City Information   - Boka flygstol - biljett -       Queensway Travel
Airport
MR Stefanik international airport is located in an eastern suburb of Bratislava called Vrakuna, about 15km from downtown. It is still relatively small but services are expanding all the time. Currently available are parking, post office, bank, money exchange, luggage deposit, car-rentals, restaurant, bar, duty free, barber shop, first aid. Many business travellers and tourists elect to fly into Vienna’s Schwechat airport, which is only 60km from Bratislava and offers a greater range of services and flight connections. 
Airport to City Centre
Taxis from Vienna airport, if Slovak, cost between 2,000 and 2,500 Slovak crowns (Sk). The bus service to Bratislava runs every 2 hrs, and costs 95 Austrian schillings (Sk285). Bratislava Airport Taxi takes travellers direct from the airport; expect a drive downtown to cost Sk200-300 and take 15-20 mins. If you do end up flying into Bratislava, you may find the occasional taxi waiting outside the terminal. Taxis often have to be summoned, however, and the service least likely to cheat you is Oto Taxi. Reckon on about Sk200-300, depending on where in the centre you want to go. Taxis are twice as expensive when hailed in the street. Bus connections to the airport are few but reliable – every 20 mins on weekdays and every 25 mins on weekends and holidays. The bus drops you at the Sport Hall on Bajkalska St, which is still quite a walk from downtown. 
All in all, a taxi is by far the best bet from the airport – public transport is slow, confusing and not user-friendly. If you do decide to bus it, make sure you buy a ticket. Make sure you also punch your ticket when you board the bus: unshaven and hostile ticket inspectors enjoy pouncing on unsuspecting tourists and fining them Sk1,000 for not having a valid ticket. Be prepared, or avoid potential hazards by purchasing a 7-day pass from the Transit Authority for Sk200 from the main train station or the underpass beside Hotel Forum. 
Orientation
Bratislava is dominated by two geographic features – the Danube River, which bisects the city, and the Small Carpathian mountains, which form the northern border of the capital. These natural features have produced Bratislava’s most visible man-made landmarks – the city’s four bridges, which span the Danube and link Bratislava proper with the hideous suburb of Petrzalka, and the Kamzik television tower, which looms over the city from its perch on a mountain ridge to the north. 
If you are driving, two roads will be important to you – the E-65, which starts out as Stefanikova St downtown and goes west through the Dubravka suburb to Brno and Prague in the Czech Republic, and the E-58, which goes over the Novy Most, through Petrzalka and over the Austrian border to Vienna. The only other noteworthy Bratislava landmark is the castle, which is perched on a hill beside the parliament building and above the old town. It looks a little like an upside-down table.
Excursions     - Lågprisflyg -       Queensway Travel
One of the best excursions is the inexpensive hydrofoil trip up the Danube to Vienna. Another eye-opener is an excursion to the massive Gabcikovo hydroelectric dam near the Hungarian border; it is currently the subject of a fierce dispute between Hungary and Slovakia. You could also make the trip to the ruins of Devin castle, about 8km from downtown on the 29 bus. 
Apart from nearby Vienna and Budapest, the immediate environs of Bratislava do not have a great deal to offer the traveller. The best of Slovakia lies a 4-hr trip away, in the central Slovak city of Banska Bystrica, the spectacular High and Low Tatra mountain ranges and the stunning beauty of Slovak Paradise (Slovenskù Raj). For those with the time, a trip to the town of Kremnica is a charming weekend getaway. Kremnica is an old mining town that has been beautifully reconstructed without losing any of its small-town, central-Slovak character. It offers a stunning variety of nature walks, superb skiing, lost-in-time pubs and the frequent feeling that you are no longer in Europe.
Getting Around
Public transport in Bratislava is reliable but slow. It was also not designed with visitors in mind and can be a baffling experience. The city is served by trams, trolleybuses and buses. Each ride costs you a Sk10 ticket, which must be stamped in a punch machine fixed near the doors upon entering the bus or tram. If any of the aggressive and hostile ticket checkers catch you without a valid ticket, they will make you pay a Sk1,000 fine on the spot. If you don’t have the money, they will march you down to the police station. So make sure you stamp your ticket! Most of what is worth seeing in Bratislava, however, is located in a small reconstructed downtown core that is not served by public transport. Known as the Stare Mesto (Old Town), this area is the size of a postage stamp in comparison with Prague’s splendid historical core, but well worth exploring for all that. 
If you do have to travel around the city, taxis are still cheap by Western standards. Some will try to rip you off by not turning the meter on and then claiming an outrageous total, so make sure the meter is running before the driver pulls away. Taxis can be found at most major hotels, major downtown intersections and outside the Tesco store, but it is far better to call a cab than to hail one.
What to see
Perhaps the best place to start any sightseeing tour is Bratislava Castle, which sits about 100m above the New Bridge (Novy Most) and the Old Town. The castle hill was first used for a Slavic fortress in 907; the present castle was built in 1427, suffered a fire in 1811 and was reconstructed in the 50s and 60s. After walking around the castle, head down towards the Danube, where you will find the Slovak National Museum almost directly below the castle. The museum features permanent paleontology and anthropology exhibits, as well as a fascinating series of temporary exhibits.
