Is Bratislava worth more than a day trip from Vienna?
Also, if staying overnight, what's a good area to stay in? Good being defined as safe, convenient to things one might want to see or do on their first trip to Bratislava, relatively nice -- like clean and with AC if that's an option.
How does Bratislava compare price-wise to Vienna and Prague?
And does anyone have knowledge about taking a boat from Vienna to Bratislava, as opposed to the train?
The hotel in my post you commented on meets your requirements.
I would take a late morning train up maybe to arrive for a late lunch, and a mid afternoon train back that way you get to enjoy the town morning, afternoon and evening. 2 full days? More than I would use.
But only if you can fill the morning in Vienna well, and the afternoon in Vienna when you get back.
We travelled from Vienna to Bratislava, for one night, on our way to Budapest. We travelled by hydrofoil cause my sister wanted to sail on the Danube. It wasn’t expensive as I recall. There is a train also. Both take a little over an hour.
In Bratislava we stayed at the Marrol Boutique Hotel, a very short walk to the city center and a short walk from the pier. It is what I describe as an Charming Old World Hotel, with white glove service. Beautiful hotel. Not expensive at all.
Is it worth one night? We thought so. It was a quick bus ride to Budapest from there.
If you have the time, go for it.
The Danubiana Meulensteen Art Museum is a highlight, but it's outside the city center (by the three-country border) so takes time to visit.
Buses to Danubiana run once an hour, so it can be a somewhat time-consuming trip if you don't time things just right. The museum is neither really large nor tiny, and there are outdoor sculptures to see as well. They don't cover a lot of territory, but seeing them will add some time. I think I spent at least 90 minutes at the museum.
I also liked the Nedbalka Gallery (modern art), but it would be a mistake to expect Vienna-quality art museums in Bratislava. I enjoyed the architecture a lot. I spent four nights in Brstislava, but I can see that a day trip from Vienna would be sufficient for many people, and I'd agree that a fourth (or fifth...) day in Vienna would offer more options than a day in Bratislava. I didn't find Bratislava to have a grab-your-attention museum about the Cold War period such as you find in the other central and Eastern European capitals. There's a good museum about that era in Kosice, but that's many hours to the east.
Thanks everyone for the advice
Ended up spending 24 hours in Bratislava between 4-5 days each in Vienna and Prague. Took the train from Vienna. It was a good length. First day, arrived around 4 pm. Checked into hotel then up to Slavin memorial/cemetery which was impressive. Watched the sunset.
Stayed at the Loft hotel, which is about half a mile or so from both the train station and old town.
Second day, walked around the city, mostly the Old Town. It was Sunday morning so a few churches had services going on and walked into those. Got some coffee and people-watched. Checked out the mix of very old, Communist era and new architecture.
