Don't Sleep on Bratislava!

Our Quick Stop In The Slovak Capital

During our long brainstorming sessions before starting this business venture, we actually never discussed a visit to Slovakia.

That is what has been so exhilarating about this adventure so far. Plans are always subject to change, which opens us up to new and unexpected experiences!

While looking at our path from Eastern to Western Europe, this place called Bratislava caught my eye, situated on the route between Budapest and Vienna.

Bratislava is the capital city of Slovakia and, like Budapest and Vienna, it is situated on the Danube River. We figured we would give it a shot, at least for a couple days!

We were extremely glad we made this choice. While it certainly wasn’t the largest or most famous place we have visited, it had an unmistakable charm and personality.

There was an added bonus in that our friend Martin, who lives in the Czech Republic, came down to visit us! We were also introduced to his girlfriend, Zuzanne, who just happened to be from Slovakia!

Zuzanne introduced us to traditional Slovak food and drinks, and we got a little carried away with the drinks!

Slovakia is known for a brandy called borovička, which is made with juniper berries.

Despite being 40% alcohol by volume, it had a very pleasant taste!

After enjoying a delicious meal of traditional pierogis and dumplings made with bryndzové (Slovak sheep cheese), we made our way to a borovička bar. Yes, those exist!

We had a lot of fun catching up, trying some Slovak beers to chase the borovička down, and also engaging in some important discussions about the situation in Ukraine. While we were having a fun night out in a free society, people were directly involved in an active war only 500 km (310 miles) away.

Slovakia shares a border with Ukraine on the eastern side of the country, and although we were on the opposite side in Bratislava, Zuzanne is from eastern Slovakia, and has family there.

The fighting is obviously contained within the Ukrainian borders for now, but it was still eye-opening to hear the perspective of someone who has loved ones in very close proximity to the ongoing situation.

Martin and Zuzanne headed back to Prague the next day, while Sidney and I explored Bratislava’s old town and riverfront. We loved what we found!

The old town is similar to what we saw in Bucharest and Zagreb, in that it is designated to pedestrian traffic with restaurants, bars, and shopping.

The riverfront is home to some very cool architecture, including the “UFO” bridge. The observation deck on top of this bridge is apparently a stunning view of the entire city, and you can see all the way to Austria!

However, in budget traveller fashion, we found another lookout point that was completely free.

For sunset, we trekked up to the Hrad Castle, which sits atop a hill on the west side of the city. The climb was a workout, but it was definitely worth it!

After only a couple days, we felt like we saw the majority of what Bratislava had to offer. While I wouldn’t recommend it for an extended stay, it was a perfect weekend stop, and would even be a worthwhile day trip from Vienna!

We have officially made it to Austria, and I could not be more excited to explore Vienna and a bit of the countryside!

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