Bratislava, Slovakia » City Info » Travel Tips

Bratislava is the most beautiful and largest city of Slovakia. This city has become one of the most famous tourist travel-spots, which offers beautiful scenery, a pleasant climate all year, excellent shopping malls, and welcomes tourists with an open heart and hospitality. Bratislava is full of hotels and lodges that provide the best accommodation facilities. Therefore, this city is the perfect place to explore museums, castles, parks, restaurants, festivals, as well as a wide range of shopping choices.

Safety

Bratislava is a very safe city as the crime rate is very low, despite being the largest city of Slovakia. Very few violent crimes are reported yearly and therefore, tourists feel very safe in the city. The presence of police can be seen at all major tourist places and for safety, cameras are fitted in the Old town. Police can speak in English to solve any queries from tourists.

Still it is necessary to follow a few practical tips to be secure from petty thieves or bag snatchers. Few organized gangs may try to play common tricks of distracting the attention of tourists usually for preying on wallets or expensive mobile phones.

Public transportation is quite safe but precautions should be taken while traveling alone late at night. Car theft is a common threat in this city so just try to use guarded parking or hotel parking for safety.

Smoking

Smoking is prohibited at the airport, bus stations, and on all public transportation. However, smoking is widely spread among the Slovaks and therefore there are very few non-smoking restaurants or cafes in the city. Cigarettes are easily available at gas stations, supermarkets, newspaper stands, and kiosks. Even a few restaurants, cafes, and pubs sell a wide range of brands of cigarettes. Now there is a new law that forbids smoking at bus stops, platforms, or train stations. Police have become a lot stricter and may fine smokers.

Tipping

A traditional way of tipping is to round up the bill, and many Slovaks normally follow the same style to appreciate the good service given by restaurants or hotels. It is not customary to tip but around 10 – 15 % tipping can be expected especially from tourists. In many bars, after every round of drinks, extra tipping is expected and of course, good tips will help to get more attention from the waiters. If the bill is paid by credit card then tipping can be done by giving some cash. For taxi drivers, tipping is not compulsory but the fare is usually rounded up.

City Transport

Today, this largest city of Slovakia has become the transportation hub of the airway, road, railway, and waterway. Due to the increasing number of vehicles in the city, pressure has bombarded the inner network of roadways.

Major international motorway junctions like D1 and A6 are built that connect Bratislava city with other major cities of Slovakia. There are six lines available for railways that connect with other major cities as well as many suburban stations within the city boundaries. The main international airport of the country is located in the city that serves many international and domestic flights.

There are three main types of public transportation available; tramlines, trolleybus lines, and bus lines. A Bratislava City travel card can be purchased from the tourist office of the city that allows traveling free on any public transportation.

When to Travel

Bratislava has a typical pattern of seasons; the summer is warm and sometimes experiences high temperatures, average rainfall, cold winters, and a pleasant climate in spring.

Normally tourists prefer to visit this city in the month of September and October when the city celebrates its major events and festivals. Famous music festival series' are held in these months where all types of music from classic to jazz can be enjoyed and music performers from different cities of US come to perform live. Even wine festivals are held to toast up new wines and to taste different types of wines in one place.

The winter season is very cold here and sometimes even snowfall is expected. So it is necessary to carry warm clothes during the winter season, especially at night. Street parties on Christmas eve and New Year are celebrated with great vigor and splendor.

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