This year the end of 2014 the Christmas Market will open its gates again in the capital of Slovakia. Every year since the first Christmas Market which was held in 1993 more and more visitors are coming from the neighbor countries and from all around the world to Bratislava during the Christmas period to do their pre-Christmas shopping and to experience the real holiday mood.
Apart from getting the best Christmas presents you will have the chance to try the best food and drinks at the market. From 107 different stands you can choose the best authentic Slovakian foods such as roasted chicken or beef in a bun which is topped with mustard and grilled onion or potato crepes which is stuffed with cabbage, goose fat or poppy. The Christmas Market would not be complete without the best mulled wines, punch and plum brandy. At the market you can also explore handicraft products from the locals like the homemade candles, Christmas decorations, scarves and ceramics. The Christmas Market takes place in the heart of Bratislava at the Main Square from 23rd November until 23rd of December 2014.
For information on other Bratislava events, check our calendar.
The Bratislava Music Festival is an international music event in Bratislava in Slovakia. It is one of the biggest music festival of classical music in Slovakia. The festival is organised by the Slovak Philharmonic and its president Edita Gruberova.
The first Bratislava Music Festival was held in 1965 between 8th April and 7th May but since 1971 it takes place at autumn opening a new season each year. The festival is member of the European Festivals Association since 1973. There will be plenty of concerts during the festival from all over the world. Visitors can listen to the best performances from the most famous and worldwide known composers of all time. At the international music festival visitors can see the best concerts and they will have the chance to get to know different orchestras from different countries such as the London Symphony Orchestra, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra National de Lyon and Weiner Philharmoniker and several others as well. The Bratislava Music Festival will take place from 21st September on Sunday, the first concert will be at 7.30 in the evening at the Concert Hall of the Slovak Philharmonic and the last concert will be 12th October in 2014 at 7.30 in the evening.
For more information on the festival and the tickets check the official site.
Bratislava Design Week – International Festival of Contemporary Design
It is the largest international design festival in Slovakia which covers the contemporary design. The first event was held in 2009 and it was renamed in 2013 to Bratislava Design Week.
At the event visitors can meet the best of bests such as the finest producers, designers, vendors, independent brands, experimental design, design students, fashion and designers from abroad as well. At the festival you will be introduced to several new products and projects and it is the best place to get to know the new and local designers. The event works with interesting partners which is connected with the partner festivals in Central Europe, the Designblok Praha and the Vienna Design Week. At the festival there will be several programs and exhibitions. The festival offers the newest products and it is an event with professional production. The festival search for connection between other art genres such as music, fine arts and film and it is looking for the possibility and an original way to connect design and every day life with the life of the city. This festival is for all ages and there will be multiple programs to choose from for every visitor. The event takes place in Bratislava from Monday 22nd September 2014 till Sunday 28th of September. The entry to the festival is only by invitation which can be used by two persons.
If you want to know more about the festival check the official site for more information.
On October 19th it is time for a Kylie Minogue concert in Bratislava. It is not that often that big stars as the australian singer Kylie Minogue comes to Bratislava, so it is a great honor for us that she will come to town in October 2014.
If you are a fan of Kylie Minogue and would like to be there on the concert, make sure to grab hold of your tickets as soon as possible.
The Kylie Minogue concert in Bratislava will be arranged in the Slovnaft Arena and it will start at 20.00
I am going to Bratislava in June and would like to watch the FIFA World Cup 2014. How can that be done?
Thanks for asking. Luckily it is easy to watch the World Cup 2014 while on holiday in Slovakia. The national channel Radio and Television Slovakia (RTVS) will broadcast during the World Cup, so if you want to watch the matches in your hotel room or somewhere else, this channel is to be found almost everywhere, so just turn on the TV and you will find it!
It is of course a pity that Slovakia themselves will not participate in the World Cup, but at least we can watch the matches. If you want to watch them online that can also be done at the RTVS website. However, if you try to watch these from abroad it will not work, as you need a Slovakian IP address for this to work. Click the linked text to find out how to get one.
