3 days in Bratislava - sustainable travel guide

Planning a weekend trip to Bratislava? Here you will find a compact guide through the capital of Slovakia, what to eat & where to eat, what’s worth seeing, museums, monuments & walking paths — all of this from an eco-friendly perspective.

Walk through Bratislava

The capital of Slovakia similarly to the whole country isn’t very big, but it has much to offer. It’s the perfect city to visit by walking. Three days in Bratislava are divided into three walking paths in the way that each day focuses on another aspect of the city.

day 1 – old town

Let’s start with St. Martin. Right after visiting the cathedral go for breakfast at Mondieu. Walk through the old city with a stop at Slovenské Národné Divadlo (National Slovak Theatre). Bratislava is full of street sculptures & walking to our next stop we’re passing the most popular one — Čumil. It’s time for a museum in the Old Town Hall, the ticket includes walking up the tower with a beautiful view of the city. Another stop, another museum — Bratislava City Gallery. Break in between museums and time for a walk up the castle hill but be sure to walk by the Michalska Gate. If you need time to rest sit down in the Baroque Garden or order lemonade at Parliament Restaurant (yet another place with a panoramic view). Finishing strong with the tour of Bratislava Castle.

day 2 – modernism

Starting from Tour UFO du Pont SNP go through SNP bridge. The next stop is Galeria Nedbalka, a gallery of modern art, where besides art you can enjoy a coffee or tea that’s included in the gallery ticket. Just by the corner, also worth seeing is The Old Market Hall. On this day you will see a second museum — Slovenské Múzeum Dizajnu (museum of design), but before this be sure to walk by Hotel Kyiev. If you get hungry after visiting the museum, you can eat something vegan at Balans Bistro. Then a little out of topic but in the area & worth seeing are Presidential Palace & Presidential Gardens. Back to modernism walk through Námestie Slobody (Freedom Square) to our last stop of the day Slavin — a monument for soviets, situated on the hill with an amazing view of the whole city.

day 3 – by the Danube

First stop of the day — Blue Church St. Elizabeth. Then a visit to Gallery Umelka. Keeping this day light let’s go chill & enjoy some greenery. Stepping on the other side of the Danube river into the Nowe Lido neighbourhood, choose the Old Bridge, you’ll appreciate the view of the castle. When you’re in the Sad Janka Kráľa be sure to see the Gothic tower of the Franciscan Church. For an afternoon relaxation go to the Tyršák food track area. There you can have a drink, something to eat, chill & see what’s happening at the cultural station near the entrance — maybe you’ll see a concert or a movie.

What to see in Bratislava?

If you want to choose your own paths here’s a list of places that you want to include on your tour.

museums

modern art from XX century to contemporary at Galeria Nedbalka
Slovenské Múzeum Dizajnu
Old Town Hall with a panoramic viewpoint on top of the tower, sacral & secular collection of historical items since the gothic era
Bratislava City Gallery
Bratislava Castle with beautiful interiors, painting exhibitions & a national historical museum in the castle building plus Baroque Garden for an unforgotten reading session
Gallery Umelka

monuments

Tour UFO du Pont SNP & SNP bridge — modernistic bridge with a restaurant on top of the tower & a panoramic viewpoint
The Old Market Hall
Hotel Kyiev — an old hotel that now become a huge graphic point of the city
Presidential Palace & Presidential Gardens
Námestie Slobody — Freedom Square with modernistic fountain
Slavín — communist monument & soviet cemetery on top of a hill with a view of the whole city
Cathedral St. Martin
Slovenské Národné Divadlo — Slovak National Theatre
Čumil — one of many sculptures in the city
Michalska Gate
Blue Church St. Elizabeth — the most characteristic church in the Bratislava
when going through the river choose Old Bridge and spent a few minutes in the sitting area in the middle
park Sad Janka Kráľa with the Gothic tower of the Franciscan Church

map

What to eat in Bratislava?

Bratislava has many food options for vegetarians & vegans, below I share a few of my favourite ones. Also, the tap water in the city is drinkable and what’s more, there are drinking water stations all over the city, so you can refill your reusable bottle with ease.