Mark Bibby Jackson spends 48 hours in Bratislava Slovakia to see why this underrated European capital is a winter wonderland.
My previous visit to the Bratislava Slovakia was in 1994. At the time I was returning from my first epic travels, having been overwhelmed by the otherworldliness of India, Nepal and Southeast Asia. So, the starkness of the Slovakian capital was rather underwhelming. It was only the previous year that Slovakia had broken away from their Czech neighbours – with Czechoslovakia becoming two countries, and Paul Merton brilliantly questioning ‘whatever happened to the Os?’ Quite frankly I found Bratislava ugly – a concrete jungle rather than the real thing I had just witnessed.
Fast forward three decades and I find myself wondering whether my previous visit had been just a dream, as I wander around Bratislava old town. Adorned with its dazzling Christmas lights, it is quite beautiful.
Bratislava City Tour
We enter the old town of Bratislava like millions before us through the beautiful Michael’s Gate, which was built around 1300 but modernised in the Baroque style in 1758.
Then we wander around the cobbled streets where Liszt and Beethoven used to play music, before entering the Main Square (Hlavné námestie) where the Bratislava Christmas Market is held. This is a typical Christmas market where you can buy lots of handicrafts and eat loads of meat, including the most enormous black sausages. Slovakia produces a sweet currant wine ríbezlák, which is made into a type of mulled wine, that is warming, but incredibly sweet – perhaps an acquired taste.
Around the corner in Primate’s Square, opposite the 18th Century Primate’s Palace is the Christmas Forest, a collection of Christmas trees decorated by local school children with prizes given to the three best schools. The trees are then donated to charities, homes and families who cannot afford to have their own ones. There is also a quiet zone for kids. The Primate’s Palace was where the Peace of Pressburg (the old name for Bratislava) was signed after the Battle of Austerlitz, and now is a gallery and concert space, and has a fine collection of English tapestries.
A short walk takes us the St Martin’s Cathedral, a glorious fortified church which was consecrated in 1452 and held many a coronation during Austro-Hungarian times including that of Maria Theresa on 25 June 1741. The Bratislava Coronation Days is held each summer to mark the occasion.
Passing through the cathedral I walk along a stretch of the medieval city walls. Built in the 13th and 14th centuries to protect the city from invasion by the Ottomans, most of it was pulled down by Maria Theresa, although this short 200-metere stretch from St Martin’s Cathedral has been reopened to the public.
Our evening concludes with an excellent meal at Zylinder restaurant which specialises in Austro-Hungarian traditional food, and where I try some Bryndza cheese dumplings. This is close to the beautiful neo-Renaissance Slovak National Theatre (1885–1886), the oldest professional theatre in the country, and the adjacent Christmas market along Hviezdoslavovo námestie square.
Old Market Hall
The following day we head to the Old Market Hall (Stará tržnica) on SNP (Slovak National Uprising) Square.
The 1910 enclosed market hall was designed by Hungarian architect František Nechyba with an open iron structure inspired by Eiffel Tower. The original market closed in 1965, before being converted into a film studio, and then closed once more. It reopened in 2013 and is now run by the Alliance of the Old Market Hall. I am fortunate to be shown around the market by Marek Ladiver, who works for the Alliance.
It is a fascinating building, and a great example of how you can repurpose large spaces. It hosts many concerts and events, such as a beer and a chocolate festival. There is also a summer exhibition arts festival.
Each Saturday (9am to 3pm) the Trh-Piac-Markt is held here. Modelled very much on the principles of slow food, this includes a farmers market as well as a cantina where local produce from the stallholders is turned into tasty and wholesome dishes. You can also buy natural wine, and all the other stuff you would associate with a market of its ilk.
It really is a wonderful community space. They opened a rooftop garden, based on the principles of permaculture, a couple of years ago, which Marek shows me. They also hold lots of workshops, and have a great botanical oasis space as well as a co-working space, with local start-ups working with advanced technology.
Marek explains how they upcycle wherever possible, and provide compost for free to the local farmers, as well as collect water wherever possible.
In addition to having their own micro-brewery – where doesn’t these days? – the Alliance also produces its own soda, which is delivered across Bratislava by bicycle. Marek says they are not only trying to invent new things, but also recreate the past. Soda used to be produced in the original old market.
Needless to say, the Old Market also has a Christmas market (15-22 December), as well as an outdoor market outside on the SNP Square during the summer.
My visit to the Old Market is a wonderful uplifting experience, and shows how far the city has developed since my previous visit here 30 years ago.
