World City Guide

Key Attractions

Bratislava Castle & Historical Museum (Slovenske Narodne Muzeum & Historicke Museum)
Situated 82m (270 feet) above the Danube, this 17th-century Habsburg castle is often called ‘the upturned table’ due its four octagonal corner towers, and contains an excellent Historical Museum with musical instruments, silver coronation gear, period furniture, clocks, folk art, and reconstructed workshops of different trades and crafts of the Middle Ages.

Beblaveho Street from the Old Town or from Mudronova Street
Tel: (02) 5441 1444 or 5934 1601.
Website: www.snm-hm.sk

St Michael’s Tower (Michalska Veza)
The best views in Bratislava are from the viewing platform of St Michael’s Tower, which dates from the 14th century. To the south, you can see the Baroque town houses of Michalska Street, and to the west the red tiled houses at the foot of the castle. This is also a small museum of old weapons and firearms.

Michalska Ulica 22
Tel: (02) 5443 4742.

Old Town Hall & City Museum (Mestke Muzeum)
With sections dating back to the 14th century, the Old Town hall offers a mix of architectural styles, including a renaissance courtyard from 1581. It also includes the Bratislava City Museum, which offers treats such as dungeons and torture devices as well as a winemaking museum. On summer evenings there is a laser light show on the front wall.

Primacialne namesti 3
Tel: (02) 5920 5111.
Website: www.muzeumbratislava.sk

St Martin's Cathedral (Dom svateho Marina)
From the 16th to the 19th centuries, this 13th-century Franciscan cathedral was the coronation place of Hungarian monarchs, including Empress Maria Theresa, and includes a gothic masterpiece, the Chapel of St John. This is not a museum, but the cathedral accepts visitors by prior arrangement or between mass times.

Rudnayovo namestie

The Slovak National Museum (Slovaenska Narodna Galeria)
Originally built in the 18th century, the imposing Slovak National Gallery overlooks the Danube and contains works of art from the 13th century to the present. Currently, the curators are finally getting to grips with the country’s past in a series of exhibitions devoted to Slovakia’s intercultural history.

Rieèna 1
Tel: (02) 5443 2081/2.
Website: www.sng.sk