Passing Through Bratislava

I had a choice to make.  1) Spend the morning and afternoon in Vienna and make my way to Budapest in the late afternoon or 2) Spend the morning in Vienna and take a train to Bratislava in the early afternoon to spend a few hours there, before heading to Budapest in the late afternoon. 

My original plan was to do the latter but I ended up getting a bit sick in Vienna the night before and I was really questioning whether I should be spending the day running around 3 countries.  In the end, I felt like I was up for it and after an early lunch in Vienna, I made my way to the train station to go to Bratislava. 

My first impression upon arriving into Bratislava Hlavna Stanicá station is that it is definitely, slightly less developed than Austria.  The train station was packed full of people, who didn’t look like they were waiting for trains, and this reminded me quite a bit of China.  I saw some coin lockers on the platform and decided to deposit my suitcase into one of these so that I wouldn’t need to drag it around with me while I explored Bratislava.  The lockers were an older style and you had to lock with a key, but the great thing about them is that as soon as you closed it, you had 3 minutes to open it again in case you forgot something.  This came in handy for me as I did end up leaving something in my suitcase that I needed, so I was able to open and re-close it without having to pay again.

From the train station, it is about a 30 minute walk into the Old Town area.  It is a very interesting city in that the train station seemed a little outdated to me, but then as you gradually move towards the Old Town, the buildings seemed newer and newer.  And then once you reach the Old Town, the historical buildings are all that you can see again.  Bratislava is a great city encompassing both new and old.

As soon as I arrived into the Old Town area, I saw the impressive Michael’s Gate.  There were a few vendors that lined the path up to the gate, but it certainly didn’t feel as touristy as some of the other cities in Europe.  However, I should have held that thought, as it turned out to be quite different as soon as I passed through the gate. 

The streets were really pretty and each little alleyway was unique and you never knew where they would lead.  I loved walking around and getting lost here, as the Old Town was quite small and you wouldn’t really be lost.  Another great thing about Bratislava’s Old Town is that there is free Wi-fi! 

Not far away from the Old Town is St. Martin’s Cathedral, which is very close to the SNP Bridge. 

I ended up walking about half way across the bridge but I didn’t realize how long it was and got too tired to finish the journey, since I was still not feeling 100%.  I made my way back to the Old Town and eventually back to the train station to catch a train to Budapest.  The stop in Bratislava was brief but enough for me to appreciate the city.