Bratislava, Slovakia
July 24th, 2025
We had stayed overnight in Vienna. The rest of the family had decided to spend another day sightseeing in Vienna, while Brian and I decided it was time to experience a new country, so off we went to Bratislava, in Slovakia.
Our guide was a very cool fan of the late Ozzy Osborn, named Peter.
Bratislava is just over an hour’s drive from Vienna. Both countries are in the EU, and there was no major border post, so it was difficult to say when we left Austria and when we arrived in Slovakia.
From the coach we caught a glimpse of Bratislava Castle on the hill above us.
There has been a castle on this site since the 13th century, although it has been rebuilt of many occasions.
The current building houses a museum, which we didn’t visit.
From the castle you get a good view of the Danube River way below.
In the forecourt there is a statue of Svatopluk the Great on horseback. I love the name. Svatopluk 1 was a ninth-century ruler of Great Moravia and he was a significant figure in Slovakian national mythology and symbolism
In the grounds there are beautiful modern statues of Saints Cyril, Methodius, and Gorazd. Saints Cyril and Methodius were Byzantine missionaries and theologians who created the Glagolitic alphabet. Gorazd was a disciple of theirs. I am not sure why they are there, but the statues were certainly interesting.
After the castle we went to the old part of Bratislava. Bratislava used to be a walled city. And today you can still enter via the drawbridge
And now dry moat.
Two gates guarded the entrance to the city, and help keep away invaders.
The streets are lined with beautiful old buildings
And there are statues
And squares
And palaces everywhere
The opera house is beautiful, but much smaller than the one in Vienna.
There is even a Mac Donalds and a Burger King.
With the plethora of bars and souvenir shops the city looked more like something out of Disneyland that a working capital, but it was still lovely.
Along with the others on the tour we had lunch at Dom Michalska Brana. Lunch really wasn’t that great and took a long time. My recommendation to anyone doing this tour would be to skip the restaurant and try one of the many other establishments. You will probably get better food, and more time to wander around.
Peter told us about a great gelato shop, and sure enough it was well worth the visit.
St Martin’s Cathedral was well worth a visit,
and a pleasant change from St Stephen’s in Vienna.
Luckily there was an organ recital when we were there, although the music was rather loud and somewhat discordant, not melodious liturgical music at all.
It was a hot day, but there were water sprayers dotted around in the squares, and some people were taking advantage of the cold sprays.
One thing that was disappointing was the amount of graffiti around. It was all over the place.
We were told to take our passports with us on the tour. Slovakia does not need to look at them, but on random days the Austrians require that you show them, Luckily this wasn’t one of those days. We were late as it was because we were stuck in traffic. We were due on board at 5:15 as the “boat will be sailing soon after”.
I do prefer to do on individual private tours, but returning to the ship on time is always a bit anxiety provoking. Today the fact that we were stuck in traffic really didn’t matter. We knew that the boat would wait for us.
Sure enough, the boat was still there when we finally arrived at the dock. And we headed back down the river soon after our return.
We made it back just in time. A nasty storm was brewing, and in a few minutes there was thunder and lightning, and torrential rain. It was good to watch this from the safety of the boat, and not be driving and walking around in the downpour.
We had a window table again at dinner, and could watch us make our way through the rain, down the river
to the locks.
We shared the lock with another river boat, they were also eating dinner.
The food has been good in general this cruise. There have been some wonderful dishes (the salmon, mushroom and goat cheese strudel, and Vienna schnitzel) but there have been some real duds. However, tonight we had a real winner. Chateaubriand. After the really nasty attempt at this dish on QM2 I was reluctant to give it another try. But today’s offering was wonderful. Quite the best meal we have had. I was very happy.
We all went up to the lounge after dinner and Kane “sang a few of his favorite songs”, accompanied by Bobby. He has a lovely voice, and is a very funny man. Thinking about it, Kane is way funnier than many comedians we have seen on cruise ships.
We had a great time and after Kane was done Bobby played music for dancing. It was a fun evening. No production show or professional comedian, but just a good time together with family. It doesn’t get much better than that.
As we got ready for bed, we went through another lock. I thought I would be bored with them by now, but I still love them. Locks are just such a simple but brilliant invention. This cruise just wouldn’t have been the same without them.
I’m glad the river is being good to you. Just a couple more weeks and we’ll be following you.
Bratislava looks to be worth visiting. Only a few river ships stop there. The graffiti is disappointing but prevalent in a lot of places. Is it possible to go via public transport or probate transfer without a tour? Any thoughts on why the ships don’t stop?
On another thought: we had really nice chateaubriand at Skukuza Cattle Baron. We usually braai our own dinner but the prices lured us in now and then last year.
I would think that you could get public transport from Vienna to Bratislava. Once you are there, you really don’t need a guided tour – it is somewhere that with a good guide book you can easily see on your own. I am certainly glad we got to go there. The history of the whole region is so interesting, especially as a lot of events have happened during our lifetime. I’m glad Cattle Baron is still up to standard. I love a good braai, but sometimes it is better to let someone else do the work!