Things to do
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Blue Church
Pale blue from its walls to its roof tiles and altar, the church of St. Elizabeth was designed by Ödön Lechner in a Hungarian art nouveau style closer to a cake than to a parish church. It stands in a residential block east of the centre, a walk of about ten minutes from the old town. Opening is limited to services and short windows around them.
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Bratislava Castle
Four corner towers and a white block on the rock above the Danube give the city its outline, rebuilt from ruins after a fire in 1811 left the site derelict for well over a century. The Slovak National Museum fills the interior with history and treasury rooms. Terraced gardens on the north side are free to enter, and the climb from the old town takes about fifteen minutes.
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Bratislava Old Town
Compact enough to cross in twenty minutes, the centre gathers pastel townhouses, the Primate's Palace with its hall of English tapestries, and a main square where the season concentrates. Bronze figures set into the pavement, Čumil among them, draw constant photography. Michael's Gate survives from the medieval wall, and the lanes running off it hold the quieter bars.
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Devín Castle
Ruins on a crag where the Morava joins the Danube mark the Austrian border and, under communism, the edge of the Iron Curtain; a memorial below names those shot attempting to cross. Excavation has found Roman and Great Moravian layers on the rock. Buses run from the city in half an hour, and the upper ruin is exposed, with little shade in summer.
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Slavín
A hilltop war memorial and cemetery holds the graves of Soviet soldiers killed taking the city in 1945, marked by an obelisk visible across the rooftops. Interwar villas and several embassies line the streets leading up. The terrace gives an open view over the Danube and the castle. The walk up is steep and residential, with no cafes along the route.
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St. Martin's Cathedral
Eleven Hungarian monarchs were crowned in this gothic church below the castle hill, Maria Theresa among them, and a gilded replica crown sits on top of the spire. A motorway approach ramp was driven past the wall during the communist period, and traffic noise still carries inside. Markers set in nearby pavements trace the coronation route, and the crypt opens on guided visits.
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UFO Observation Deck
Suspended from the pylon of the Most SNP bridge, a saucer shaped deck and restaurant look out over the Danube, reached by a lift inside the leg. The view covers the castle, the old town and the Petržalka housing estate the bridge was built to serve. Entry is ticketed and waived for restaurant guests, and the outdoor platform closes in high wind.