Tracing a phantom is a fun way to discover Bratislava

You have access to this premium content thanks to ING Hubs Slovakia, the expert hub of global banking.

This article was published in the latest edition of our Bratislava City Guide, which can be obtained from our online shop with Spectacular Slovakia travel guides.

Standing on the very edge of the terrace of Bratislava Castle, visitors can enjoy a contrasting view of the Slovak capital that blends history with the most modern architecture. Behind the historical city centre's carpet of tiled roofs, the high-rise towers of Bratislava's brand-new downtown stick out.

The changing skyline of the Slovak capital is not the only feature that makes Bratislava a modern metropolis. The way people move within the city is changing too, with an increasing number of various means of transport offered within shared schemes. Advanced technologies also help visitors get to know and enjoy the city through guide apps and virtual reality. 

New downtown

Over the past 20 years, several high-rise buildings have sprung up in Bratislava as part of new premises that house top-level office spaces, apartments and shopping centres. The fastest-developing area is located close to the original city centre, where a former industrial zone is being turned into the new, hypermodern downtown of Bratislava.

The new skyline sports Stanica Nivy, a bus station combined with a shopping mall and adjacent 125-metre-high Nivy Tower office building – currently the highest office building in the city. The complex also includes the two triangular-base towers of the Panorama City office and residential development as well as the curved residential towers of Zaha Hadid’s Sky Park, which have a restaurant in a reconstructed historical heating plant – Jurkovičova Tepláreň – standing between them. The new district is complemented by a 168-metre-high residential tower – Bratislava’s first true skyscraper – as part of the Eurovea complex.

Bratislava: Shopping malls, virtual reality, modern places (6 photos)

Guided by mobile

To visit the must-see sights, listen to the best stories and get intel on insider hangouts, one only needs a mobile phone on which to choose between a variety of guide apps. While the app PocketGuide offers different themed audio tours, the Spotted by Locals app provides visitors with authentic tips from locals. Those who want to get closer to the lives of the local community should download the app Eventland: Events in Bratislava, which shows visitors what concerts, exhibitions, festivals or sport events are taking place. Another useful app is Tripadvisor, on which visitors can look for hotels, restaurants, sightseeing attractions, shops, and leisure activities with detailed reviews.

Virtual reality

In Bratislava, you can jump off a skyscraper, hike to the top of Mount Everest, perform surgery or ride a roller coaster in the city centre. Virtual reality technology has been improving steadily and developers have now reached the point where all you need is a special VR headset to be (almost) literally swept off your feet.

Ján Hrončák, manager and co-founder of the VRBA virtual reality bar, recalls two senior customers who received a virtual reality experience as a gift. One of them jumped off a skyscraper as if it was nothing. In contrast, a young girl was so scared by her VR experience that she had to go on all fours and climb “back to safety” in the same situation.

But virtual reality can also be found in unexpected places like the historical Franciscan monastery. Here, in the treasury opened in 2020, the Franciscans offer a virtual reality tour with 3D glasses. This allows visitors to see in detail the now inaccessible places before and after the reconstruction of the tower of Franciscan Church of the Lord’s Annunciation, the oldest functioning church in Bratislava.

Games

With city games, exploring Bratislava can be a fun and eerie adventure. 

The popular Divná Bratislava (Mysterious Bratislava) game, and its child-friendly version, will take you through the streets of the old town. “Because it ends in a cellar, you also get an escape-room experience,” Bohuš Zach from the zazito.ooo agency said.

The agency offers several city games. The Kidnapped William game, in which you try to learn more about a student who has disappeared, has the most creative and peculiar tasks. 

The Bratislava Phantom is an even bigger adventure. “You are tracing an actual person in the city,” Zach said. To succeed, you receive up-to-date information about the Phantom through WhatsApp or text messages from an intelligence service. “It is then up to you to make the right strategic decisions.”

Think green

Advanced technologies also improve Bratislava’s air quality. To fight unnecessary emissions while enjoying city views, citizens of and visitors to Bratislava can opt to use a shard bike bike (Slovnaft BAjk, Rekola or Verejný Bicykel), or an e-scooter (Bolt or Tier).

It’s worth mentioning that electric cars are also manufactured in Bratislava, at the local Volkswagen factory, which is one of the most modern car factories of the VW group. For those interested in seeing how cars are made, the carmaker offers guided tours of the plant, in German and English.

Shopping malls

More conventional shopping is possible in Bratislava’s many shopping centres. Some of them are also worth visiting due to their contemporary architecture. There are four commercial centres within walking distance of the city centre: Eurovea on the left bank of the river; Aupark, near SNP Bridge on the opposite bank of the Danube; Nivy, which includes the main bus station; and Central, at the Trnavské Mýto intersection.

Bratislava’s biggest shopping mall is Avion, near the airport, and the oldest is Vivo! (formerly Polus City Center).