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City

Bratislava

A small capital of coronations, cafés and bronze figures.

19 museums
All museums ↓
📷 Harold · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Bratislava is a compact capital on the Danube with a castle, a cathedral of coronations and a lively old town.

The story of Bratislava

Walk the coronation route through the old town, marked by small golden crowns in the pavement, to St Martin's Cathedral. Climb to the castle for the view and the museum, then visit the Slovak National Gallery by the river. Find the bronze worker Čumil peeking out of a manhole, and the little Blue Church.

  • 1563–183011 kings and 8 queens crowned here
  • 1919the city takes the name Bratislava

Bratislava through time

The big moments, and where to see them today.

  1. 1770Wolfgang von Kempelen, born here, builds the chess-playing Turk.See it: Bratislava City Museum

What to do in Bratislava

  1. 01

    Slovak National Gallery

    Slovak and European art by the Danube.

    Bratislava2 hours
  2. 02

    Bratislava Castle

    History and treasures of Slovakia.

    Bratislava2 hours
  3. 03

    Bratislava City Museum

    The Old Town Hall and the city's story.

    Bratislava1 to 2 hours
Getting there

Getting to Bratislava

From the airport to the city centre by public transport, then the trains and local lines to the museums.

Arriving by plane

BTS
Bratislava M. R. ŠtefánikBratislava

Getting around Bratislava

Lines and timetables change. Check the operator’s website before you travel.

On the map

Route ↗
Hidden story

The chess-playing Turk

A Bratislava inventor fooled Europe with a chess machine.

Read the storyClose

In 1770 Wolfgang von Kempelen, a court official born in Pressburg, showed Empress Maria Theresa a machine in the shape of a Turk sitting at a chess table, which beat almost everyone. It toured Europe for decades and played Napoleon and Benjamin Franklin. In fact a human chess master was hidden inside. Kempelen also built a real speaking machine.