official site for visitors to Bratislava  

A public left-luggage service is available at the main railway station, at the rear of the main concourse on the left-hand side. It is open 05:30 - 23:35

Most stores are open Monday - Friday from 8:00am to 6pm, and on Saturday from 8:00am to 12:00(noon). The large department stores and shopping centres have longer opening hours (9:00am-21:00pm) and are opened even on Sundays.

A walk through the city's streets can help bring history back to life. This tour offers visitors a rich cultural experience, a look at Bratislava's legends and its impressive galleries and a taste of the atmosphere of the historical centre – all of it within walking distance. A superb view awaits you from Bratislava Castle after your walk through the narrow mediaeval streets. From the castle, you will be able to appreciate one of the dominant features of Bratislava – St Martin's Cathedral, at its strategic site above the river Danube.

Bratislava is the ancient coronation city of the old Hungarian Kingdom where, between 1563 and 1830, eleven kings and eight royal wives were crowned. The Royal Bratislava walking tour, designed to place the city's history in its European context, follows the traditional route of the coronation procession, visiting the Gothic St Martin's Cathedral and other Habsburg heritage sites.

A comfortable passenger ship carries visitors to Devín Castle, two kilometres upstream from Bratislava on the Danube River, at the border with Austria. This romantic ruin, long associated with ancient Slavic traditions, is an important archeological site with excavations from Roman and mediaeval times. A source of inspiration for 19th-century Slovak patriotic leaders, the castle today is a popular day trip destination affording spectacular views of the Danubian landscape. Hiking enthusiasts can continue to Devínska Kobyla hill, and on a nearby sandstone hill, Sandberg, you can still find fossils 14 to 16 million years old.

IN SAD Janka Kráľa city park on the Petržalka bank of the Danube River history fans returned to the year 1809 to witness the great siege of Bratislava when the French army of Emperor Napoleon clashed with the Great Hungarian army at this exact site.

“I'VE TOLD the truth, I didn't come to Bratislava to fool you,” he said, in the melancholic voice that has found its way into the hearts of even those Slovaks who were unable to fully taste all the shades of his sublime poetry.

Bratislava CHAMPIONSHIP: MORE than 2,400 dancers from 17 countries have applied for the 3rd DiscoWorld International and European Championship that will be held in Bratislava between September 8 and 12. During these days full of music, sweat, victories (and losses), young people will compete in various categories such as Disco Dance, Street Dance, Jazz Dance and Ballet as soloists, duos or ensembles up to 24 members.

The annual Open Cellar’s Day, put on by the Small Carpathian Wine Route Association, is scheduled for November 20 and 21. $ 46.00 ticket holders are entitled to visit as many as they wish of the hundreds of wine cellars around Bratislava.

Bratislava has become one of the fastest continuosly growing new Congress and Conference Cities in Europe. Situated a 1 to 3 hour flight from major European cities can be easily accessed via two international airports- Bratislava international airport and only a 35 minutes car ride from the Vienna inetrnational airport. Located at the border with 3 countries, Hungary to the south, and Austria and the Czech Republic to the west is perfect city to host a meeting or incentive event.

Bratislava EXHIBITION: AS MANY as 35 artists, including both professionals and students from secondary schools and universities, have prepared a joint design exhibition in Bratislava focusing on the environment and recycling.

BRATISLAVA Castle is currently undergoing renovation, and has been given new night-lighting and a new colour, the ČTK newswire wrote. But in addition, during works in August, archaeologists uncovered remnants of Roman buildings and Celtic coins that they say prove the present-day Slovak capital was in Roman times an important central-European Celtic power centre.

Bratislava MUSIC: DOUBLE Grammy laureate Andreas Vollenweider, prominent world-music and jazz composer and performer from Switzerland, is heading to Bratislava for the first time in his career.

THE CHAMBER music scene in Slovakia would not be the same without Convergence, a festival which has now marked its 10th anniversary.

Bratislava LIVE MUSIC: Joris Roelofs Quartet – One of New York’s best-known jazz musicians gigs with his friends Aaron Goldberg, Reginald Veal and Greg Hutchinson.

Bratislava CONCERT: POP-ROCK fans from all around Slovakia can look forward to hearing some of the best-known hits by singer-songwriter Richard Müller, who only recently announced his comeback after several years of retirement, as he is touring the country between October 14 and 27.

Bratislava CONCERT: TO celebrate their 40th birthday as a band, Yes, the famed British progressive rock ensemble, is going on a unique tour around Europe and Bratislava is on their itinerary.

BratislavaFESTIVAL: SCORES of Slovak and foreign musicians will perform at the Melos-Ethos International Festival of Contemporary Music in Bratislava from November 6 to 15.

Bratislava CONCERT:EVEN those who are not die-hard jazz fans may appreciate the concert by Diana Krall, world-acclaimed Canadian singer and pianist, who appears in Bratislava on November 12 at 20:00. The 44-year-old diva, boasting two Grammys and also the prestigious Order of Canada, has never before visited Slovakia.

FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS, November is a red-letter month in Bratislava. For this is when the city traditionally holds its festival of photography. This year, in its 19th incarnation, the Month of Photography offers a range of exhibitions varying in colour, style, origin and themes, not to mention the fame of the authors.

Slovakia's currency is the euro, which became sole legal tender in January 2009. Foreign currency can be changed in banks or bureaux de change. Credit cards (American Express, Diners Club, Visa and Eurocard/Mastercard) and debit cards (Maestro and Visa Electron) are widely accepted.

Bratislava has a reputation for being a safe city. Nonetheless, disaster sometimes strikes. If it does, first ring the emergency number: 112. If you lose your passport, this should be reported to the Foreigners’ Police (Cudzinecká polícia)
at Hrobákova 44, in the Petržalka district; EU citizens tel: +421 (0)961 036-871; non-EU citizens tel: +421 (0)961 036-866 or (0)961 036-867.

Bratislava is justly considered a city of music. In the past, giants of music like Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Rubinstein, and Hummel have written and performed here. The present-day ballet and opera of the Slovak National Theatre are world-renowned for their classical performances and have produced opera stars like Peter Dvorský, Lucia Popp and Edita Gruber...

For more than 90 years, the Slovak National Theatre Opera has been the training ground for renowned opera soloists such as Edita Gruberová and Sergej Kopčák. Its premieres even attract busloads of Viennese opera fans, lured by the reasonable ticket prices and local talent.