Will be in Vienna going to Prague. Was considering taking the Twin City liner boat from Vienna to Bratislava, staying in Bratislava for a few hours sightseeing, then taking the train to Prague. Not sure it is worth it, rather than taking the train direct from Vienna to Prague. I like the idea of taking a boat--not sure if there is much scenery, but its not necessary. Anyone done that? Is Bratislava worth a stop? Thanks! Kathy
Posted by
San Diego
4 posts
Hi Kathy,
A few hours in Bratislava is a good idea. It's also cheaper for you if you buy your ticket to Prague from Bratislava than buying your ticket in Vienna.
In a few hours there are a few things you can do. I'd recommend taking a walk up to Bratislava castle to see the panorama of the city. It's interesting because you can see the Old Town (Stare Mesto) with it's baroque and classic style of architecture, and then you can see the "socialist realism" architecture from the communist times very close by. You won't be able to miss seeing Petrzalka, the most densely populated area of Slovakia, with all of its blocks of flats. It's truly amazing. What else is interesting is that from the castle looking down at the Danube River, if you look to the right (up stream), you can see castle ruins from Hainburg castle in Austria. The Austrian border is that close! Actually, Vienna and Bratislava are the two capitals in closest proximity to each other in all of Europe.
Happy travels,
Margaret
Posted by
Columbus, Ohio, USA
258 posts
Kathy - I was thinking of visiting Bratislava too as I will also be going from Vienna to Prague. I never even thought of stopping there for a few hours and then heading to Prague. I was just going to go and return to Vienna.
Margaret - thanks for the info. Cheaper is better!
Posted by
OP
Long Beach, MS
11 posts
Thank you Margaret. The Twin City Liner sounds fun & is new and by my schedule we will have 2 full hours (we would leave around 0930) before having to catch the train. I understand it is a very compact city & the boat arrives in a central location & would make a nice sightseeing day.
Posted by
Baltimore, Maryland, USA
5 posts
We spent THREE DAYS in Bratislava and are looking forward to going back! You get the town to yourself to enjoy different sites (the contrast between the old town and the newer, Communist influenced areas are stunning). Plus, you drink and eat like a king. Have the venison! It's amazing.
Posted by
San Diego
4 posts
Another GREAT place to have a meal in Bratislava is a restaurant called Slovak Pub. They serve traditional Slovak food with a good selection of Slovak beers. And the pub itself is very interesting with lots of things to look at. Their menu is translated into German and English as well as Slovak, and the wait service is multilingual. No need to fear of getting lost in the translation.
They are located on Obchodna Street, close to the Old Town and have a website www.slovakpub.sk
Margarete
Author
The Foreigner's Guide to Living in Slovakia
www.fgslovakia.com