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 in the old booking hall date from 1960. |
Inside the Skleník (greenhouse) at the front of the station. |
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Bratislava Hlavna, with the railjet from Zurich arrived on platform 1. |
Buying tickets...
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The ZSSK (Slovakian Railways) domestic ticket office is open all day from before 4am to after midnight, in the Skleník (greenhouse).
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There are ticket windows for more complex transactions such as international tickets, reservations, couchettes & sleepers on both sides of the old booking hall, up the steps from the greenhouse.
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For a more relaxed booking experience for international tickets, reservations, couchettes & sleepers, ZSSK has a travel centre with open counters, easier than shouting through a window in a noisy booking hall. Go up the steps from greenhouse into the old booking hall and turn right down a passageway. You'll find it with distinctive orange signage on the right.
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Regiojet (the open-access operator running Bratislava-Prague trains in competition with the national operators) has its own ticket window next to the domestic ticket offices in the greenhouse.
Left luggage...
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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.
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Coming from outside the station, walk through the Skleník (greenhouse) and up the steps into the old booking hall. The staffed left luggage office is in a short passageway leading from the far left corner of the hall. Coming off a train, walk into the old booking hall and turn right.
City transport: Walking, trams...
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Walk to the city centre: It's 1.6 km from Bratislava Hlavna to St Michael's Gate (Michalská ulica) in the old town, walking takes 19 minutes.
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Take a tram to the city centre...
Tram number 1 runs every 8-15 minutes from its terminus outside the station to Námestie SNP tram stop closest to the old city, journey time 9 minutes, fare less than €1. The Bratislava public transport website is imhd.sk/ba/public-transport.
The tram terminus is on the east side of the station forecourt, one level down in a sort of open pit. You can't get down into this pit from the forecourt, you reach the tram terminus down steps or escalator from inside the station.
When arriving on a train, walk through the old station hall and down the few steps into the Skleník (greenhouse). Once in the greenhouse, turn left into a short and rather gloomy passageway. At the end of this passageway there are escalators and steps down to the tram station.
Buy a ticket from a newsstand or ticket machine, and remember to stamp it in the validator machine on board the tram.
Tips...
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There is a rather basic waiting area with free WiFi upstairs in the foyer, zsr-hotspot.
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There are various ATMs and many food kiosks and shops around the station.
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If you've time to kill before your train, a coffee or beer in the quiet and civilised bar of the Clarion Congress Hotel at the foot of the station approach road might be better than waiting in the hustle and bustle of the station. It's a few minutes away, simply walk down the station approach road and do a wide u-turn a few metres up the next road over to your left, see walking map. It also has 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 Clarion Congress Hotel & 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.