As I lounged in the Carlton Hotel’s Mirror Bar, taking a sip of the strong local liqueur Borovicka, I was struck by a sudden wave of booze. deja vu This is very strange because this is my first time in Bratislava.
Then I take another shot and realize why this strange environment feels so familiar. This swanky, old-school cocktail bar with its kindly, eccentric bartenders is like a scene from one of my favorite movies, Wes Anderson’s homage to Mitteleuropa. The Grand Budapest Hotel.
Anderson’s dreamy film wasn’t set in Bratislava, but nowhere else could I encapsulate its surreal atmosphere better than this decadent speakeasy housed in a grand hotel. Like Bratislava itself, the Carlton Hotel experienced a spectacular decline and rise from the 19th to the 21st centuries, from capitalism to communism and back again.
With a prime location on the Danube River, Bratislava has always been coveted by the rival empires of Central Europe. Before railways and motorways, the Danube was the main thoroughfare of the Continent, and whoever controlled Bratislava also controlled traffic between Vienna and Budapest.
As a result, this has been a reward for every European despot occupied by the Hungarians, Austrians, Germans and Russians respectively. It was part of the Habsburg Empire until the end of World War I. Between the wars it was part of independent Czechoslovakia.
It was the capital of Nazi-controlled Slovakia during World War II. After World War II it was part of Soviet-controlled Czechoslovakia. When Czechoslovakia threw off the Soviet yoke with the 1989 Velvet Revolution, it became a part of independent Czechoslovakia again. And with the Velvet Divorce in 1993, it finally became the capital of independent Slovakia.
Despite all these changes, it must not have been fun if you lived here; but if you’re a visitor, Bratislava’s turbulent past is fascinating. From baroque palaces to bourgeois villas, from communist apartments to sparkling new skyscrapers, every era has left its mark on the city.
The best place to start a tour of Bratislava is the sturdy castle on the hill. The main building dates from the Middle Ages but its foundations date back to Roman times. There’s an excellent museum inside covering the castle’s long and complex history, but the best thing about this rugged castle is the view. From these windswept battlements you look out over the quaint Old Town below, the Belle Époque suburbs, the brutalist slums and the forested hills beyond. Snaking through them is the mighty Danube River, which runs from the Black Forest to the Black Sea.
A more modern vantage point is the UFO Tower, which rises above the busy road bridge on the other side of the river. Built in 1972, its futuristic design now looks absurdly dated. It wasn’t supposed to look like a flying saucer, but somehow the disrespectful nickname stuck.
Today it is a tourist attraction, a nostalgic souvenir from bygone eras. The inside restaurant is quite formal, but if you don’t want a sit-down meal you can purchase a ticket to the outdoor observation deck above.
Bratislava is a sprawling city with half a million inhabitants, but its pedestrian center is compact and easy to explore on foot. More pleasant than ostentatious, it’s an attractive mix of architectural styles from Rococo to Art Nouveau.
There are a few dreary ruins from the communist era, but most of the Old Town has been beautifully restored. There are lots of tourists but none of the big tour groups you see in Prague.
Bratislava City Museum gives you a good overview of the city’s medieval heritage, but if you’re more interested in modern history, there’s no need to visit a museum. Everyone over 40 has their own story to tell. My guide Eva experienced two revolutions here.
As a child, he witnessed the failed uprising of 1968, when attempts to liberalize the Soviet system were brutally suppressed by Russian troops. As a young mother in 1989, she joined a new generation of brave protesters. Incredibly, they were successful this time.
The Soviet Union collapsed and Bratislava was liberated after half a century of foreign rule. Eva is too modest to say this, but it was humble people like her who changed the course of history.
But there’s much more to Bratislava than history lessons. A lively and modern city with an exhilarating nightlife and a wide range of stylish cocktail bars, it’s seductive and slightly spooky at night, an ideal setting for film noir.
Stanislav and Peter from Mirror Bar took me on a night tour; to the rooftop Sky Bar for stunning views of the city, then to the Antique American Bar, a cheerful hideaway straight out of a Graham Greene short story. Ernest Hemingway
Finally we arrived at Michalska, a Narnia for boozy insomniacs, a cozy speakeasy behind an unmarked door. I dipped a Bloody Mary and headed towards my bed; In my dream, I dreamed of hot waiters and sweet bartenders in white jackets and bow ties.
On my last evening in the city, we headed to Eck, a stylish modern restaurant with its own winery, surrounded by vineyards on a hill above the Danube. On the other side is Austria.
Here you feel like you are in the heart of Europe, on the border between the Slavic and Germanic worlds. There are only six tables and only one setting for dinner. Waiters glide between the open kitchen and tables, carrying delicious small plates in their hands. The tasting menu isn’t cheap, but I don’t remember the last time I had such good food.
The next morning, I walked towards Sky Park, a collection of elegant tower blocks designed by British-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid. A new city center has sprouted around these iconic buildings. The Old Town is where visitors go to party, but this is where locals come to work.
I stopped by Tomáš Šajgal, a Slovak sommelier who has his own wine shop and bistro, Mad Wines. As we ate brunch together in his small, stylish shop, it was hard to believe that this entrepreneurial capital was once a communist.
I spent my last few hours in Bratislava wandering around art galleries. I started at Nedbalka, a private gallery located in a quiet side street on the edge of the Old Town. The magnificent collection of Slovak art dates from the late 1800s to the late 1900s, reflecting the great upheavals of this turbulent century and the heroic artists who fought against the status quo.
I found myself in the Slovak National Gallery, a large modern building on the waterfront. There was more Slovak art inside, but what caught my attention were the visiting school children. They looked so happy and excited, their happiness and excitement was contagious.
These days I thought about what a nice place Bratislava could be to grow up; It was very different from when my guide Eva was at school here behind the Iron Curtain, and you had to be careful what you said as long as it didn’t get you in trouble.
Today the Cold War seems like nothing more than a bad dream in Bratislava. Slovakia is a member of the EU, Eurozone and NATO. There was a lot of bad luck in Slovakia’s interesting capital.
It deserves its current good times to be a destination for foreign tourists rather than foreign soldiers. But as Slovaks know best, at the crossroads of Central Europe, peace and prosperity are never guaranteed.
how to
Fly to Bratislava with Ryanair (ryanair.com) from Edinburgh, Leeds-Bradford, Manchester or Stansted, or with Wizz Air (wizzair.com) from Luton. You can also fly to Vienna, just 30 miles from Bratislava, with British Airways (ba.com) or Austrian Airlines (austrian.com) from London Heathrow, Wizz Air from London Gatwick, or Ryanair from Manchester or Stansted.
Many bus companies provide service between Vienna Airport and Bratislava. Book with FlixBus (flixbus.com) from £5.99 one way. The journey takes about an hour. A taxi costs around €50 (£43) and takes around 40 minutes.
The author traveled to Bratislava as a guest of the Mirror Bar at the Carlton Hotel (mirrorbarcarlton.com). A double stay at the Carlton Hotel costs £100 excluding breakfast (radissonhotels.com).
The Bratislava Card buys you unlimited public transport, free entry to local museums and galleries, discounts on other attractions and a guided tour of the city centre: €24 for 48 hours or €26 for 72 hours. For more information, visit bratislava.com.