A small, walkable old town on the Danube, with a white hilltop castle, cheap beer and Vienna just an hour away. Here's what Bratislava is like, when to go and how long to stay.
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Temperatures are the average daytime high in °C.
April to June and September are ideal, warm enough for riverside terraces without the heat. July and August are hot. The Christmas markets in late November and December are smaller, cheaper and calmer than Vienna's.
The white castle on the hill, with gardens and views over the Danube to Austria and Hungary.
Narrow lanes, palaces and the Old Town Hall, all within a few minutes' walk.
Find the bronze man peeping out of a manhole, and other quirky statues.
Clifftop ruins where the Morava meets the Danube, by bus or summer boat.
An observation deck on top of the flying-saucer bridge.
An art nouveau church painted every shade of blue.
About an hour away by train, bus or summer boat along the Danube.
Two days covers the old town, the castle and Devín. Many people add Vienna or Budapest for a longer trip.
Yes, for a relaxed, good-value weekend. It's smaller and calmer than nearby capitals, and the old town is easy to see on foot.
Spring and September, around 17 to 25°C, or December for the Christmas markets.
Fly into Bratislava airport, which has budget flights from across Europe, or into Vienna, which has many more and is about an hour away by bus.
Easily. Trains link all three, with Vienna about an hour away and Budapest about 2 hours 30 minutes.
Put Bratislava on standby with everyone's other ideas. You each spread your points in secret, get one veto, and the draw picks where you go.