If you do not know much Slovakian, and would rather watch the World Cup with English commentators, we recommend that you read the following article where you will find information on how to watch the FIFA Cup 2014 online on other TV channels online.
Enjoy watching, and hope this answered has helped you on the way!
Il Divo is coming to Bratislava in 2014, and that is great news. On the 27th of September they will sing in the Ondrej Nepala Arena, the super venue in Bratislava for stars coming to town, just like Il Divo.
Il Divo will not only visit Bratislava in the former “Eastern Europe”, but only a few days later Il Divo will stand up on the stage of the O2 Arena in Prague to perform there. If you want to be there at the Il Divo concert in Bratislava, then check the ticket link further down on this page for more information about the concert and tickets as well.
I am coming to Bratislava in a few weeks and would like to live in a glamorous and beautiful five star hotel. Which is the best in Bratislava?
Thank you for the question. There are not tens of five star hotels in Bratislava, in fact there are only 6-7-8 of them (almost like in Belfast). Which is the best of these? The problem with such a question is that everyone has different thoughts and opinions, and as most people only try one five star hotel while in Bratislava, it is hard based on that to say that this hotel is better than the other one. It is max possible to say that the hotel I stayed in was amazing. So, based on user reviews and feedback from people who have been to Bratislava and of course personal taste we want to recommend what we believe to be the best five star hotel(s) in Bratislava.
Best five star hotel(s) in Bratislava
We will totally mention two hotels which be believe both can be titled the best five star hotel in Bratislava. Based on these few lines you can thus max a selection on your own, and hopefully you will be more than satisfied. Feel free of course to share personal experience and feedback writing a comment to this article later.
Marrol’s Boutique Hotel
This is a five star hotel located not far from the Danube, and only a few minutes away from the walking streets in the old town of Bratislava. They have excellent service, and the wireless Internet is free to use. Another cool thing with this hotel is that they daily refill your mini-bar, for free! What makes this even more glamorous is the modern, yet old fashioned design, of the rooms and the building itself. Last, but not least, Marrols Boutique Hotel have very nice prices, making this superb quality at a very low price.
Marrol’s Boutique Hotel
Hotel Arcadia
Hotel Arcadia is located in the very heart of the old town, and you only need to walk a few metres before you have reached the pedestrian area of Bratislava. The building itself has its origins back to the 13th century. The hotel has a SPA area with steam bath, hot tub and fitness room. Wireless internet can be used free of charge.
So, which hotel should you choose? We would go for the hotel with the best prices at our time of travel, so check both hotels at Booking.com, read more about them, and then make the final call yourself!
Hello! I will travel to Bratislava in April this year and I wonder what is the best way of traveling from Vienna and from Vienna International Airport to Bratislava. I have read that bus is a good solution, but what bus company should I use? When are the buses leaving, and where do I arrive in Bratislava?
Hello! Thank you for the question. The best solution might be using the services of Eurolines. You can see their time schedule and the different stops in the following table: http://www.eurolines.sk/fileadmin/user_upload/cestovne_poriadky/mal/sl/wiennka.pdf . If you like this and it looks good, then visit the Eurolines website, http://www.eurolines.sk/ , choose English as your language and book your tickets there. The price for a transfer from Vienna International Airport to Bratislava should be around 8 Euro.
The name of the main bus station in Bratislava is Bratislava (AS).
Thank you for the question! It is dangerous to give a general answer, but if we need to give an answer it is yes. In the inner city most shops are open on Sundays, and if you want to do some big time shopping the most important malls are also open on Sundays. For example the popular Eurovea center which is located not far from the Old Town is open every day of the week from 10.00-21.00, also on Sundays.
The other big shopping center very central in Bratislava is Aupark. This center is open every day from 10.00-21.00, except on Saturdays and Sundays when it open at 09.00 and remains open until 21.00.
Since December 5th in 2013 and all the way until November 30th in 2014 there will be a special temporary exhibition in the Slovak National Museum commemorating the 120 years existence of the museum.
This temporary exhibition will portray the history of the museum, the daily life of the people working in the museum and of course information about the most important and most famous objects on display and that have been on display until the present day.
