Bratislava in 2 days

Morning

• Hlavne namestie and the Old Town Hall1h

  Start on Hlavne namestie before the day-trippers land, circling the Roland Fountain and the pastel facades, then climb the Old Town Hall tower and find the Napoleonic cannonball in its wall. The City Museum inside is a cheap, quick introduction to the city.

  TipThe Main Square is free and always open, ringed by pastel facades, the Roland Fountain and the Old Town Hall with its distinctive yellow tower. Pay the small entry to the Bratislava City Museum inside the town hall and climb the tower for a rooftop view over the square; look for the cannonball lodged in the wall from Napoleon's 1809 siege.

• Michael's Gate (Michalska brana)1h

  Walk up to Michael's Gate, the last surviving medieval city gate, and climb the tower for the classic view down the prettiest street in the old town. Pause for the bronze statues on the way, including Cumil the man in the manhole at the Panska corner.

  TipThis is the last surviving medieval city gate, a green-capped tower over the prettiest street in the old town. Buy the cheap ticket to the small weapons museum inside and climb to the top for the best close-up view down over the red rooftops and the pedestrian lane; it rarely queues, so go whenever you pass.

• St Martin's Cathedral (Dom svateho Martina)45 min

  Drop down to St Martin's Cathedral, where 11 Hungarian kings and queens were crowned, marked by the gilded crown on its spire. Entry is free outside Mass, so check the door before the busy midday services.

  TipThis Gothic cathedral crowned 11 Hungarian kings and queens when Bratislava served as the Habsburg coronation city, marked by the gilded replica crown on top of its spire. Entry is free outside Mass, but the tower motorway runs loudly right beside it; check the posted hours because it closes to visitors during services.

Afternoon

• Slovak Beer and Bryndzove Halusky1h

  Break for lunch on a plate of bryndzove halusky, the sheep-cheese dumplings that are the national dish, with a cheap local lager. Go to a traditional spot just off the Main Square and expect to pay well under 10 EUR for the plate.

  TipBratislava's food is cheap and hearty: the national dish is bryndzove halusky, potato dumplings smothered in sharp sheep cheese and topped with fried bacon, and a plate runs around 7 to 9 EUR. Wash it down with a local lager like Zlaty Bazant or Slovak wine, both a fraction of Vienna prices; the traditional halusky spots off the Main Square fill up at lunch, so go early or expect a short wait.

• Bratislava Castle (Bratislavsky hrad)1h45

  Walk up to Bratislava Castle, the white four-towered landmark on the hill, and wander the free grounds and terraces for the wide view over the Danube into Austria. Skip the paid interior museum if you would rather spend the time on the walls.

  TipThe white four-towered castle on the hill is the city's landmark, and the grounds and terraces are free to walk with sweeping views over the Danube and across to Austria. You only pay for the interior museum, which is skippable if time is short; come toward sunset when the walls glow and the crowds thin, and allow a ten to fifteen minute uphill walk from the old town.

Evening

• UFO Observation Deck on the SNP Bridge1h15

  Cross to the UFO deck on the SNP Bridge for sunset, 85 meters up over the old town and Petrzalka. The lift ticket is refunded against a drink at the top, so buy a coffee and break even on the view.

  TipThe flying-saucer deck sits 85 meters up on a single pylon of the SNP Bridge, giving the widest view over the old town, the castle and the concrete sprawl of Petrzalka. The lift ticket is around 9 EUR but is refunded against a drink or a meal at the restaurant on top, so time it for sunset and buy an overpriced coffee to break even on the view.

• 1h45

  Dinner back in the old town, choosing a side street over the loud central bars, and finish with Slovak wine, which costs a fraction of the price across the border in Vienna. The pedestrian core is at its calmest once the day crowds have gone.

Morning

• Devin Castle (Hrad Devin)2h30

  Take bus 29 from the Novy Most stop out to Devin Castle, the clifftop ruins where the Morava meets the Danube on the old Iron Curtain border. It is about a 25-minute ride; check the seasonal hours because the site shuts over winter.

  TipThese dramatic clifftop ruins stand where the Morava river meets the Danube, right on the old Iron Curtain border with Austria, about 9km west of the city. Take bus 29 from the Novy Most stop below the SNP Bridge, roughly a 25-minute ride, and check the seasonal hours because the site closes in winter; the entry is a few euros and the river-fork views are the reason to come.

Afternoon

• Blue Church of St Elizabeth (Modry kostolik)45 min

  Ride back into town and walk to the Blue Church of St Elizabeth, the powder-blue Art Nouveau church from 1913 that is one of the city's most photographed spots. It only opens around Mass, so plan to admire the tiled facade from outside if the doors are shut.

  TipThis turquoise Art Nouveau church, finished in 1913, is painted a startling powder blue inside and out, right down to the tiled roof and the round tower. It sits about ten minutes east of the core and only opens for short windows around morning and evening Mass, so check the times or plan to admire it from outside; it is one of the city's most photographed spots.

• Danube Promenade and Eurovea1h30

  Join the flat Danube promenade and walk east past the new Slovak National Theatre to Eurovea, stopping at a terrace or a cafe boat on the water. It is the easiest way to see the river on foot and catches good afternoon light.

  TipThe flat riverside promenade runs from the old town east past the Eurovea development, lined with grassy terraces, the new Slovak National Theatre and cafe boats moored on the water. It is free and best at golden hour for a slow walk with a beer; the stretch below the castle and out to Eurovea is the easiest way to see the Danube on foot.

Evening

• The Quirky Bronze Statues45 min

  Loop back through the old town at a slow pace to catch any bronze statues you missed, from the top-hatted Schone Naci to the Napoleonic soldier on the Main Square bench. They are scattered within a few streets and easy to knock off in an evening stroll.

  TipThe old town is dotted with life-size bronze characters, the most famous being Cumil, the grinning man peeking out of a manhole at the corner of Panska and Rybarska, plus the top-hatted Schone Naci and a Napoleonic soldier leaning on a bench in the Main Square. They are free and scattered within a few streets; the manhole man is easy to miss underfoot, so watch the pavement corners.

• 2h

  Last dinner in the old town with a round of cheap Slovak beer and something hearty, then a final wander through the floodlit squares. Prices here stay a fraction of Vienna's, so it is a good night to order the extra course.