Day trips from Bratislava

Bratislava, Slovakia’s pretty capital city, has such a great location. As well as being just an hour from Vienna, it’s the hub of a central rail and road network that offers you day trips to all kinds of places around the Slovak Republic.

Trnava is one of the nearest towns suitable for a Bratislava day trip – it’s just an hour away by train, in a north-east direction. I love it for its gorgeous old buildings, especially several impressive cathedrals, an interesting museum and the great space in the center of the town. The main town square is a vast cobble-stoned plaza with many cafes adorning the edges, and if you visit Trnava in summer they’ll all have tables, chairs and umbrellas spilling out onto the town square. After taking a stroll around the alleyways of Trnava, there’s nothing better than spending a couple of hours people-watching from a cave, drinking some good Slovak beer and getting into some of that hearty Slovak food.

Bojnice Castle is another great day trip east of Bratislava, though it’s more easily reached by car, taking just a couple of hours. Some say that the castle was the inspiration for Disneyland’s Cindarella castle, and the resemblance is definitely there. But even without this bit of trivia, Bojince Castle is a fantastic tourist attraction, with great photo opportunities and a fascinating history. There are English-language tours (or Slovak tours with English notes) running regularly, and you must join a tour to get inside the castle. It’s worth it, as the stories of the (possibly crazy) Count Palffy, the last owner, are great, plus you can find his coffin in the crypt. The International Festival of Ghosts and Spirits takes place in early May each year at Bojnice, so you can get your Halloween fix early.

Komarno, a couple of hours by train south-west of Bratislava, is probably not well-known as a day tripping destination, but it’s my secret tip for an interesting side of Slovak culture. And not just Slovak culture, as it’s a border town to Hungary and the Hungarian influence is extremely strong. Amongst the typical older buildings, you might be surprised to find Europe Place, a new development that shows off different kinds of architecture from across Europe, yet looks like it should be a theme park. If you feel like country-hopping, you can also walk across a bridge over the Danube and end up in Hungary.