna and the old town, the castle and the UFO are a short walk away. Only Devín needs a city bus. A car is a nuisance: the old town is pedestrianised and the garage costs €30 a day. Presupuesto orientativo: 70–150 € por persona y día. ### Dónde dormir without a car - **ARCADIA Boutique Hotel** (Small hotel): The house A boutique hotel in the heart of the old town, on Františkánska Street, between the main square and Františkánske Square. It occupies medieval buildings of the thirteenth century: you have breakfast under vaults from that time and the spa is where a torture chamber used to be. No two rooms are alike; there are 34 between rooms and apartments. What it has The L'Olive restaurant, the Library bar with a fireplace and a small spa with massages. Dogs are welcome: on request they prepare a bed, bowls and food. From the door you are two minutes from the Old Town Hall and ten from the cathedral. Car The hotel has no parking of its own. The public Centrum garage, right opposite, costs €30 a day and spaces cannot be booked. If you come from Vienna, the train is more convenient. - **Marrol's Boutique Hotel** (Small hotel): The house A small boutique hotel on a quiet street between the old town and the Danube. It has classic and premium rooms, suites (one with a garden) and a family apartment, a library with armchairs and its own restaurant. The spa, the Jasmine Spa, is booked privately by the hour: €120 for two hours, from 8:00 to 22:00. Where it is 650 m from the main square (a seven-minute walk), 850 m from St Michael's Gate and 550 m from the Eurovea shopping centre, on the Danube bank. It is 1.6 km to the castle, about 25 minutes on foot. The pier for the boats from Vienna is very close, on the same riverfront. Bratislava airport is 15 minutes away by car. - **Patio Hostel** (Hostel): The house A large hostel in an inner courtyard on Špitálska Street, a quarter of an hour's walk from the old town. It has 158 beds in bunk-bed dormitories, private rooms and an apartment, with shared bathrooms in the corridor for some of the rooms. There is a fully equipped kitchen, laundry, left-luggage, bike hire and a ground-floor bar where travellers get together. The practicalities Reception 24 hours. Check-in is from 14:00 and check-out until 10:00. It has its own parking at €10 a day, rare in the centre. Quiet hours from 22:00 to 6:00 and no smoking inside. Who it is for For anyone travelling on a budget or in a group who wants to spend the night in Bratislava before continuing to Budapest or going back to Vienna. Families will find a hotel quieter. ### Servicios - **Bratislava Tourist Information Centre**: Klobučnícka 2, next to the main square · Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 16:30 · Daily guided tour at 14:00 in English - **Regional train from Vienna to Bratislava**: REX from Wien Hauptbahnhof, about an hour · To Bratislava hlavná stanica (via Marchegg) or to Petržalka · Not affected by the S-Bahn closure ## Luxury: Boutique hotel in the old town and dinner with a view Bratislava allows a treat at a reasonable price compared with Vienna: sleeping in a medieval building in the old town, booking the spa by the hour, dining below the castle or 95 metres above the Danube and arriving by catamaran. Presupuesto orientativo: From €200 por persona y día. ### Dónde dormir in style - **ARCADIA Boutique Hotel** (Small hotel): The house A boutique hotel in the heart of the old town, on Františkánska Street, between the main square and Františkánske Square. It occupies medieval buildings of the thirteenth century: you have breakfast under vaults from that time and the spa is where a torture chamber used to be. No two rooms are alike; there are 34 between rooms and apartments. What it has The L'Olive restaurant, the Library bar with a fireplace and a small spa with massages. Dogs are welcome: on request they prepare a bed, bowls and food. From the door you are two minutes from the Old Town Hall and ten from the cathedral. Car The hotel has no parking of its own. The public Centrum garage, right opposite, costs €30 a day and spaces cannot be booked. If you come from Vienna, the train is more convenient. - **Marrol's Boutique Hotel** (Small hotel): The house A small boutique hotel on a quiet street between the old town and the Danube. It has classic and premium rooms, suites (one with a garden) and a family apartment, a library with armchairs and its own restaurant. The spa, the Jasmine Spa, is booked privately by the hour: €120 for two hours, from 8:00 to 22:00. Where it is 650 m from the main square (a seven-minute walk), 850 m from St Michael's Gate and 550 m from the Eurovea shopping centre, on the Danube bank. It is 1.6 km to the castle, about 25 minutes on foot. The pier for the boats from Vienna is very close, on the same riverfront. Bratislava airport is 15 minutes away by car. ## By plane: Flight to Vienna and train or boat to Bratislava For anyone leaving from Spain, Bratislava is almost always added to a trip to Vienna: Vienna-Schwechat (VIE) has direct flights from Madrid, Barcelona and other Spanish cities and is about 50 km from Bratislava, east of Vienna. Bratislava has its own airport (BTS), with some low-cost flights; see whether there is a route from your city. ### Dónde dormir if you're flying - **ARCADIA Boutique Hotel** (Small hotel): The house A boutique hotel in the heart of the old town, on Františkánska Street, between the main square and Františkánske Square. It occupies medieval buildings of the thirteenth century: you have breakfast under vaults from that time and the spa is where a torture