Where on Earth can you find the Little Big City of Bratislava

Cumil (Rubberneck)

Where on earth can you find Bratislava?  This is the question most people ask me about. Not many of them know this capital city of Slovak Republic (also known as Slovakia). This made me wonder how this infamous place looks like. How it differs from other countries I have visited.  That must be the reason why I decided to include Slovakia on my recent journey to England, Switzerland, Czech Republic and Austria.

Wien Sudbahnhof 

My trip to Bratislava is brief and I had no clue what to expect. The train smoothly roll its wheel for approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes from Vienna Railway Station Wien Sudbahnhof in Austria. There are few passengers.  We are only around 10 in the coach that gives me a chance to wander from one window to another to have a good view of the landscape and to have a good shot for my camera.  Passengers are polite and friendly. A very relaxing and convenient trip.

I bought our train ticket in Vienna for €14, a day prior to my brief journey.  I must tell you that it's easy to buy train tickets. As soon as you enter the station, you will see to your left, ticket machines that is user-friendly. Press this, press that and insert your money, and voila you have the ticket for the train leaving in the next few minutes or a ticket for a trip the following morning.

Bratislava is the largest city in Slovakia, and serves as the state capital. It is situated in the centre of Europe in the southwestern part of Slovakia. So beautiful and vibrant city bordered by the Czech Republic, Poland, Ukraine, Hungary, and Austria.

Main Railway Station in Bratislava

As you arrive at the Main Train Station, you'll see vineyards on the slopes of the Little Carpathian Mountains, where they meet the Danube River. The Austrian border is almost within sight of the city and Hungary is just 16 km away. Many beautiful monuments survive in the old town to tell of its past under Austro-Hungarian rule, and Bratislava's numerous museums are surprisingly rich. Bratislava is not as popular tourist destination as Budapest and Prague but I can tell you that the Old Town Bratislava is equally rich in history.

National Theatre ~ Bratislava

The old city and the castle are the best parts of Bratislava. The old city is packed with museums (such as the Municipal Museum which comes complete with torture chambers and the Museum of Wine Production) and palaces (Primate's Palace and the Mirbach Palace). The castle, built above the Danube, was a frontier post of the Roman Empire. Climb up for the great views and check out the very interesting Slovak National Museum expositions within. The Natural Sciences Museum of the Slovak National Museum and the Slovak National Gallery on the river are also worth a visit.

The Old town Bratislava has numerous whimsical statues.  You will see their bronze images in this blog.  Some are funny and some are serious.  Whatever the symbol of these statues are, I feel that each one of them offers a warm welcome.  Each one has story to tell. 

Post Office Girls

You don't want to miss Cumil (Rubberneck), a statue emerging from a manhole.  You will never find like him anywhere in the world.  Take a picture of this world rarity. Find him in the corner of Panska and Rybarska Brana streets.  Take notice the road sign protecting him after he lost his head twice due to some reckless drivers.  Don't miss seeing the statue of Schone Naci closeby at Sedlarska Ulica. There are a lot more. You will love them the way I did.

Local people do not speak English especially the older folks. Most of them speaks the Slovak language. It will be a bit of a delay when you are travelling by public transport. They are very helpful though. They are trying their best to tell you the direction through sign language, and it works at times. As in most countries, the young people understand and speak the English language, so I advice you to find them.

The quality of public transport in Bratislava is excellent as to my standard.  All the lines; tram, trolley and bus are clean and with enough space.  Passengers are well-behaved as well as the drivers. There is no untoward incident, whatsoever.  It's a big surprise to read a warning from a bratislavaguide local website that ticket inspectors in Bratislava public transport are ruthless towards tourist. They carry out random spot-checks around the clock.  The website's advice to travellers is to familiarize using the tickets.  A passenger should mark or validate by inserting into the orange ticket-marking-machine immediately upon boarding.   

Bratislava is a place that really touched my heart.  The Slovaks are warm and friendly ~ you'll never go wrong in this capital city of Slovakia. If ever I decide to re-visit the country, I will make sure to include Hungary, Poland, and Ukraine because they are few hours away from each other.  It will be another exciting escapades I suppose.

It has always been my aim with this travel blog to express my desire to share the beauty of  a country through photos.  You can make use of the information here; tips, advice, must-see places in your future trip to Slovak Republic.  Have a happy and safe trip to the little big city of Bratislava!