Bratislava Archives - Bratislava Guide

Eating in Hacienda in Bratislava – Worth the money?

Posted on October 11, 2018 by Bratislava Guide

Hacienda is a restaurant located in the heart of Bratislava, easy to spot, and with lots of tempting food on the menu. But, is it worth the time and the money?

We recently wrote about our dinner in Los Mexikas in Bratislava which was a total disaster. But, what about our stay in Hacienda in Bratislava?

The first impression of Hacienda is way better than the Los Mexikas impression. The place looks nice both from the outside and on the inside, and the menus make you hungry!

The prices of the restaurant are just average, not very cheap, but not at all that expensive either. In other words, if you want to eat dinner in Bratislava at an average price, Hacienda might be a good option for you!

The food we were served in Hacienda Bratislava

The menu in Hacienda is packed with food that most people will like, meaning that families can easily visit the place and find something that they will like and enjoy at the menu. We ordered a hamburger and a quesadilla.

hamburger in hacienda — The hamburger in Hacienda in Bratislava

The hamburger, as you can see in the picture above, looked nice and everything was fine. It wasn’t a hamburger I would travel to Bratislava to taste, but as an average hamburger, I would judge it to be just fine. If you want a better burger, then there are for sure other places worth visiting in Bratislava, and there is also Lucky 7 Burger in Budapest.

There were lots of different quesadillas at the menu in Hacienda, and they all looked very good. As you can see at the picture above, it looked nice on the plate, and the taste was just the same.

The judgment on the quesadilla was quite similar to the hamburger judgment. It was a great thing to eat for dinner, but not a taste and an experience we would return to the restaurant to taste several times. But, if you like a good quesadilla, it is a sure winner if you pick it from the menu.

The price level in Hacienda Bratislava

How much did this experience cost us? It wasn’t bad at all. The prices for most main courses were between 8 and 20 Euro, with most costing around 10 Euro. In other words, not bad prices at all, and not at all more expensive than most other restaurants in the center of Bratislava.

We have no problem recommending Hacienda as an option for a family dinner in Bratislava. It might not be the best restaurant you will ever visit, but there are for sure a hundred times worse restaurants you could pick!

Conclusion: Hacienda is a safe bet for a safe and good dinner in the Slovakian capital!

Come to the Christmas markets in Bratislava in 2018

Posted on August 31, 2018 by Bratislava Guide

Are you still thinking about which city to visit for some Christmas market shopping in 2018? Why not do something un-traditional and visit Bratislava?

Bratislava is a quite small city with a population of approximately 500,000 people. You can easily feel this when you visit the city, as the inner city is quite small and easy to discover. This is what Thomas tells about in the story of his day-trip to Bratislava as well. But, the fact that the inner city is small, doesn’t make it boring. There are plenty of things to see and discover while in town, and it is perfect if you want to visit the different Christmas markets only by walking a few hundred meters.

There are several smaller markets here and there in Bratislava, but the two main markets can be found at the cities main square, and at the Hviezdoslav square. These can be found very close to one another, making it very easy to walk between them.

The market on the main square has beautiful lights and the famous Maximillian fountain in the middle. The market at the Hviezdoslav square is much bigger (due to the size of the square). Here you can also find an ice skating rink for kids, and if you want to live in the heart of the city, the Radisson Carlton hotel at this square can be warmly recommended.

What are the Christmas market dates in Bratislava in 2018?

Are you unpatiently waiting for us to reveal the Christmas market dates in Bratislava in 2018? The markets will open two weeks after the opening in Budapest, and one week later than the first markets in Vienna. That is, they will open on November 24th, and they will remain open until December 22nd.

Christmas market dates 2018: November 24 – December 22nd

If you want to read more about the different Christmas markets in Bratislava, check this article.

If you have any comment or questions, use the comment field!

Can I visit Prague on a day-trip from Bratislava?

Posted on May 29, 2017September 13, 2018 by Bratislava Guide

Are you bored in the capital of Slovakia and look for options for day excursions from Bratislava. Are you considering a day-trip to Prague from Bratislava?

Most travelers would agree that Prague has lots more attractions and famous sights to offer its visitors than Bratislava. For that reason, most people have already been to Prague, but they have yet to discover the beauties of Bratislava. But, if you still come to Bratislava and would like to do a day trip to Prague, then it can be done quite easily.