chamber used to be. No two rooms are alike; there are 34 between rooms and apartments. What it has The L'Olive restaurant, the Library bar with a fireplace and a small spa with massages. Dogs are welcome: on request they prepare a bed, bowls and food. From the door you are two minutes from the Old Town Hall and ten from the cathedral. Car The hotel has no parking of its own. The public Centrum garage, right opposite, costs €30 a day and spaces cannot be booked. If you come from Vienna, the train is more convenient. - **Marrol's Boutique Hotel** (Small hotel): The house A small boutique hotel on a quiet street between the old town and the Danube. It has classic and premium rooms, suites (one with a garden) and a family apartment, a library with armchairs and its own restaurant. The spa, the Jasmine Spa, is booked privately by the hour: €120 for two hours, from 8:00 to 22:00. Where it is 650 m from the main square (a seven-minute walk), 850 m from St Michael's Gate and 550 m from the Eurovea shopping centre, on the Danube bank. It is 1.6 km to the castle, about 25 minutes on foot. The pier for the boats from Vienna is very close, on the same riverfront. Bratislava airport is 15 minutes away by car. - **Patio Hostel** (Hostel): The house A large hostel in an inner courtyard on Špitálska Street, a quarter of an hour's walk from the old town. It has 158 beds in bunk-bed dormitories, private rooms and an apartment, with shared bathrooms in the corridor for some of the rooms. There is a fully equipped kitchen, laundry, left-luggage, bike hire and a ground-floor bar where travellers get together. The practicalities Reception 24 hours. Check-in is from 14:00 and check-out until 10:00. It has its own parking at €10 a day, rare in the centre. Quiet hours from 22:00 to 6:00 and no smoking inside. Who it is for For anyone travelling on a budget or in a group who wants to spend the night in Bratislava before continuing to Budapest or going back to Vienna. Families will find a hotel quieter. ### Servicios - **Bratislava Tourist Information Centre**: Klobučnícka 2, next to the main square · Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 16:30 · Daily guided tour at 14:00 in English - **Regional train from Vienna to Bratislava**: REX from Wien Hauptbahnhof, about an hour · To Bratislava hlavná stanica (via Marchegg) or to Petržalka · Not affected by the S-Bahn closure ## As a family: Castles, a flying saucer and a boat Bratislava is comfortable with children because the old town is small, pedestrianised and without steep slopes apart from the climb to the castle. What they like most is what is out of the ordinary: the UFO over the bridge, the boat from Vienna and the ruin of Devín above the two rivers. ### What works best The catamaran from Vienna, one way, and the train back The lift and platform of the UFO, at 95 m The walls of Devín Castle, with a family ticket The courtyard and gardens of Bratislava Castle, free ### Where to sleep Family apartment at the Marrol's Boutique Hotel ### Where to eat 1. Slovak Pub, with halušky for everyone and open daily ### Keep in mind The UFO platform has steps: with a pushchair, go up to the bar At Devín the paths are dirt and sloping ### Qué hacer as a family - Bratislava Castle - St Martin's Cathedral, the coronation church - Old Town Hall and its tower - St Michael's Gate and Tower - Blue Church of St Elizabeth - The UFO, a viewing platform 95 metres above the Danube - Devín Castle, above the confluence of the Morava and the Danube - By boat from Vienna to Bratislava along the Danube ## With teenagers: Towers, viewpoints and another capital in an hour For teenagers, Bratislava gives a feeling of a trip within the trip: another country and another language an hour from Vienna, lower prices and a city you can explore without getting lost. There are several towers to climb. ### What works best The tower of St Michael's Gate and that of the Old Town Hall The UFO at sunset The ruin of Devín, on the Austrian border The Crown Tower at the castle ### Where to sleep Patio Hostel, if you are travelling as a group ### Where to eat 1. Slovak Pub, the place for the city's students ### Keep in mind St Michael's Gate and the castle museum close on Tuesdays ### Qué hacer with teenagers - Bratislava Castle - Old Town Hall and its tower - St Michael's Gate and Tower - The UFO, a viewing platform 95 metres above the Danube - Devín Castle, above the confluence of the Morava and the Danube - By boat from Vienna to Bratislava along the Danube ## Consejos ### Boat out, train back That way you see the Danube and do not depend on the boat's timetable to return. ### Avoid Tuesday The castle museum and St Michael's tower close that day. ### Go up the UFO last It is open until 23:00 and the sunset light over the castle makes the best photo. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### How long does it take from Vienna to Bratislava? By train, about an hour from Wien Hauptbahnhof. By catamaran, about 75 minutes from Schwedenplatz. By car, a little under an hour. ### Does the closure of Vienna's S-Bahn affect it? No: trains to Bratislava leave from Wien Hauptbahnhof, outside the closed section. ### What currency is used? The euro, as in Austria. ### Do I need a passport? There are no fixed controls at the border, but carry your ID card or passport with you. ### Can you see it in a day? Yes: old town, cathedral, castle and UFO fit into a day. Devín needs another half afternoon. ### Does the boat run in winter? Only on special departures; in 2026, the Advent ones from 27 November to 20 December, Friday to Sunday.