Unusual route through the city
Start at Hodzovo Namestie (square)
This is a large square, just outside the city centre, with lots of trams, traffic and overhead wires. The trams pass the pavemment cafés with an inch to spare: an ideal spot for tram spotters.
The Church of the Holy Trinity with its baroque exterior is worth a peek for its trompe l'oeil dome painting on the ceiling, which tricks you into believing that the church is higher and grander than it really is.
Turn into Obchodna. I liked this street lined with shops and without tourists. It is an example of everyday life in Bratislava.
Take the fourth street on your left: Jánska. It passes a small park and leads to Nam Slobody, beautiful because of its ugliness. For me it is the prime example of utilitarian Soviet architecture and landscaping.
The centre-piece is a lotus-shaped fountain flanked by umbrella-shaped smaller ones. A grid of pathways lined with seats for the proletariate surrounds the fountains.
The background to the square is a box-like building of glass and steel, clearly soviet-style architecture. It is home to the technical university. (In a way, it reminded me of 'Palast der Republik' in Berlin).
Cross Slobody Nam. turn left into Banskobystrická. At the end, on your right is Grassalkovich Palace, 18th cent summer residence of the Count of Grassalkovich. Today it is the presidential palace.
Continue straight on. You are now back on Hodzovo Namestie. From here it is only a few steps to the historical centre.
Tourist top sites
Walking Bratislava Old town is a true delight. Tourists especially like three bronze statues:
1. Cumil, the peeper, is the most photographed one. It is a helmeted man peering from a street manhole. You can find him at the corner of Panska and Rybarka Brana streets
2. Equally famous is the French soldier, looking like Napoleon, who leans on a bench in Hlavné Namestie, the main square. It's difficult to take photos without tourists sitting next to him
3. A life-size photographer peeping round the corner of a café on Laurinska is the third statue. No special need to look up the street as you will meet him anyway as you are bound to walk the streets several times because the city centre is very compact.
Short list of "must see" places
The ceremonial courtyard of the Castle - emperors were freqeunt guests here.
The Castle Palace - a short walk around it shows you all hidden features
The view of the Slovak Parliament - a typical architecture of the late 1980
The most luxurios villa quarter - have a look at the most expensive villas.
A picturesque views of Bratislava Castle from the Old Town
The coronation church – St. Martin’s Cathedral
The Old Town Hall – a picturesque Gothic-Renaissance building
The Primate’s Palace – a jewel of the neoclassical architecture
The Franciscan church and monastery – dating back to 1297
The Royal Chamber – Noble Parliament – a pearl of Baroque era
The Academia Istropolitana – the 1st university from the 15th century
The town walls – impressive defensive construction from the 14th century
The medieval Main Square – the market square for centuries
A short walk along the Jewish quarter – called 2nd Jerusalem in the 19th century
The Opera House – an enchanting Neo-Renaissance building
The St. Michael’s Gate – a beautiful combination of Renaissance and Baroque architecture
The Pallfy Palace – 6-year-old Mozart played the piano there
Off the beaten track guide to Bratislava
New Bridge (formerly known as SNP Bridge) - built in 1969 without pillars, hanging on steel ropes. A beautiful synagogue and other nice buildings had to give way.
UFO - The Communist-era restaurant with crappy food and great views accessible by elevator in one of the pillars (which despite what some claim, never spun) reopened in 2005 as UFO Watch.Taste.Groove. On top of the bridge there is a viewing deck, which was never accessible in the past as the Communist regime deemed it inappropriate to give people such a panoramatic view of neighbouring capitalist Austria.
Outdoor Market on Mileticova, where many locals do their grocery shopping, browsing stalls offering everything from fresh vegetables to local souvenirs to Chinese shoes. The market is open every day, but particularly popular on weekends.
Indoor Old Town Market reopened a few years ago after decades spent in decrepit state. There are many fast-food stands with local specialties, some fresh produce, a pub and a selection of fast-food restaurants.
Public musical instruments are installed on a lawn at the junction of Obchodna, Zupne Square and SNP Square. The Dacing Bells - nine metal pannels to step on with different bell tones are great fun (even sober), as is the Sea Tide sound instrument and the wooden "telephone".
Figaro Chocolate Factory Outlet Store - take the trams 3, 5, 7, 11 or 17 down Racianska and get off when the chocolate smell becomes unbearable - next to the Figaro factory. You can sample the delicious products of this traditional Bratislava chocolate maker.
Monument to fallen Russian soldiers Slavin towers over Bratislava, surrounded by one of the nicest and most posh residential quarter housing old gold and some of the current rich and famous. The monument serves well for tranquil walks and offers great city views. The Soviet Army liberated Bratislava on April 4, 1945.
Petrzalka - the concrete jungle and Communist regime's answer to the shortage of housing for out of town workers required to operate the industrial factories - if Bratislava spun the part on the right side of Danube off, these horrid concrete blocks of flats would constitute Slovakia's third largest city on their own. If you want to take some surreal photos of urban landscape, take a walk around Petrzalka. Due to the housing shortage in Bratislava, Petrzalka is by no means lower class but houses mainly younger middle class families.
Popular outing places Koliba (reachable by trolleybus 203 departing Hodzovo Square by the Presidential Palace), Kamzik (TV tower with rotating restaurant Veza),Zelezna studienka (bus 43 from Patronka).