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When planning your Europe travel itinerary, you probably won’t even consider traveling to Bratislava because you’ll be sticking to major cities throughout the continent. Even if you are traveling in Eastern Europe, you might not even visit Bratislava as it’s easily skipped over. That begs the question: Is Bratislava worth visiting?
Bratislava is the capital of and largest in Slovakia, which is a small, landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It’s a former Soviet country that’s surrounded by Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Ukraine.
Tons of travelers visit these surrounding countries, especially the Czech Republic, Austria, and Hungary. So, why do many travelers not visit Bratislava?
While Bratislava is the capital and main city of Slovakia, it is relatively small, and it does not have any super famous things to do or see, like other European cities. However, that does not mean there is nothing to do in Bratislava.
Bratislava is actually filled with plenty of things to do, and it’s not too far from other more visited cities, like Budapest and Vienna. It’s only one hour from Vienna and two hours from Budapest by bus, making Bratislava and excellent day trip from either city!
An added bonus about a day trip from Vienna or Budapest to Bratislava is that visiting Bratislava can be done in one day if that’s all the time you have.
Ideally, you could spend 2 days in Bratislava and see everything the city has to offer, but it is possible to see most of the things in Bratislava in one day.
Bratislava has a small, but majestic Old Town that is very picturesque and worth exploring. It’s not as big as other cities, but it is quaint and lovely.
Eating, drinking, and shopping in Bratislava is also a lot cheaper than other cities too. You can find a delicious, authentic Slovak meal accompanied with a great Slovak beer for super cheap. Slovakia is also on the Euro, so you won’t have to exchange money when you visit Bratislava.
One thing you will want to do in Bratislava is stop at the Grand Cru Wine Gallery. You may not know Slovakia for their wine now, but you definitely will after you stop here.
The Grand Cru Wine Gallery is one of the best wine tasting experiences you can have. They are incredibly personal and friendly and will teach you about Slovak wine and let you try a bunch of it until you find one you like! Honestly, you will probably leave a little tipsy with a new found love for wine from Slovakia.
There are tons of other things to do in Bratislava too, check them all out here in our Bratislava Travel Guide.
To answer the question from the beginning: Is Bratislava worth visiting? Yes, Bratislava is worth visiting!
Bratislava is a smaller capital city that can be visited in one day or even in a day trip, which means it is an easy city to include in your Eastern European travel itinerary.
It is also cheap, easily accessible from other bigger, more visited cities, and has delicious local food and fantastic wine and beer. All of these things and more make Bratislava worth visiting and the perfect place to visit for a day trip or one day in Eastern Europe!