There are bus companies operating buses between Bratislava and Prague, for example, Orangeways and Flixbus. You can do a quick Google search for those companies to book your tickets right away. There is, however, better options, and the best option is for sure your own private car. If you use a bus you will have to use time getting to the bus station in Bratislava first, then you need to get from the bus station in Prague to the city center, and as you leave Prague in the evening you will have to repeat those actions again. For that reason, a private driver or your own private car is far more convenient.

Driving from Bratislava to Prague

The distance between Bratislava and Prague is 328km. Almost the entire road is done on highways, and the quickest route passes by the city of Brno, another Slovakian city you might consider to visit. According to Google Maps, the travel time from Bratislava to Prague with your own car should be a bit more than 3 hours, without stops. If you want to stop and have something to eat along the way, then the travel time will, of course, be even longer.

You should of course not forget that when you actually arrive in Prague you will also need to find a place to park your car, and often you spend a long time doing so (unless you have planned where to park your car in Prague), so our recommendation is that you plan this beforehand in order to save time and get the most out of your day in Prague.

Visit the Prague Christmas market on a day trip from Bratislava – Source: Fotolia

What to do in Prague on a day trip?

You will find lots of advises concerning your day trip to Prague in the Prague Guide. There you can also check the list of what’s on in Prague, in case you would like to travel to Prague to check out a concert, a festival or some other cool program.

Our general suggestions for a day in Prague would include walking across the Charles Bridge, visit the Old Town square, eating a Czech Goulash and taste some local beer, and maybe do a river cruise on the Vltava River.

We hope this information will help you out. If you have further questions or comments, just use the comment field beneath.

Sports bars in Bratislava where you can watch Euro 2016

Posted on May 25, 2016October 3, 2016 by Bratislava Guide

Euro 2016 is coming up in only a few weeks and this time it will be more interesting than ever before with Slovakia qualified for the tournament. But, where can you watch Euro 2016 in Bratislava?

There will for sure be TV screens available all around Bratislava in bars, restaurants and in pubs, and also in hotel rooms and so on, but if you want to watch Euro 2016 in Bratislava with lots of other fans then a sports pub is a good place to go. Now it isn’t that easy in Bratislava as in other cities, because Bratislava isn’t exactly packed with fantastic sports bars, but there are some places you clearly should consider!

If you want to watch Euro 2016 open air then you can also go to Vienna where there will be fantastic broadcasting of Euro 2016 in front of the City Hall, but there will probably be something similar in Bratislava as well, we only do not know about it yet!

Watch Euro 2016 in Bratislava

Dubliner Irish Pub and Restaurant, Sedlarska 6, Bratislava 811 01

Do a Google on this bar and you will find everything from fantastic reviews to the most terrible and people saying that the entire staff should be fired. Maybe you should go and give this place a try yourself and write a review afterwards telling us how you felt watching Euro 2016 in Dubliner Irish Pub in Bratislava?

U Belasych, Junácka 4, 83104 Bratislava

This might be one of the best sports bars in Bratislava, a bit outside the inner city center, but still quite easy to get to using a cab or some other sort of transportation. They are showing live sports every day of the week, so a good place to visit throughout the entire year.

Magic Sport Pub, Jungmannova 16, 851 01 Bratislava

This is just as much a restaurant as a pub, but it has a clear focus on sports and should serve as a great place if you want to watch Euro 2016 in Bratislava in a pub.

All Stars Cafe, Sedlarska 5, Bratislava

This is a place that has a quite good rumor, but also quite some reviews that are not so good, but in general a place people like to visit as they come to watch football matches and other sports events. They have lots of food and drink on their menu as well, so here you can combine watching the European Championship with some food.

Watch Euro 2016 in Bratislava somewhere else

You can of course watch Euro 2016 online while in Bratislava. All you need is a computer, a tablet or a phone and then you can follow these instructions and you will be ready to watch Euro 2016 online right away on UK television.

Slovakia will play their first match in the European Championship against Wales on June 11th and if they want to have any chance at getting to the knockout stage they will have to stop Gareth Bale in this match and grab the three points themselves.

You can also watch most of the Euro 2016 live on Slovakian TV in your hotel room.

