Bratislava Ticket

No. You just hop on/off to/from busses or trams. If a conductor is checking just show the ticket. The Bratislava ticket should include a map of public transport routes.

By the way, there are two different train lines going from Vienna to Bratislava, departing alternating every 30 minutes from main train station, one terminating in Bratislava on the left (north) side of the Danube river, the other one on the right (south) side. The train ticket is valid for both. There is a bus connecting the two train stations and the city.

If you want to make most out of your trip you may use either train line for going back and forth.

Edit: I just learned, that the route to Bratislava's main train station is closed due to construction works on the Slovak side. Service will be restored in about half a year. Therefore there is only an hourly departure at the moment. (See my post further down.)

My wife and I did this last spring. We didn’t use the Bratislava buses as the main station is within reasonable walking distance of the castle and old town. No map came with the ticket but it was pretty easy to find our way around. One thing though, it took a while to buy the ticket. I’m sure there is a way to do it on the ticket machines, but I couldn’t figure out how (entering Bratislava as destination didn’t show this ticket) so I had to find the staffed ticket desk in the huge station, take a number and wait for service.

No map came with the ticket ...

That could be. When I used the Bratislava ticket the last time - about 10 years ago - it was still called Bratislover ticket, and it was available at ticket counters only and was accompanied by an information folder.

Nowadays you could buy the ticket online, but you have to print it out either at a ticket vending machine or at a ticket counter, because Bratislava Transport Authorities won't accept a print-at-home ticket for that combo. (This is different for regular train tickets.) Therefore it does not make sense to buy it online, as you have to go to a ticket vending machine or ticket counter anyway.

Here you can find a lot of different maps useful for your visit: https://imhd.sk/ba/maps
The "Day Routes" map is the most useful regarding public transoprt. Bus route 93 connects the two train stations.

Thank you, everyone. The tips are helpful. When I looked at the train schedules yesterday, the only departures I could find went to Petrzalka, and they were hourly. I'm wondering whether there is a temporary closure of the main train station in Bratislava.

... the only departures I could find went to Petrzalka, ...

This turns out to be correct. The Slovak part of the route, i.e., between the Austrian border and Bratislava's main train station, is under construction and closed until mid December 2024. Therefore all trains on that route terminate at the border in Marchegg.

So you have to go to Petrzalka station and take the bus 93 (or 94) to the city center (stop Zochova). As far as I can remember, there is an underground pedestrian tunnel from the train station to the bus stop of 93/94. On the opposite side of the train station there is a bus stop of line 80 which you may use alternatively.

Only in German, here is the information about the track closure:
https://www.oebb.at/de/fahrplan/baustelleninformation/wien-marchegg-bratislava

Thank you, wmt1. I tried to find info about closures, but since my search was in English . . .

My wife and I have just arrived in Bratislava today. We left from the end of our "Best of G-S-A" tour in Vienna, took the U1 line a few stops to the Vienna train station subway station, then walked to the train station following the signs, then bought our ticket 30 minutes prior using a machine (the wait for a human was really long), to the only Bratislava station that was available, as mentioned above - Bratislava-Petrzalka, which instead of being on the edge of "Old Town", is 2.5km from the old city center / main square. So we took an Uber on the advice of our hotel - it cost a paltry 4 Euros. I'm an Uber fan as of today. (we tipped our excellent friendly driver well).
At our Hotel (Marrol's Boutique Hotel as other posts mention - excellent) the concierge told us to AVOID taking the taxi - he had recent customers who were charged 80 Euros for the 2.5km drive - he took them all over the place. You can take the 99 bus from the B-P station but it runs infrequently and the times/zones thing is hard to figure out even with the app (which there is a QR code for on the street machine). We've learned that we like 2 night stays, giving us a full day to experience a location and it's SO inexpensive here, certainly compared to Vienna - less than half the price for equivalent accomodations. Marrol's Hotel is a nice kind-of-old-world-elegance hotel. Add to that, free beer and drinks in the minibar, no surcharges for room service, ultra-cool Library Bar. 3 min walk to Main square and old center. We've just signed up on Freetour.com to do a "Free" 2.5 hr walking tour of Bratislava for tomorrow (we'll tip nicely), as suggested by the reception.

jgmeehan, thank you!!! This reassures me. Going to Petrzalka and then taking an Uber is my plan for October. Would love to hear restaurant recommendations. Please consider reporting back on your trip here https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports

bumping this a bit vs a new thread
1. Can you buy this ticket at any station (U-bahn, etc) vs the HBF?

2. Can I buy it ahead of time when in Vienna vs the day off?
3. Any tips/videos on how to use the machines/what to search for?

I ask this because I am traveling with a group and want to go on my own and buy the tickets the day or two before we go so we don't have to worry about time, etc. Our first time in Vienna so the process is completely new to me in Austria (have used Germany/Paris/Belgium trains before thou)

thanks

I'm not absolutely sure, but I think I used a regular ticket machine at one of the Vienna train stations, chose Bratislava as the destination (I wasn't taking a day-trip), and the Bratislava Ticket came up as an option. I may have purchased the ticket on the day of travel, but I'd be very surprised if you're limited to doing that. I suspect you'll need to buy the ticket at a train station, but I can't swear to that.

Be sure you know which tram to take to get to the Old Town so you can go right out to the curb and get in the queue (or mob, if that's what it looks like).

@Scotttyd
At what date do you plan to travel? There are two different train routes (of equal travel time) between Vienna and Bratislava. One of which is closed until December 15th, 2024. See here: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/austria/bratislava-ticket#2302061

Can you buy this ticket at any station (U-bahn, etc) vs the HBF?

No, only at train stations.

Can I buy it ahead of time when in Vienna vs the day off?

Yes, for sure at a ticket counter; or if purchased online then you get a code for receiving your ticket at a ticket counter or a ticket vending machine. (The special Bratislava ticket is offered when you click on the price options.)

Any tips/videos on how to use the machines/what to search for?

First, switch the language to English, the rest is self explanatory, e.g. selecting from/to, the date, etc.