A Day Trip to Bratislava, Slovakia
I'm in love with cities I've never been to and people I've never met.”
Vienna is so close to Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, that I didn’t think twice and hopped on a day train for a visit to this beautiful city. It’s a direct one-hour trip by rail. I only needed to pay attention to my return trip to Vienna. There are many available trains. However, as it gets later in the day, in my case around 7 PM, the options get limited, or a direct trip may no longer be available.
Like many major cities, Bratislava offers a wide range of different activities and beautiful attractions. The main ones that I decided on were visiting Old Town Hall, finding the statues of Bratislava, and going up the UFO Tower.
Based on my research, Michael’s Gate is Bratislava’s only surviving medieval gate, dating back to 1300. You can go up the tower to see the city. Unfortunately, though, I was told that it was closed.
Instead, I decided to try the Old Town Hall Tower, which costs 8 euros. I think it was worth it, and I did enjoy the tower view, especially when I was the only one up there. But, remember, it has many stairs. This tower is also the oldest city hall and the oldest stone building still standing in Bratislava.
Next, I headed to the Bratislava Flag Ship restaurant for lunch. Apparently, this restaurant is one of the largest in Europe and offers local Bratislava cuisine, Slovak dishes, and house-brewed beers. They are famous for bryndzove halusky, potato gnocchi with special sheep cheese topped with toasted bacon.
My next stop was visiting the UFO Tower. It is a walk from the old town to the UFO Tower. However, there are many shops and restaurants on the way, and across the bridge is the entrance to the UFO Tower. There is an entrance charge for the tower, which, again, I thought was worth it. You can take the elevator to the top, where there is also a restaurant/bar. The UFO Tower is part of a bridge over the Danube. The bridge is also the world’s longest bridge, with one pylon and one cable-stayed plane.
I ended the day by strolling around the old town, people-watching, and finally having dinner at a local restaurant. I did not enjoy my meal so I will not name the restaurant.