Watch Slovakian Netflix

Posted on January 8, 2016October 17, 2022 by Bratislava Guide

Netflix is available in Slovakia and after its launch on January 6th in 2016 you can now watch four Mission Impossible films, lots of romantic films like Jackpot in Vegas, No Strings Attached and Bride Wars and tons of great TV series like The Blacklist, Elementary and of course Netflix productions like Orange is the New Black and more.

After years of waiting people were very happy to see that Netflix turned available in Slovakia and we believe that thousands of people will start their thirty day free trial at once as they realize that Netflix has arrived. But, what can you do if you are from Slovakia but live abroad and want to see Slovakian Netflix? It is very easy! All you need is a Netflix subscription in one nation (doesn’t matter which nation you have your subscription in) and in addition you will need a HideMyAss subscription. HideMyAss is a VPN provider and using their services you can get access to servers in more than 150 nations worldwide, and one of these nations are Slovakia. If you connect to a server in Slovakia you will get a Slovakian IP address, and once you have that you will get access to Slovakian Netflix as you visit netflix.com. That is in other words how easy it is to watch Slovakian Netflix from outside Slovakia.

In the same way you can do if you want to watch US Netflix in Slovakia or so. Because Netflix check your IP address you can just again use HideMyAss to change your IP address, and if you connect to a server in Mexico then you will get access to Mexican Netflix and if you connect to a server in Spain then you will get access to Spanish Netflix and more. If you want to know more about region switching with Netflix then this article and site is perfect for you!

If you want to know more about HideMyAss before you continue, then this review is useful reading!

netflix in Bratislava — Watching Master of None on Netflix in Slovakia

Upon the Netflix launch in Slovakia all content were available in English only, but it is expected to be made more Slovakian within the coming days and months, and thus Slovakian subtitles can be expected and also more content made in Slovakia and made by Slovakians!

Slovakia is ready for Euro 2016

Posted on November 25, 2015October 3, 2016 by Bratislava Guide

We are a bit late with this article, but we are so happy about it that we decide to write about it, even if we are late! So yes it is true, Slovakia is ready for Euro 2016 which will be played in France the summer of 2016!

We do not know yet against which teams Slovakia will play in the tournament, but the possible opponents can be found and read about in the following article. What we can know for sure is that Slovakia will not play against Hungary and they will not play against Czech Republic, two opponents it is nice that they will not meet, just for the sake of friendship! But, if they are lucky, or maybe unlucky, they might end up facing the same two opponents which they already met in the qualification group, meaning that they have the chance to play against both Spain and Ukraine in the Euro 2016. We are not sure if that would be a positive thing or not, because both those teams are really tough, and Slovakia may have been lucky to be able to beat both Ukraine and Spain in matches during the qualification stage. Maybe Austria would be a better opponent than Ukraine, but in football it is impossible to say and impossible actually to predict the strength of the teams, so by the time we reach France and the Euro 2016 Slovakia might be in such a good curve that they can beat any team. But, on the paper Slovakia might not be among the big favorites to even qualify for the knockout stage following the group stage.

If you feel like celebrating then you can of course go out into the streets of Bratislava and enjoy a delicious hot wine or maybe a traditional sausage at the big Christmas markets in Bratislava. You can read more about the Christmas markets in the following article, and if you want to enjoy some nice Christmas films online, then there are lots of Christmas films on Netflix and you can get some nice suggestions for such Christmas movies in the following video.

Top events in Bratislava in 2015

Posted on January 8, 2015January 8, 2015 by Bratislava Guide

In this short article we will go through the top events in Bratislava in 2015. Bratislava is the capital and also the largest city of Slovakia and in a short period of time it became a popular tourist destination in Europe.

Through the whole year there are plenty of programs and different activities such as festivals, concerts and exhibitions which are waiting for the visitors. So in this article we will present some of the highlights of the city in 2015.

Around spring the first outdoor festival the ‘May Festival’ will be held in Bratislava. The ‘May Festival’ is one of the most popular cultural event in the life of the city and during the festival countless concerts, theatre productions, firework and various sport events are the main attractions. This year will be the fifth year the ‘May Festival’ takes place in Bratislava. There are no exact dates confirmed of the festival yet but it is held some time in May.

Another popular festival in Bratislava is the ‘Slovak Food Festival’. It is the biggest foodie event in the life of the city and it is a perfect opportunity to try the best traditional Slovakian dishes. The festival takes place at the Bratislava Castle in May 2015.