A short walk down the road towards the Old Bridge brings you to the spectacularly ugly building that houses the Slovak National Gallery. It chronicles the history of Slovak art and has some interesting Renaissance pieces from eastern Slovakia’s Spis region. Almost everything else that is worth seeing in Bratislava is to be found in the Old Town. Check out, for example, the gorgeous Slovak National Theatre, built 1884-86. It sits on the most famous Bratislava square, across from the defunct Carlton Hotel, which is now being reconstructed by a Belgian firm. 
Heading further into the Old Town, be sure not to miss the bright pink Primatial Palace. Inside is a collection of 17c and 18c paintings and the Hall of Mirrors, where Napoleon and Emperor Franz Jozef signed the Pressburg Peace Treaty after the Battle of Austerlitz. The Primatial Palace sits beside one of the prettiest buildings in Bratislava, the Old Town Hall and Town Museum. Here Bratislava’s history can be traced through documents and exhibits, including a blood-curdling cellar exhibition of torture instruments.
Afterwards, head through the passageway to the small Main Square with its Roland fountain. Craftsmen’s stalls often line the square, which is one of the busiest and prettiest downtown locations. If you can avoid the temptation to pop into one of the pubs that line the square, including The Dubliner Irish pub, make your way towards the main street of the Old Town, Michalska St. Walk up the street, past the pubs and swanky shops, until you reach the unmistakable Michael’s Gate. The Town Museum of Weapons and City Defence is located in Michael’s Gate Tower behind a plain wooden door, and holds a fascinating collection of medieval weaponry. Be sure to climb the tower for a sweeping view of the Old Town.
If you still have some energy left, look for a monument set on top of the hill near the castle. Known as Slavin, this needle-like column was erected by the communists to honour the Russian soldiers killed during WWII. You can either walk up the hill, through beautiful neighborhoods of old houses and cobbled streets, or take bus 216 or 217 from Hodzovo Square to the Red Cross stop. The view from the monument and the beautiful gardens that surround it is spectacular. 
For anyone interested in a sightseeing tour of a different sort, the suburb of Petrzalka offers a glimpse into Slovakia’s dreary socialist past. With its massive concrete housing blocks, canyon-like streets and utter lack of architectural variety, Petrzalka is one of the ugliest and most depressing places in Slovakia. It houses a population with the highest average education level and the highest wage level in the country – and with the highest abortion, divorce and suicide rates as well.
Shopping    - Boka resa -     Queensway Travel
The most recognisable shopping landmark in Bratislava is the Tesco store, located just opposite the main SNP square. You know what you’re going to get at Tesco, but there is still nowhere better to find clothing, booze and groceries in a single store. Opposite Tesco, on the city’s largest square, is an Old Market building. Originally built in 1910, it was re-opened in Dec 1999 and houses eveything from fresh fish and venison to hair stylists and a brew-pub. Worth a stop on any shopping trip, if only to drink in the period architecture. 
For more typically Slovak items, try the shops that line Obchodna St, the town’s main shopping strip. You’ll find a number of souvenir stores that sell Slovakia’s best known product – ceramics. Make sure you buy ceramics made in the town of Modra, which is the most traditional and highest quality producer. There’s lots to choose from in the Old Town as well, but the shops tend to sell foreign goods and are usually hideously expensive. One souvenir that you may want to bring back from Slovakia is alcohol. Slovaks are great drinkers, and make some of the cheapest hooch in the world. True Slovak varieties include slivovica, borovicka and demanovka. These souvenirs can be found almost anywhere.
Where to walk
A tour of the Old Town is the walk that is most likely to interest visitors to the city with time on their hands – see the What to See section for further details. For an entirely different perspective of the city, however, put on a comfortable pair of shoes and strike out along the Danube River. Walk westwards away from the Old Town until you get to the Lafranconi Bridge; climb the stairs and cross the bridge to the Petrzalka side. There you will find a bicycle and walking path; follow it in the direction of the Old Town. The path will take you along the banks of the river, past a small wood and then opposite the castle, the National Museum and the rest of the Old Town hubbub. Seen from across the Danube on a sunny day or a warm evening, Bratislava never looked so beautiful. The walk can be cut short at the Old Bridge (Stary Most), which will bring you back across the river to the buildings of the largest Slovak university, Comenius University. Those with a bit more energy can continue along the Petrzalka side to the Port Bridge (Pristavny Most) – a walk which is far less pretty, but which takes you past the seamy underside of Bratislava’s shipping terminals. 
A second best bet is the town’s gorgeous Forest Park, which can be reached by taking bus number 213 from Hodzovo Square to the last stop. Hike up the road towards the television tower, which stands at the entrance to the park at about 500m above sea level. The view of Bratislava from here is spectacular, and the enormous park’s many forest trails are the perfect antidote to any lingering urban weariness.
Weather and Climate
Slovakia has a continental climate, meaning that the summers can be scorchingly hot (July and August are frequently 35°C) and quite humid. If you are visiting in the summer, cool clothing is an absolute must, especially as relatively few restaurants and cars have air-con. Winters, on the other hand, are more variable. Temperatures can plummet to -25°C, or sit at a balmy 5°C for weeks on end. It’s best to bring warm clothing. It starts to get quite cold in early November, lasting until spring arrives at the end of March.

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