The city tourism board of Bratislava, Slovakia now offers the “Bratislava Card” covering many attractions and city and regional transportation. It’s offered in 24, 48, and 72-hour versions. Is the Bratislava Card worth it?
Answer: If you’re in Bratislava for 1-day, it may be worth it if you plan on visiting many museums and you’d like to do a short walking tour. If you’re in Bratislava for 2 or 3 days, it is absolutely worth it, especially if you want to visit one or two castles outside of the city. Read below for tips on getting the best use from the card.
Bratislava Card Cost
As of 2018, the price for the new Bratislava Card is 17 Euro for one day, 19 for two, and 20 for three. For one day, it is not worth it unless you are visiting all the included museums. For two or three days, it’s absolutely worth it given the small additional charge for day 2 and day 3.
How much value I got out of the 72 hour Bratislava Card:
Entry to City Hall museum = 5 Euro
Free one-hour guided tour = 5 Euro (the tourist center puts the value of this at 14 Euro, but there are some alternative “free” tours for tip only, with the recommended tip in the 5-10 Euro range, so I put the value of this at 5 Euro
Entry to Pharmacy museum and Museum of Arms with viewpoint from eastern gate = 5 Euro
Transportation to and from Devin Castle = 1.80 Euro
Entry to Devin Castle = 5 Euro
Transportation to bus station (x2) = 1.80 Euro
Transportation to and from Cerveny Kamen Castle = 4.60 Euro
Cerveny Kamen Castle guided tour = 8 Euro
TOTAL VALIE = 36.20 Euro – so close to half price from buying the 20 Euro 3-Day Bratislava Card.
Bratislava Card Discounts
The card provides some discounts, but I didn’t get a chance to use these. I wanted to go on the “round trip” boat ride on the Danube River, but during my visit in mid-September, the boat only runs on weekends. There are also some restaurant discounts but I didn’t try those either.
Bratislava Card 3-Day Itinerary
This is my recommended itinerary for using the 72-hour Bratislava Card:
Day One –
Go over to the main visitor center in the center of town and purchase your card and make a reservation for your free included walking tour. Pick up the handy booklet and a city map.
Hike up to the Bratislava Castle for nice views of the city. The castle museum is not included with the card, but there is a 20% discount. I chose not to visit this museum, as several other museums were included with the card. Spend the rest of the morning walking the city streets and visiting some of the smaller museums included with the Bratislava Card.
After lunch, take your free walking tour. After the tour, head over to the best museum included with the card, the Museum of the City History. Make sure you go up the bell tower for a nice view, and also don’t miss the “dungeon” at the very end of the museum tour that is a collection of medieval torture devices.
Day Trip Two – Devin Castle
Make this easy part day trip to Devin Castlee in Devin. After busing back to the city, take a walk along the Danube and visit any of the museums you missed yesterday.
For dinner, go to a Slovakian restaurant and have the most famous Slovakian dish – gnocchi with melted sheep’s cheese and bacon. Very rich. I call it Slovakian mac & cheese!
Day Trip Three – Cervery Kamen Castle
Follow this itinerary to visit another well preserved castle out of town. Spend the afternoon souvenir shopping in the old town.
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Bratislava – Where to Stay
My recommended hostel is the Hostel Folks, just outside the city walls in the city center and one of the cleanest, roomiest hostels I’ve ever stayed. No breakfast but they did provide coffee, tea, apples and biscuits during my stay. Check Rates and Availability.
Note: I did NOT receive any compensation to write this post. I paid 20 Euro for the 3-day card like most tourists.
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