My 2 night stay in Bratislava followed a trip from Prague – the relaxed city was very much welcomed!
Following a 4 hour coach journey from Prague on Flixbus (aka my favourite coach company) I arrived in Bratislava at 10pm. I love travelling on coaches as it’s a great way to see the landscape of the country – which otherwise would be missed on a plane, and I managed to catch a great sunset. I checked into my hostel – Patio Hostel which I would recommend – it was clean, quiet and well located.
Other hostels worth looking at are Wild Elephants Hostel and Hostel Folks. Whilst notable hotels include Marrol’s Boutique Hotel, Elisabeth Old Town and Park Inn Radisson Danube.
I woke up early the next morning and it was great to walk around in tourist free streets! Like many other destinations I decided to do a walking tour on my first full day to help me gain a better grasp of the city and ensure I note down any tips the tour guide provides. This walking tour lasted for circa 3 hours and was very informative (it was with BeFreeTours – remember to tip your tour guide).
Tourist free streets in the morning 
Famous St Elizabeth Church aka “Blue Church”
For lunch myself and a few others from the walking tour decided to pay a visit to the food market that was open – there was a great atmosphere, good choice of food and at reasonable prices.
My highlight was visiting Devinsky hrad (Devin Castle), which I went to visit in the afternoon of my first full day. It is located just a 20 minute drive from the centre of Bratislava. I chose to take an Uber, however public buses are available. For someone who lives within a busy city, it was great to breath in fresh air, see green fields and enjoy walking around without being in a rush for a few hours. The blue skies that lasted during my entire visited were very much welcomed.
It was great to see the Danube River again on my travels and on the opposite side of the river is Austria!
On my second day I got up early and had a relaxing brunch at Urban House with 2 travellers I met at the hostel the previous day. We walked around the Old Town and visited Bratislava Castle, which provides great views over the city.
After a morning of a exploring we decided to check out a creperie called Petite Creperie located close to our hostel, which did not disappoint. They offer both savoury and sweets crepes and I decided to try a savoury crepe filled with pepperoni, cheese and vegetables. It was freshly made in front of us and seating was provided outside, on a quiet street.
Brunch from Urban House 
Crepe from Petite Creparie
Unfortunately my time in Bratislava was over and I took the tram to the main train station (Bratislava Hlavna Stanica) which is just located to the north, just outside of the city centre. Public transport is very easy to use and the majority of tram stops have ticket machines where tickets can be purchased before boarding. Like most of my European train travel, there was no need to pre-book a train ticket, I just went up to the ticket office and the kind lady sorted my ticket out.
I got a train to Vienna where I was able to explore the glorious city for my second time and caught my flight home to London. It still amazes me that I spent time in 3 countries (Slovakia, Austria and the UK) in one day!
My Thoughts
I only spent a few short days in Bratislava, and I would happily go back again to Slovakia to explore Tatra National Park and Kosice.
It was the 46th country I have visited and as a solo female traveller it felt safe and welcoming. The size is very manageable on foot thus transport costs were very low for me. It was also great to be reunited with the Danube River once again, only Serbia and Moldova left and I would have visited all the countries it flows through!
Ratings
Things to do – 3/5 There was more than enough to see and do in Bratislava to fill up a weekend.
Dining – 3/5 Unfortunately I did not try much in terms of local food, however what I did have was tasty, fresh and provided plentiful choice.
Cost – 4/5 Most of the activities that I chose to do were free and things like transport and food were very well priced.
Transport – 5/5 The city is very walkable whilst it is very well connected by bus and train to neighbouring countries.
Safety & security – 5/5 As a solo traveller I had no issues, locals seemed to keep to themselves however were super helpful if I asked them a question. Moreover, Slovakia ranks highly on the list in terms of safety.
Overall – 20/25 I would certainly recommend a visit to Bratislava and not to just pass it through, like many travellers do.
