Bratislava worth two days.

Two days allows you a leisurely pace to visit this fantastic city. I suggest exploring the old town on day one and crossing the river on day two. Rick Steves Vienna and Eastern Europe books does an excellent job covering Bratislava and since you’re going in 2022, buy the book that’s available now.

I put together a sightseeing list for a potential visit in 2019. I didn't have time to get to Bratislava, but I hope to do so in the next few years. How do you feel about museums? There are many. This list is in no particular order.

• Cute, small historic area with fountains and sculptures. Panska and Michalska lined with colorful Baroque palaces. Kapitulska looks like 19C painting.
  
• Stara Radnice (Old Town Hall), Primacialne namestie 3: Houses Museum of City History (sounds good), through which one accesses tower (good views).
• Old Market Hall, Namestie SNP 25: Food market on Saturday mornings. Unclear what is there other days. Eiffel-like building.
• St. Martin’s Cathedral: 15C. Interior more interesting than exterior.
• Arthur Fleischmann Museum, Biela 6: Ceramics and perspex sculpture. Small.
• Bratislava Castle: One source said nothing special except for the views, but it houses the Slovak National Museum. www.snm.sk
• City Art Gallery (GMB): Two locations. Check for exceptional closing notices at http://www.gmb.sk/en/home. Mirbach Palace, Frantiskanske Nam. 11: Probably the better one. Palffy Palace, Panska 19. Sounds skippable.
• Galeria Umelka, Dostojevskeho rad 2: Gallery of the Slovak Union of Visual Arts, showing paintings and other media.
  
• Mileticova Central Market, Mileticova 17: On the outskirts of the city center. Mainly produce; some street food
• Muzeum Milana Dobesa (Milan Dobes Museum), Zamochnicka 13: International contemporary art, mostly (neo-)constructivist.
• Nedbalka Gallery, Nedbalova 17: Modern Slovak art in nice building.
  
• St. Elisabeth’s Church (Blue Church), Bezrucova 2: Art Nouveau. About 15 min. from Old Town.
• Slavin: Soviet war memorial with good views. Walk up through wealthy residential/embassy district.
• Slovenska narodna galeria (Slovak National Gallery), Esterhazyho Palac, Razusovo nabrezie 2 (Riecna 1): Mostly paintings, heavy on Dutch artists, much was closed for reconstruction as of 2019.
• Slovenska Muzeum Dizajnu (Slovak Museum of Design): Two addresses online, possibly only one has exhibitions? www.scd.sk . Slovak Design Center, Jakubovo nám. 12
• Slovak Philharmonic: Lovely concert hall, but the Slovaks dress when they attend.
• SODA Gallery of Contemporary Art, Skolska 9: Mixed media, sort of odd. Closed between exhibitions. https://www.sodagallery.sk/sg-bratislava

Outside the city:
- Danubiana Meulensteen Art Museum, Vodne Dielo | Čunovo, 20 km south of Bratislava, near Hungary & Austria): On island in the Danube. Mostly E. European contemporary art and sculpture park in a very nice building. Views from roof and cafe (esp. sunset). Bus 90 hourly (45 min.) from Panorama City (probably also other stops) to final stop “Danubiana”, 3-min. walk to museum. Buy two bus tickets in town (N/A at museum). Or boat from from city center in summer. Very good reviews on TA

To my mind, indeed, two days is too much for Bratislava. If I had spent the money to get to Europe, I would spend my precious vacation time elsewhere.

Ditto with Kim’s assessment of time in that city. The “old” town was all tourist and no local atmosphere 10 years ago. The best part of our 2 days was a shared locals lunch table at a restaurant at the edge of the old town. Take a bus from Vienna for a day trip to add Slovakia to your country list.

We were in Bratislava for a few days in 2005 and enjoyed our visit. One memorable day we went to Devin Castle on the service bus. The castle is of historic interest, but more significantly it is at the confluence of two rivers - the Morava and the Danube, and they are the border of Slovakia and Austria, For over 40 years, this was where the iron curtain ran, dividing Europe and two political systems, with strict limits on who could cross. Now the border is insignificant, but a little imagination makes it a better illustration of a historic change than the faux tourist attraction of Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin.

We were also lucky that, on the day we went, the castle grounds were being used for a rally by volunteer firefighters. They had old Soviet-era vehicles and were competing to see who could roll out hoses the quickest. There was a beer tent and a barbecue. That was a real slice of Slovak life.