Which station in Bratislava? City map showing stations...
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Bratislava Hlavna: This is Bratislava's main station, often abbreviated to Bratislava hl.st.. Hlavna simply means main. All major train routes radiate from here.
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Bratislava Petrzalka: This is a secondary station, further from the city centre and south of the river. An hourly regional service links Vienna & Bratislava Petrzalka, but it's better to stick with the trains linking Vienna to Bratislava Hlavna.
Bratislava Hlavna...
This is Bratislava's main station, in 99% of cases your train will arrive or depart from here. The station is not huge, it has just 6 platforms numbered from 1 to 6 starting on the side closest to the main station entrance. The modern foyer at the front was added in 1987 as a temporary measure but it's still in use today, known locally as the Skleník or greenhouse. Behind lurks is the original 1905 station building, which was heavily remodelled in 1960 when the impressive frescos were added.
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Bratislava Hlavna... Photos courtesy of DiscoverByRail.com. |
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These frescoes date from 1960... |
Inside the foyer... |
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Bratislava Hlavna, with the railjet from Zurich arrived on platform 1. |
Buying tickets...
The ticket office is open all day, from before 4am to after midnight. There is a separate ticket window for open-access operator Regiojet.
Left luggage...
There is a staffed left luggage office as well as self-service lockers if you need to leave your bags while you visit the city, see the luggage lockers page for opening times & prices.
City transport: Walking, trams...
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Walking... You can walk from Bratislava Hlavna station to St Michael's Gate (Michalská ulica) in the old town in 19 minutes, it's 1.6 km.
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Trams & buses: Alternatively, tram number 1 runs every 8-15 minutes from its terminus outside Bratislava Hlavna station to Námestie SNP tram stop closest to the old city, journey time 9 minutes, fare less than €1. Buy a ticket from a newsstand or ticket machine, and remember to stamp it in the validator machine on board the tram. The Bratislava public transport website is imhd.sk/ba/public-transport.
Tips...
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There is a waiting area with free WiFi upstairs in the foyer, zsr-hotspot.
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You'll find ATMs, food kiosks and so forth around the station.
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If you've time to kill before your train, a coffee at the Hotel Mercure Bratislava Centrum might be better than waiting at the station, it's just 2 min walk from the station and has free WiFi.
Hotels near the station or in the old town...
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For a hotel near the station with good reviews try the Hotel Mercure Bratislava Centrum & Hotel Matysak, for something cheap the inexpensive Hostel Brickyard is also a stone's throw from the station and gets good reviews.
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If staying longer of course, a hotel in the old town would be nearer the sights, such as the Arcadia Boutique Hotel or Radisson Blu Carlton Hotel, both of which get 9 out of 10.