Bratislava!
It’s been my lifelong dream to explore Slovakia. And by lifelong, I mean ever since I learned it was a 50-minute train ride from Vienna.
Josh and I took a train from Vienna on Sunday night and arrived in Bratislava-Petrzalka super late. We took an Uber to our hostel, which was in a pretty suspicious-looking building. Tejas was waiting for us in the room, which we had to ourselves and was pretty nice, all things considered. They gave us free earplugs, which would prove to come in handy in the near future.
After a refreshing shower, I fell asleep but heartbreakingly had to wake up super early to explore the city in the short time I had. I packed up, grabbed my overstuffed backpack, and headed to Caffe4U for some coffee to get myself awake. The service was great and the prices were unbelievably cheap. I then set off on my solo tour of the city, with my first stop being Slavin Memorial, the World War 2 memorial with a beautiful overlook of the city. On the way, I stopped by the Capitol Building of Bratislava and saw the guards marching around the perimeter. Maybe because it was Slovakia or maybe because it was 8AM on a Monday, but the city was completely empty. I slowly got up the hill to the memorial and was treated to a gorgeous overlook. It was also a very sobering experience to see the sheer number of names of those who passed away during World War 2 and the number of graves in the area.
Next, I walked towards Bratislava Castle and on the way stopped at Break Café and got a croissant. I strolled around the castle, got super excited at seeing a large wind farm in the distance, and awkwardly asked a bunch of people to take photos of me. From this castle that was first built in the 9th century (!), you get great views of the UFO tower, the blue Danube River, and the business district. But, my next stop was none of those; it was Michael’s Gate, the gateway to the old city. First, my phone was on the brink of dying and my new portable charger didn’t work (big shoutout to IMC trading for giving out garbage chargers at their info session), so I sat in the castle grounds and charged my phone off my computer.
Because Bratislava is a super compact, small city, it was super easy to walk everywhere. The walk from the castle to the old city was 10-15 minutes at most, and I was soon treated to the gorgeous of view of Michael’s Gate. This part of town looked like a standard touristy European city, packed with cafés, restaurants, bars, and tons of old architecture. I stopped by Loclub, a local gastropub to try some locally brewed Slovak beer and some Bryndzové Halušky, a traditional dish made from gnocchi-like potatoes and a soft sheep’s cheese topped with chives and bacon (remember to ask for no bacon if you’re vegetarian!). It was really good and I got to sit on the second floor which was a vibe. Even better, there were outlets next to the tables, which proved to be an absolute lifesaver (again, big shoutout to IMC trading…stick to trading).
For dessert, I stopped by McDonald’s and got a choco-caramel pie to see what McDonald’s is like in every country. With a full tank, I set off to see The Church of St. Elizabeth, AKA the Blue Church. It was really pretty and the color scheme was a gorgeous pastel sky blue. Unfortunately, it was closed, so I couldn’t go inside, so I awkwardly asked some more strangers to take pictures of me.
Even though it had only been half a day, I felt like I had done 90% of the city and was ready to go on my next adventure. I walked to the Nivy Mall in the business district and was pleasantly surprised at how nice it was. It felt like I had walked into a US suburban mall. For reference, the city itself was not that nice and quite dirty (and parts of it could definitely be considered rundown). The bus terminal was in the basement of the mall, and it was the single nicest bus terminal I’d ever seen. The bathrooms were elegant and clean, the waiting room had plenty of comfy chairs, and the terminal itself was well-organized. Even the buses had some luxuries, including curtains and multiple outlets per seat (again, lifesaver). I thought it was funny that the best and nicest of the city was the place where people leave it (and enter it too, I guess).
Takeaways
- Bratislava is a cool, small little Eastern European city that really feels different from Western Europe
- Definitely worth a day trip if you’re in Vienna, but otherwise, not too sure
- Do NOT rely on IMC Trading chargers to survive. This is the #1 travel tip I have
- For a taste of home (late-stage capitalism), check out the Nivy mall
Rose-Bud-Thorn
Rose (what went well): The views of the city and the Danube from the castle and Slavin memorial were gorgeous
Bud (what was good but could be improved on): My 4-hour walking tour speedrun of the city was pretty cool, but there’s not much to actually do besides walk. The castle and blue church were closed (and not sure when they’re open), and besides those, it’s just restaurants and cafés in the old city.
Thorn (what did not go well): Navigating a foreign Eastern European city with a phone permanently low on battery was quite stressful, and combined with the tiredness, made for a mentally taxing trip
Rohan Chhaya 