Eastern Europe in 10 Days (Day 3): Bratislava, Slovakia
The tour bus made a stop at Bratislava for a three hours stroll and lunch at the Old Town of Bratislava in Slovakia on the way between Budapest in Hungary to Prague in Czech. Bratislava is not a big country and its main attraction is the white castle on the hill which is named after the city.
The Old Town is the smallest part of all the Bratislava parts but the area has the highest population density of approximately 4,000 inhabitants kilometer. It is the heart of Bratislava where the cultural, political, social and tourist center are mixed into one area. The area is perfect for a stroll as well especially during autumn season because the trees are changing color into beautiful yellow at this time of the year.
Right at the entrance where the bus was dropping me, there is a statue of Jesus Christ carrying the cross. It seems to be a popular meeting place amongst the Slovakian at the Old Town. While I was at the bus, I also saw another landmark of Bratislava, a bridge with a structure which look like “UFO” at the top of the bridge. Apparently it’s really an UFO restaurant. Uhh no, I believe it’s owned by human and not alien. Hahaha.
There is a main square at the centre of the old town where the Slovak National Theatre is located. Also known as the Bratislava’s opera house, the Neo-Renaissance-style building was opened in 1886 as the City Theatre. The building has so many busts of famous musical composers appear in the oval openings in the facade and at its stone sculptural group. The building is often used for three ensembles (opera, ballet, and drama). Ganymede’s fountain which was sculpted by local famous sculptor, Viktor Oskar Tilgner, is added on later in front of the theatre.
At the right side of the Slovak National Theatre is the starting point for the Old Town sightseeing bus tour which will bring you to see main attractions in Bratislava from the Bratislava Castle to even the Danube River while listening to audio commentary about the passing monuments and the historic Old Town. The audio commentary is available in many languages: Slovak, Spanish, Dutch, English, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, Russian, Swedish, Turkish and Portuguese.
The streets of the Old Town is crowded by mostly tourists but then I did find that the walk throughout the alleys and backstreet of the old town of Bratislava to be enjoyable. The crowd is just nice, without being too overcrowded like usual Asian city streets and the weather is cool. Bratislava is often referred to as “large village” by the locals, because apparently you cannot walk down the street without meeting a person you know. Looking at the density of the population at the city centre, I suppose I bound to bump into someone I know if I reside at Bratislava. The city is after not like other metropolitan cities, which never sleep.
I saw that there are many shops scattered around the Old Town, especially on the main street called Obchodna. The name of the street literally means Shopping Street and you really can find a lot of shops here from souvenir store to bars, pubs, fast-food and restaurant. When I google online, it seems that there is a famous shopping mall with a beautiful river promenade named Eurovea shopping centre but I did not have the time to visit the shopping mall.
Since it’s one month away from Christmas when I visited the Old Town of Bratislava, the souvenir store has started displaying homecrafted Christmas decoration. The christmas tree balls are so pretty but I do not really have the habit of putting up Christmas tree at my home since I’ve grown up because of the many hassles involved in putting up one.
I’ve gotten pretty hungry after wandering around checking out one thing after another so it’s time to appease my groaring tummy. There are so many options to choose at the Old Town because the restaurants here are pretty international. They have Mexican, Italian, Slovakian and also British food. The tour guide (who often visited Bratislava) recommended Lochness Scottish Pub so I just ate together with him there since he should be the expert in this area anyway.
The serving size of the food is huge here so I really suggest sharing. The size of the burger is huge and enough to feed two people nicely. It comes with three types of sauces and a basket of fries and onion rings. I was happily stuffed. In a Scottish Pub. At the Old Town of Bratislava. This sound weird and so mixed-up but that’s what basically happened.
Details for Bratislava by Sightseeing Bus Tour:
HIGHLIGHTS:
- Admire views of the futuristic Slovak Radio building and the Presidential Palace as you ride along the Danube River
- Visit Bratislava Castle and explore the capital’s charming old town
- Listen to audio commentary as you ride the sightseeing bus past churches, fountains and gardens
- See the most of Bratislava in 1-day by combining the Castle and Old Town tours
TYPES OF TOUR:
- Bratislava Great Tour 1.5 hours
- Bratislava Old Town Tour 35 minutes
- Bratislava Castle Tour 1 hour
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO:
- Starting point for the Old Town Tour = Main Square
- Starting point for the Castle Tour = Hviezdoslav Square
- The Castle Tour is available daily except Dec 24 and 25, starting every hour from 9AM - 6PM
- The Old Town Tour is available daily from Mar 15 to Nov 15, starting every hour from 9AM to 5PM