If you travel with family and children the best program for you is the ‘Children’s Day’. Each year on 1st June the nation celebrates children and in this occasion the city and the country turn into a big playground with different programs and children activities.

Another awaited event in Bratislava is the ‘Viva Musica! Festival’ which takes place some time in June but the exact dates are not confirmed yet. The ‘Viva Musica! Festival’ is one of the most popular music festivals in the city and during the event multiple jazz and classical concerts are performed.

Apart from the festivals Bratislava also gives home to the Christmas markets during the winter. Each year when Christmas is just around the corner the markets appear in the city. At the market you can do your pre-Christmas shopping and try the best mulled wines and traditional dishes as well.

Along side all the festivals, various markets and events countless concerts are held in the city through the whole year. This year visitors can enjoy the most famous artists concerts such as Katy Perry, Robbie Williams and so on.

If you want to know more on the programs and activities in Bratislava look around in our Bratislava Guide and get ready for some wonderful hours and days in the city of Bratislava.

5 attractions you have to see in Bratislava

Posted on October 21, 2013 by Bratislava Guide

When tourists don’t have enough time, what they can spend in a foreign country, they want to see every important thing within a few days. For them, the perfect place is the capital of Slovakia, Bratislava. The city, which belonged to Hungary, a tiny capital, it doesn’t have so many attractions, but still there are lots of things to see. This article wants to help you, it contains 5 attractions, which – on our opinion – the most important ones, so you don’t have to waste your expensive time with researching.

1. Bratislava Castle

Just like in the capital of Hungary, Budapest, the Castle has a very big role in Bratislava’s view. The Bratislava Castle is located next to the famous international river, the Danube, on an 85 meters tall hill. Those, who visit the Slovakian capital, have to see the castle. The best thing, what you can do to start a busy sightseeing day in the Castle. From here, you can even see Hungary or Austria, but if it’s more than enough for you, you can see the beautiful Bratislava view. Amazing environment, fantastic history, this is waiting for you in the Bratislava Castle.

2. Grassalkovich Palace

The palace was built by Antal Grassalkovich, Hungarian lord in 1750, today this is the home of the Slovakian head of state. The baroque building is surrounded by the beautiful French garden, where visitors can walk peacefully and see the amazing building – unfortunately only from the outside. The palace is located in the center city, so you would run into it during you sightseeing tour.

3. UFO restaurant

Change to modern! The UFO restaurant is located on the top of the Novy Most Bridge, which crosses the Danube in Bratislava. Attention, this program could be great only for those, who don’t scare of high, because the restaurant located 85 meters above the Danube. If you beat your fears, you can see a breathtaking view, while you taste the Slovakian kitchen’s greatest things.

4. Main Square

A sightseeing recommendation can’t skip the Main Square from the list. In Bratislava this square is one of the most beautiful attractions, because tourists can buy souvenirs, see beautiful buildings and don’t forget the Maximillian Fountain, which has a majestic statue on the top, the 10,5 meters tall Roland statue; this is a remarkable attraction.

5. Michael Tower

The last and still active clock tower in the old town can be seen from almost everywhere in Bratislava. The 0 kilometer is located here; it shows the distance between Bratislava and other big cities. Those, who go up to the top of the tower, can see the beautiful view of Bratislava from another perspective, for example they can explore the several boutiques in the little streets of the area.

Naturally, there are more interesting attractions in Bratislava, but these five are recommended from our deep heart. If you have more time (we hope, you would), surf our website for more information about the attractions in Bratislava: museums, statues and restaurants. Have a great time in the Slovakian capital!

Blaufrankisch Festival

Posted on May 25, 2012 by Bratislava Guide

If you like wines, then do not miss the 7th Blaufrankisch festival which takes place in Bratislava this year in May and June! There is not only this wine that you can taste, but other good ones, from different places in Slovakia!

Private guided tours in Bratislava

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Bratislava Guide

If you are looking for a private guided tour in Bratislava, we can finally help you out with this. Go to our Bratislava Private Guide page, read more about our offer, and book your own private guided tour in Bratislava today.

Such a tour is the most efficient way to get to know a new city, and you will also get to know a local person at once who can also come with advices, answer questions and help you out with further things you might be curious about.

Read more about the private guided tour in Bratislava.