SNP itself is in the heart of the old town. Outside the Old Market are the remains of St Lawrence’s Church, which date back to the 14th century. A bit further up is the impressive Memorial of Slovak National Uprising in 1944. Unveiled in 1974, it commemorates the main uprising by the Slovaks against the Nazis and collaborators.
Nearby is the Monastery of the Merciful Brothers, which has a micro-brewery where on my final night I enjoy a dark beer in its Bratislavska restaurant.
Bratislava Castle
Slovakia has 907 castles, apparently the largest number per capital in Central Europe. Perhaps the most famous of them is Bratislava Castle.
This castle is built on a hill overlooking the Danube, and marks the importance of the city as a fortification point in the region – it overlooks Austria, Slovakia and Hungary. A Gothic castle was built here for Sigismund of Luxembourg in the 15th century, and some of this original castle still remains, including the Sigismund Gate. However, the majority of what you can now see was rebuilt in the 17th century in the Baroque style, and the castle remodelled by Maria Theresa the following century.
Inside is the Slovak National Museum including the Treasury, but perhaps the most striking part of Bratislava Castle, apart from the stunning views across to Austria, is the Baroque Garden created for – you’ve guessed it – Maria Theresa.
Decorating Gingerbread and Learning to Dance
After lunch in the Hradna restaurant in Bratislava Castle, we return to the old town to discover how to ice gingerbread. The tradition of making gingerbread for Christmas was brought to Bratislava from Germany in the 16th century.
Originally, they were expensive and just for the rich, but as sugar was introduced poorer people could afford them. At ÚĽUV school of crafts, we are shown how to decorate the ginger bread biscuits with icing sugar, by Janka, who has been decorating ginger bread for 40 years. A three-hour masterclass costs €40 at the end of which you walk off with your own ginger bread biscuits.
As often while taking part in such activities, I find it a relaxing experience, where the pace of modern life slows down, albeit momentarily. ÚĽUV is also one of the organisations behind the Christmas Forest project.
There is nothing slow about our next activity that day. In a 600-year-old cellar right next to Michael’s Gate, Kustar’s Music Band entertains us with some traditional Slovak folk music at the Folklore Garden Restaurant.
At first, I imagine I have been transported to the start of The Lady Vanishes as Peter Kustar and his band play their music, while our food – and free-flowing wine – is served. Then the dancers appear with lots of twirling, clapping and shouting. It is energetic and quite mesmerising just like I imagine the Whirling Dervishes to be. But the life of a travel writer teaches you one thing – there is no such thing as a free dinner.
Inevitably, eventually, the dancers invite us to join them in a circle to do some Slovak dancing ourselves. Fortunately, I have partaken in some traditional folk dancing in the Isle of Man and also Glasgow earlier in the year so I know what to expect. My colleagues compliment me on how fleet of foot I am, but having looked back on the video, I feel they were just being kind.
My 48 hours in Bratislava concludes on a high. The UFO Observation Deck is perhaps the most iconic building in the modern Slovak capital. As you approach it looks as if a UFO has crashed on the bridge across the Danube while trying to enter – or leave – the country. Opened in 1972, and standing some 95 metres high, it literally dominates the skyline. From its observation deck you can see more than 60 miles on a clear day. At night, the lights of Bratislava look beautiful.
After a few minutes we retire to the restaurant below to have a Slovak plum slivovitz, the perfect way to conclude our most fascinating 48 hours in Bratislava. In the morning, I am to set off on a day-trip to the surrounding Slovak countryside.
Bratislava Slovakia Hotels
If you are looking for hotels in Bratislava Slovakia, we can recommend the Grand Hotel River Park, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Bratislava. Built in 2010, the hotel is now part of the Marriott Luxury Collection. It has amazing views of the river, serves an excellent breakfast, and has a beautiful spa where I spend my final morning chilling before my flight back to London Stansted.
Flights to Bratislava Slovakia
In Bratislava they say they have two international airports – Bratislava and Vienna, as the airport for the Austrian capital is only a 45-minute drive away. Ryanair has flights to Bratislava airport from London Stansted. Flights go to Vienna from all around the world.
Weather Bratislava Slovakia
The weather in Bratislava is hot in the summer and cold in the winter. To get the latest update on the Bratislava Slovakia weather, click here.
Things to Do Bratislava Slovakia
There are many Bratislava Slovakia attractions. To discover what else you can do in Bratislava capital city of Slovakia, go to the Visit Bratislava website.
All images by Mark Bibby Jackson.
