With its beautiful Old Town, vibrant nightlife and cheap booze, Bratislava is a great attraction for backpackers looking for a fun time!
Located in Central Europe, Slovakia’s capital city is an unmissable destination for anyone travelling on a backpacking budget: affordable food and drinks, cheap hostels, and plenty of fascinating history to learn about.
Bratislava is a relatively small city for European standards, and many people only visit it as a day trip from Vienna. However, a few days in Bratislava are totally worth it! You can discover some of its ancient castles, explore some interesting sights around Slovakia, party like crazy and get smashed with just a few euros!
Getting in and out Bratislava
Bratislava has its own airport, and you can get directly there (check out Wizz Air for some interesting deals).
Alternatively, you can fly to the nearby bigger cities, such as Vienna, Budapest, or Prague. I suggest checking out Vienna first, as it has the largest option of flights and it is the closest city. I flew to Vienna with Ryanair and took a quick bus (it takes an hour) from Vienna airport to Bratislava.
Tip: Book the airport bus in advance (online) as it costs almost half the price, and you make sure to find a spot available.
Where to stay in Bratislava?
- Apart-Hostel Zero: If you travel with a friend, this is my top recommendation for a cheap and comfy stay in Bratislava. Centrally located in the heart of the Old Town, it has very inexpensive private rooms (30€ a night for 2 pax), a common kitchen and friendly staff. I stayed there and would come back again.
- Wild Elephants Hostel: If you are backpacking solo, Wild Elephants is probably your best choice. Right in the center, it has a common kitchen and plenty of like-minded travellers looking for a wild time, while in Bratislava.
What to see in Bratislava?
Bratislava is a fairly small city and you can visit most of it in about 2 days. Also, if you like to walk and are on a backpacking budget, you can visit everything by foot, and save those few € to get more shots at night 😉.
This is my suggested itinerary for a day, to visit all the main sights in the city center by foot:
Michael’s Gate: the only city gate that has been preserved in the Old Town. Reach the top for a great picture.
Bratislava Castle: Located on a hill above the Old Town, it dominates Bratislava.
St. Martin’s Cathedral: a Gothic cathedral, site of some famous coronations.
Main Square and Old Town Hall: The oldest City Hall in the country.
Blue Church: The most instagrammed church in Bratislava.
Presidential Palace: The Grassalkovich Palace is the residency of the President of Slovakia.
Slavin: A memorial monument and military cemetery.
Day 2
Discover Petržalka, Bratislava’s colorful neighborhood.
I suggest you spend half a day walking around this very interesting and off the beaten path neighbourhood, called Petržalka. Start by crossing the Danube through the Ufo Bridge, and walk about 30 mins towards the colourful buildings of Petržalka.
Cool facts: Petržalka is the most densely populated residential district of Central Europe; and it is home to the highest concentration of apartment blocks (paneláky) anywhere in the region.
Visit nearby Devin Castle
Located only 10 km from the Old Town, Devin Castle is worth a visit. I went the by car with my local friend Ludo, but you can also take bus #29 from the Center.
Tip: Look out for a wine stand right at the entrance of the castle.
I found this fantastic homemade wine, with red currant and black currant variants. Delicious and perfect for our pregame later that day!
Where to party in Bratislava?
When in comes to nightlife, Bratislava has everything a backpacker needs! Cheap booze, plenty of bars and clubs, and tipsy locals looking for a fun time 😉. I recommend checking out:
- Bohéma Bar: Great bar/club with locals and foreign students. It is also one of the bars visited by the Bratislava Pub Crawl, so don’t miss it!
- Bratislava Pub Crawl: I might be biased coz I love Pub Crawls, but you should def check it out for a wild night out!
- Wild Elephants Hostel: This true backpacking style hostel has a bar onsite with lots of backpackers drinking and partying. I suggest checking it out especially on the quieter nights (Sunday to Thursday).
Getting naughty in Bratislava
As I just mentioned, the Wild Elephants Hostel is a very interesting place. It still maintains the concept of those old, dirty backpacker hostels, where everything can happen. I travelled to almost 100 countries (dec 2020) and this is one of the few real backpacker hostels still left!
On the weekends it organizes fun Pub Crawls and nights out, with dozens of backpackers from all over the world. But the true fun happens on the quieter nights… Check it out on a Sunday or Monday night and then write in the comments your experience 😉 .
Food and drinks to try in Bratislava
These are some delicious Slovak recipes you must try:
- Bryndzové halušky – Sheep cheese dumplings: That’s what I ordered, and it was super good!
- Segedinsky gulas: That is what my local friend Ludo ordered, so the expert choice!
- Zemiakové guľky plnené údeným mäsom – Potato dumplings stuffed with smoked meat: Attilio’s choice!
I went to Pivovarska Restauracia to try Slovakian food! My local friend suggested it and it was a great recommendation!
And well, for drinks, it is a much easier one: Borovička. The more you drink, the better it tastes 😀
Day Trips from Bratislava
- Štrkovisko Ivanka pri Dunaji: On a sunny day in summer, check out this lake just a little outside of Bratislava. You will find hundreds of locals tanning and playing at the beach!
- Nitra and Trnava: You need a car to visit these 2 small towns in Western Slovakia. Nitra has a nice castle and some statues, while Trnava is the city in Slovakia with the most churches, and locals call it “little Rome”.
Castle in Nitra Statue in Nitra 
Trnava One of the many churches in Trnava
- Vienna: You can reach Vienna by bus in less than an hour. Many people visit Vienna on a day trip, but I suggest you spend a few days there to explore all the sights and enjoy the nightlife (though, not as crazy as in Bratislava).
I hope you had fun reading this post, and that you will have much more fun when backpacking Bratislava!
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