2 Days in Bratislava: Sights, Eats, and Photo Spots
Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, is both a historic and modern city, with the 18th century old town & fairytale castle surrounded by modern skyscrapers and high rise apartments. Two days in Bratislava is the perfect amount of time, so start planning your weekend or side trip now!
Why you should spend two days in Bratislava
If you love a good dinner with a view, then you should definitely put Bratislava on your bucket list. I had the most incredible dining experience of my life at the UFO Restaurant there. But more on that below! Other reasons to spend two days in Bratislava include fairytale castles, instagrammable & colorful buildings in the old town, and easily accessible nature spots right outside the city. The city is very romantic and makes a great getaway weekend for couples!
Traveling to Bratislava for 2 days
Bratislava is only a one hour train from Vienna, and a 2.5 hour train ride from Budapest, which makes 2 days in Bratislava a great addition to any central Europe trip! Alternatively, you can fly into Bratislava airport. I recommend taking the train from another city if you can because European train rides are the best (and also more eco-friendly)!
The public transport system in Bratislava is really good. You won’t need to use it too much since everything you want to see in the city center is within walking distance. You can even walk to the UFO!
Is the Bratislava Card worth it?
You can purchase the Bratislava Card in 24, 48, and 72 hour increments. Just an FYI, even if you buy it online, you have to pick up a physical card before you are able to use it. If you arrive via train from Budapest (Hlavna Station), the office you need to go to is the ZSSK Customer Care center. It is very difficult to find and we ended up wandering around for like 20 minutes before we found it! Look for orange signs down a hallway, that is about all I can tell you 🤣
The Bratislava Card gives you unlimited public transport usage, free entry into 18 places around Bratislava, a free walking tour, and other discounts on activities, food, and more. For our two days in Bratislava, it was totally worth the price. Even though we didn’t use public transport much other than to get to and from the train station or avoid the rain, the free entry and discounts were awesome.
Bottom line: the Bratislava Card is worth it.
What you need to know before you go to Bratislava
General
Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia, which is in the European Union. The Schengen Visa applies here, so check out the upcoming changes in 2023.
Language
Slovak is the official language here, but many younger people speak English. The second most common language is Hungarian.
Money
Slovakia uses the Euro (EUR) as its currency. Paying by card was easy here, but we did end up needing a few dollars for our cab driver. Make sure to have a few euros cash on you just in case!
Safety
I felt safe in Slovakia. We even happened upon an anti-government protest at one point and it was fascinating! As always, keep your valuables hidden, don’t walk in sketchy places after dark, and use other common sense safety techniques.
Tips for Travelers with Anxiety in Bratislava
Bratislava is definitely not a tourist hotspot like many other European cities, so I felt really good here. The only things that ended up stressing me out were trying to find the place to buy the Bratislava Card and not checking the opening times of several tourist attractions.
On the Bratislava Card - the Visit Bratislava website has a bunch of helpful info on places where you can buy the card, including a map to each location. Definitely check it out!
On the opening times - some attractions like the Bratislava Castle, are closed certain days of the week. I didn’t realize it was closed on Tuesdays, and guess what? We tried to go on a Tuesday! But the grounds are still open for viewing, so that was nice. Double check the opening times/days before you start planning your trip!
Where to stay for 2 days in Bratislava
Arcadia Boutique Hotel Lobby
The best place to stay for two days in Bratislava is in the Old City. You can walk everywhere from here and be in the heart of Bratislava’s history!
I’m going to recommend the hotel where we stayed, Arcadia Boutique Hotel. The hotel is a renovated medieval building, and the breakfast is served in 13th century wine vaults. Make sure to look up at the ceiling and admire the beautiful stained glass! The staff were also incredible, and helped me out when I had a nasty canker sore and needed some salt to rise with late at night.
The only downside is that the bed was a bit firm for my taste, but since we were only there a few nights it wasn’t too bad.
2 Days in Bratislava Itinerary
I think two days in Bratislava is enough time to see all the major sites. If we had one more day I would have tried to go to the Slavin War Memorial, but honestly there isn’t much else I feel like we missed!
Day 1: Old Town, Bratislava Castle, Blue Church, UFO
Old City Bratislava
Bratislava Old Town
Wander around the historic old town’s cobbled streets where you will find restaurants, cafes, and chimney cakes. (if you don’t get a chimney cake and tell me all about it I will be very sad!) Admire the colorful classical buildings and try to find some of the famous street statues of Bratislava, like the Man at Work. Have lunch at Brixton House and make sure you check out the bathroom while you are there. It is…. interesting. Just trust me on this one 🤣
Bratislava Castle
Bratislava Castle
FYI check the website for the Bratislava Castle’s opening times before you go. When we went (on a Tuesday), the Slovak National Museum (which is what’s inside the Castle now) was closed for entry. However, I just checked the website again and it says it is open every day of the week so just double check before you go.
