Bratislava is the capital of the Central European country Slovakia, although it’s not as visited as Budapest or Prague in its neighbouring countries, what makes it worth visiting is its tranquility and quaint architecture.
After a great few days in Budapest, I had to take the bus over to Bratislava as it was cheaper to fly from there. The bus from Budapest was very comfortable, however some idiot was talking on his phone for the whole journey. Once I arrived in Bratislava, I only had to walk 10 minutes to get to my hostel and it was a very comfortable place to spend the night.
I decided to have my dinner at MacDonald’s and I was surprised to see that they sold beer, after that I went for a walk around the city. I walked up to where the castle is, the most iconic building in the city and it is a very pleasant walk. Although the castle was closed as it was already night time, however the views of the Danube river and the city from the castle felt very peaceful in the dark.
On the way down, I was freezing as it was the beginning of January and I took refuge in a traditional looking pub which even had a fireplace. A pint of beer only cost less than three euros and it was poured straight out of the barrel. Before going back to the hostel, I walked around the old town in the dark and I felt it was very peaceful as there was hardly anyone else around. I even saw the presidential palace which looks very modest compared to other palaces in the world.
The next morning I took a walk around the old town again and took a look at Michael’s Gate which is now a museum about the history of the city. It cost me 3 euros to enter and I’d say it was worth paying as at the top of the tower, you can get some decent views.
Before catching an Uber to the airport, I found a Vietnamese place where I had a pho for lunch. What was amusing was that the woman working there couldn’t speak English to me and I tried to order in Slovak. It was interesting to have one of my favourite foods in Bratislava and was good value for money as a pho and diet coke cost me less than five euros.
Although Bratislava isn’t the most interesting city in Europe, I’d argue it’s worth visiting as it feels very laidback and peaceful.