2 days in Bratislava

Day by day

1. Day 1: Bratislava Castle and St Martin's Cathedral

   Bratislava Castle, St Martin's Cathedral, Michael's Gate and Michalská street and UFO observation deck, Most SNP, then Old Town lanes in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Bratislava Castle

      It was rebuilt in the second half of the 20th century after a fire left it in ruins, and now houses exhibitions of the Slovak National Museum. The Baroque garden and the terraces are free to walk and look over the river to Petržalka and, on clear days, Austria and Hungary.

   2. Late morning

      St Martin's Cathedral

      A gilded replica of the Hungarian crown tops the spire, and brass crowns set into the pavement of the Old Town mark the old coronation route.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Bryndza dumplings

      Traditional Slovak restaurants in the Old Town and salaš-style restaurants on the city's edge.

   4. Afternoon

      Michael's Gate and Michalská street

      Below it, Michalská and Ventúrska streets run south past Baroque palaces, cafés and the historic university building of Academia Istropolitana.

   5. Late afternoon

      UFO observation deck, Most SNP

      A lift in the pylon takes you up to views over the castle, the Old Town and the endless tower blocks of Petržalka.

   6. Evening

      Old Town lanes

      Pubs and bars along Michalská, Ventúrska, Laurinská and Sedlárska streets, busy every weekend.

2. Day 2: Main Square and Old Town Hall and Primate's Palace

   Main Square and Old Town Hall, Primate's Palace, Blue Church (St Elizabeth's) and Čumil and the Old Town bronze statues, then Obchodná street in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Main Square and Old Town Hall

      The Old Town Hall, a cluster of medieval buildings with a tower, houses the Bratislava City Museum, and a cannonball from the Napoleonic wars is still lodged in its tower wall.

   2. Late morning

      Primate's Palace

      In its Hall of Mirrors the Peace of Pressburg was signed after the Battle of Austerlitz in 1805, and upstairs hangs a rare set of 17th-century English tapestries telling the story of Hero and Leander.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Bryndza pierogi

      Slovak restaurants across the Old Town; ask for them without bacon if you prefer.

   4. Afternoon

      Blue Church (St Elizabeth's)

      It sits on a quiet street a ten-minute walk east of the Old Town.

   5. Late afternoon

      Čumil and the Old Town bronze statues

      Bratislava's playful bronze figures pop up around the Old Town: Čumil, a sewer worker peering out of a manhole at the corner of Panská and Rybárska brána, a Napoleonic soldier leaning on a bench on the Main Square, and the top-hatted Schöne Náci tipping his hat on Sedlárska street.

   6. Evening

      Obchodná street

      Student bars, cheap pubs and late-night food just north of the Old Town.

Before you go

If it rains

• Swap in Slovak National Gallery (Old Town): Even if you skip the collections, look at the bold 'bridge' extension from the riverside.
• Swap in Old Market Hall (Old Town): Come on a Saturday morning for the market, then walk to the Blue Church.

Where to stay for this itinerary

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 7–8 hours of visiting over 2 days, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 8.4 hours in December to 16 hours in June, so in winter start early and keep museums for the afternoon.

Getting between stops: Walking. From Michael's Gate to the cathedral is about ten minutes, and the castle is a steep five-minute climb from there.

More or fewer days

• One day in Bratislava
• 3 days in Bratislava

Questions travellers ask