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Vienna, capital of Austria and Bratislava, capital of Slovakia are rich in history and only 60 kilometers (37 miles) apart. Visiting one city, it´s easy and a smart idea to travel to the other city as well.
Both countries belong to the European Union and have the same currency (€). That´s what I really like. Not thinking about changing a currency and having to calculate the whole day long and feeling like my head will explode any second.
The Twin-Cities Vienna and Bratislava got this name because no other capitals in Europe are closer together.
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Spin along the Danube
To travel from Vienna to Bratislava and vice versa the Twin City Liner, a fast catamaran on the Danube, is to me a great way to get from A to B (in this case from V(ienna) to B(ratislava)). In 75 minutes for about 30 € enjoying the Danube, pittoresque fishing huts and comfy chairs in the cabin or feeling the breeze and a sense of freedom on the deck of the catamaran.
Memories of the past…
I was living 10 months on a catamaran years ago sailing the Med, crossing the Atlantic Ocean and sailing the Caribbean. Being on the Twin-City-Liner gave me some bittersweet memories of the past..
Culture shock !?!
Getting off the catamaran I was dealing with a first shock. Compared to Vienna the buildings I saw first were old, partly ugly and destroyed with graffiti. But before you close this post give Bratislava a second chance like I did…
The WOW!-Effect!
A Slovakian woman said:
„You will get a Wow!-Effect as soon as you are in the Old Town of Bratislava.“
After checking in at the Lindner Hotel Gallery Central and overlooking Bratislava from my room at the 10th floor the tram brought me to the Old Town. And the young woman was right: Stepping into the historic part of Bratislava and you will get a WOW!-Effect. Buildings as beautiful as in Vienna.
The dominating church with a gilded crown reminds of the Austrian royals like Empress Maria Theresia. Kings were crowned here when Slovakia was part of the Austrian empire long time ago.
Best view in Bratislava
To get the best view of the whole town and its 500 000 inhabitants the Bratislava castle or the Outlook Bar & Lounge at the 13th floor in the Lindner Hotel Gallery Central were my favorite choice.
Shopaholic
Shopping, for example at the Gallery Central, is not cheaper when it comes to clothes but there are some Slovakian labels with nice clothes, bags and shoes. The Gallery Central is open every day.
Conclusion
Vienna is more expensive and cleaner. Bratislava is cheaper when it comes to food and beverages (that´s why a lot of young people go there to drink). Some parts of Bratislava still remind me of an eastern country BUT:
Bratislava is definitely a city to visit. Especially the Old Town has its own flair and the view from the Bratislava Castle is awesome. If you are there you should try the local specialties like Slovakian schnapps, wine and food with goat cheese.
Thanks to Lindner Hotels & Resorts for the invitation. The opinions are ours.
zuletzt aktualisiert am February 6, 2023
I loved my time in Vienna, looks like I need to give Bratislava a try as well!
You really should, Brianna. The first glimpse is not that beautiful but if you are in the Old Town and at the Bratislava Castle you will have a great time there.
Many people don’t know that Bratislava is so close and miss out on it when in Vienna – this post should help solve that problem! Beautiful shots of the old town, thanks for sharing them 🙂
I had no clue either before. 🙂 But it´s really worth to see.
I never though about visiting both of the cities but this post made me rethink my travel options! I definitely want to go to Bratislava and Vienna. If you have the chance, come to Bulgaria, too! 🙂
I´m sure you will like it there, Maria. And yes: I would love to see Bulgaria too some day.
What a lovely post, and such a romantic way to travel between the two. My ‚to-do‘ list just keeps getting bigger!
I know exactly what you mean, Emily. Our „to-do“ list is getting longer and longer too. 😀
Looks interesting. I nearly got to Bratislava a couple of years ago but didn’t quite make it – I’ll have to add it to the list for the future.
You should, Karen. I had a good time there.
I gave the same visit a few years ago, first Vienna and then Bratislava. Loved the second much more…I agree, the Old Town deserves a WOW
Interesting you liked Bratislava a lot more than Vienna, Elena.
The Bratislava Castle looks beautiful! I would love to see it in person.
I liked the view from the castle a lot and there is a nice park to stroll around.
Helpful post an nice pictures 🙂
Thank you Aditya.
You keep learning while browsing travelblogs. Never knew that these cities are only 60k from each other. Would love Bratislava!
Great you learned something. 😀
By car it took us only 45 minutes from Bratislava to Vienna and on the Danube 75 minutes. They are really close together…
I loved Vienna and visited many times, but funnily enough I’ve never been to Bratislava (except the airport!) Need to pay a visit soon though and when I do, I’ll definitely take the ferry!
That´s great. The ferry is really a good choice.
I fell in love with Vienna, I did not have the same experience in Bratislava. I would like to go back and visit other parts of the country instead.
Bratislava has beautiful parts and not so beautiful ones as I mentioned. I would like to see other parts of the country too especially the mountains.
I’ll be taking the catamaran from Vienna to Bratislava as a day trip this summer. Reading this made me even more excited!
Great. Hope you´re having a great time and good weather. 🙂
I love the sunset photo! These look like nice places to visit, planning my trip to Europe is going to be tough, it seems like there are so many good places to choose from.
There are many great places in Europe. Hope you´re bringing a lot of time with you. 🙂
I can’t wait to get on the Danube. Great tip to pair visits to both cities. It looks like Bratislava is destined to be an up-and-comer for travelers. Cheers!
I think the same about Bratislava. In my opinion it helped the country a lot to join the European Union.
Great post. I have a list of Euro cities that I want to see next year and these 2 cities are close to the top of that list.
That sounds great, Bianca. Hope you will find time for them. I had lots of fun in the Twin-Cities.
Never thought of doing this combination but what a great idea!
It is. You see two cities who are kind of linked by history but still very different.
I’ve never been to any of these cities and I lived so close for such a long time. But the only thing I can tell is that they look probably pretty the same as Krakow where I used to go to school. I think I really need to go and visit some neighborhood countries and their capitals!
So many times travelers visit far away places but don´t know their own country or the neighbourhood countries. You are not alone. That´s why we started to explore places close by too not long ago. 🙂
I really liked both of these cities, but I think Bratislava is more romantic. Because of the medieval atmosphere with the cobbled stone streets and beautiful lights at night.
Hi Steve, the old town of Bratislava is indeed beautiful and I enjoyed the streets and the art there too. But outside of the old town I liked Vienna a lot better.