The Liszt Garden is part of the University Library Bratislava, and it serves as a summer reading venue to library patrons. (source: TASR - Jaroslav Novák)
Bratislava is home to the largest number of museums, theatres and art galleries of any city in Slovakia, but which places are really worth a visit if you are new to the capital? Here’s a selection of what you should start with.
You can exploreBratislava’s rich art scene with The Slovak Spectator’s detailedBratislava Guide which includes maps, stories and recommendations too!
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In this overview, you can find the following sections:
Cinemas, including open-air cinemas in the summer.
Art galleries
The Danubiana Meulensteen Art Museum, situated 20 kilometres south of Bratislava and easily reachable by Bus 90, is great work of architectural design. Resembling a boat, it is surrounded by water with artworks on display outside, as well as exhibitions in the museum itself. It can be reached by boat or bike, cycling alongside the Danube River.
In the city centre, the Pálffy Palace and Mirbach Palace form the Bratislava City Gallery where visitors can see permanent exhibitions of baroque and gothic paintings, as well as various temporary displays. In 2023, the exhibitions are open for free on the first Wednesday of each month.
Works by great artists are exhibited at Nedbalka, one of the newer art galleries in the city. The venue is often described as the Slovak Guggenheim because of its interior design. Moreover, during the summer, the gallery decorates the street it is located on with umbrellas.
But the largest and most important art gallery in Bratislava is the Slovak National Gallery, or simply SNG. In late 2022, an extensive and long renovation of the venue was completed. Don’t forget to stop by and see the place for yourself!
The Slovak National Gallery building in Bratislava. (source: SME - Jozef Jakubčo)
Museums
Gerulata, the former Roman military camp in Rusovce, is Bratislava’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site and a place to go to for all ancient history buffs.
Many museums scattered across Slovakia are managed by the Slovak National Museum, and eight of them are in Bratislava. These include the Natural History Museum with displays including a dinosaur and a mammoth.
At Bratislava Castle, you can find the Museum of History, one of the largest museums in Slovakia. Documenting the history of Slovakia from the Middle Ages to the present day, it holds around 250,000 exhibits at its site. More recently, it began to document the history of Slovaks abroad.
Entry is free to both of the above mentioned museums on the first Wednesday of each month. See a full list of museums offering free entry.
Another castle in the capital, Devín, also serves as a museum. Surrounded by two rivers, the Danube and the Morava, it recounts the story of the fortress overlooking the charming wine-making village of Devín. Just like Gerulata, the castle is part of the Bratislava City Museum, which has been in operation since 1868. The museum’s collection of 120,000 objects encompasses historical, archaeological and ethnographic artefacts that provide comprehensive documentation of the history of Bratislava. Visitors who walk up the tower of the Old Town Hall, which is also part of the city museum, can enjoy a spectacular view of Old Bratislava.
Next to the city museum, the Museum of Viticulture and Winemaking can be found. It is housed in the Apponyi Palace. In its cellars , visitors can taste the best Slovak wines.
Other sights worth a visit are the WWII-era bunkers in Petržalka: B-S 8 Hřbitov, B-S 4 Lány, and B-S 6 Vrba.
Events in Bratislava
Every week The Slovak Spectator publishes a selection of 10 Bratislava events for foreigners and 3 free events to enjoy in the city.
Among the biggest events held in Bratislava every year are the Bratislava Marathon (April), Bratislava City Days (April), Summer of Culture (June - September), the Bratislava Music Festival (September - October), and Christmas markets (December).
The Bratislava Cultural and Information Centre (BKIS) is a major organiser of events in the city, and also publishes information about many events on its website. Complete lists of events can be found in Slovak at citylife.sk.
Music, dance and theatre
Bratislava has a rich classical music history. For those who love classical music, the Slovak Philharmonic, housed in the beautiful Reduta building, is the place to go. The philharmonic consists of: the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra, the Slovak Philharmonic Choir, and the Slovak Chamber Orchestra.
Public broadcaster RTVS also hosts beautiful concerts in its public radio building, which looks like an inverse pyramid.
If you like singing yourself, you can join the Technik choir. Members rehearse from September to June, every Monday and Thursday (19:00-21:00) at the Slovak University of Technology building on Radlinského Street. You can contact the choir at zbor.technik@gmail.com. The choir has created a tutorial library in English containing works by Slovak composers accompanied by a translation of lyrics as well as how to pronounce the lyrics in listed songs.
Several churches which hold services in English also have their own choirs. See our guide on worship services in English for more information.
The Reduta building in Bratislava's Old Town. (source: TASR - Gabriel Kuchta )
Karaoke bars: 100 Karaoke, Wild Thing and The Red Lion.
If acting is more of your thing, there is the Bridgin' Drama English-language theatre group in Bratislava. One of the actors is American Gregory Fabian. Meanwhile, Funkylicious runs improv classes in the capital. Comenius University has the ActofKAA student theatre group that rehearses works in English.
You can find several theatres in Bratislava. But it is the Slovak National Theatre that offers some of the performances with English subtitles.
Do you like dancing? Try some of the dance schools in the city: B-Swing, Dancehaus, University Dance Center, Riverpark Dance School, Avalon Academy of Irish Dance, Tangovida.
You can find more information on how foreigners can socialise in Bratislava in this guide.
Books
If you like reading books, then Bratislava has a few places that you may like. Every March Slovakia celebrates Book Month. During this month, Bratislava holds plenty of events for literature lovers, especially in local libraries.
Popular bookstores, which also have cafes, in the city include Artforum, Martinus and Panta Rhei, while another favourite among both locals and foreigners living in Bratislava is undoubtedly Next Apache. Founded by Ben Pascoe from Canada, Next Apache offers a distinctive ambiance that immerses visitors in an artistic and intellectual realm, adorned with vintage furniture and a collection of second-hand books. Eleven Books is another snug bookstore-cafe in Bratislava.
The Oxford Bookshop and Eurobooks can also be found in the city centre.
As for libraries, Mestská Knižnica (City Library) is a well-known institution with different branches, one of which was visited in the nineties by Princess Diana. Here's how you can become a patron at this library. A similar system is used by other libraries in the city.
In fact, a small library can be found in every Bratislava borough.
You can search for books in English or other foreign languages in their online catalogues: Mestská Knižnica, Old Town Library, Ružinov Library, Nové Mesto Library, Petržalka Library, Vrakuňa Library, Devínska Nová Ves Library, Karlova Ves Library, Rusovce Library,Rača Library.
Bratislava-based universities operate their own libraries. The Comenius University's University Library is the best known library of all university libraries in Slovakia. It also hosts many events throughout the year. In the summer, patrons can enjoy reading a book in the historical Liszt Garden, which is accessible from 11 Ventúrska Street.
There are several international institutes in Bratislava where you can find books in foreign languages, too. Head to the German Goethe Institute. You can also visit the Bulgarian Cultural Centre and the Ukrainian Institute. Several other countries also opened institutes in Bratislava, including Poland, Italy, Czechia, Austria, France, Hungary and Spain. They often hold nice cultural events. Just check out their websites for more information!
Cinemas
There are many cinemas where foreigners can enjoy a good film. See the map below.
In the summer, they can also watch open-air films here:Kuchajda Lake, park in Vajnory, Nová Cvernovka, Istra Centrum (local library), amphitheatre in Rača, Štrkovec Lake, and the Central shopping mall.
Is there anything that you miss in our community guide? Let us know at: community@spectator.sk.