You can tour the grounds every day, and that’s definitely where the most instagrammable spots are! Here are my top photo spots at the Bratislava Castle:
At the entry gate between the archways
On the staircase in the gardens (you can get some nice leading lines in your photos)
To the right of the entrance gate, in a courtyard that reminds me of stables (perspective shot)
The outer wall that overlooks the city
I recommend going either early in the morning or right before they close for the best light. You have two days in Bratislava to capture those perfect shots!
Blue Church
Blue Church
The Blue Church definitely stands out! It was build in the Hungarian Secession style in 1913. The building is the color of the sky during a cloudless day, and the interior is filled with blue as well. The church is open for viewing during select hours: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 2:30 to 5:00 PM. Double check on the website if you plan on touring the interior!
UFO from the street
UFO Restaurant
No two days in Bratislava is complete without an experience at the UFO. The observation deck provides epic views of the city, and is definitely THE BEST photo spot in all of Bratislava. You can either pay to go to the observation deck, or you can make a dinner reservation and then you will be allowed to go to the deck before or after your meal. I highly recommend making your reservation for sunset so you can see the golden light shine on the city and then enjoy a meal overlooking the city at night.
If you are feeling really brave, you can do a skywalk around the outside of the UFO. You should probably wait to eat dinner until after so your dinner doesn’t end up on the ground below! 🤣
The best place to get pictures of the UFO is from the Most SNP/Staromestska near St Martin’s Cathedral. There is a bridge you can stand on, or if you are feeling really brave you can go down to the street below and squeeze on the sidewalk. Seriously though, watch out for cars because it is a major city road!
Day 2: Devin Castle, Presidential Palace, Primates Palace
Devin Castle
Devin Castle
Devin Castle is about 20 minute drive/45 minute bus ride outside of Bratislava. If you are spending two days in Bratislava, it should definitely be on your list. We opted to take an Uber out there in order to save time, and our Uber driver was kind enough to give us his number to text when we were finished so he could come back and get us. Shout out to Jakub for being such an amazing human!
The castle is in ruins, and you can tour the lower & upper parts as well as parts of the inside that hold historical items. You also get panoramic views of the Danube and surrounding mountains. There’s really not a bad photo spot, but here were my favorites:
Lower Castle - there is a spot with a small room that has a great view of the Danube and countryside
Lower Castle - facing the upper castle
Upper Castle - at the top, facing the lower castle
Upper Castle - the level right before the top, facing the mountains. There is even another castle in the distance!
Around the castle are gorgeous walking paths in the woods. I recommend getting there first thing in the morning so you can enjoy everything this spot has to offer! PS - you get free entry with the Bratislava Card. What’s not to love!
Double rainbow at the Presidential Palace during the protest
Presidential Palace
Known as the White House of Slovakia, the Grassalkovich Palace is now the ceremonial seat of Slovakia’s President. Out front is a beautiful fountain and around the back is a French Garden filled with modern artwork. The Palace is only open to the public once a year.
When we went, we stumbled upon an anti-government protest. As we walked up, I said to my husband “why are there so many police around? is something going on?” and then as we got closer we saw lots of people with Slovak flags and signs. I asked someone what was going on and they said there was a protest starting in about 30 minutes. We stuck around for a little while as I attempted to snap some pictures without a ton of people in them. Someone jokingly asked me if I was in the CIA. It was a very interesting experience to say the least!
Primate’s Palace
Primates Palace
Primate’s Palace is probably the most beautiful in Bratislava, both inside and out. The square in front of it is gorgeous too! The gallery contains portraits of Hungarian rulers, six rare English tapestries that were found during the renovation of the place, and the Hall of Mirrors where a peace treaty was signed between Austria and France in 1805. In the courtyard, there is a fountain of St George slaying a dragon, which supposedly comes to life on St. George’s day every year! This beautiful building was definitely a highlight of our two days in Bratislava.
Final Thoughts on 2 Days in Bratislava
I hope you enjoyed this two day itinerary for Bratislava! It was such a cool city and I really enjoyed our time there. Our two days in Bratislava were part of a larger trip to Hungary, Austria, and Slovakia. Check out these posts to discover more of Central Europe!