#94 Bratislava, Slovakia

Sometimes known as the 'little big city', Bratislava is definitely little. As regarding tourism, it has enough to keep you busy for a weekend, but not much more than that. It's just an hour train ride away from Vienna, and less than 3 hours from Budapest, so it's a good stopover on the road to somewhere else.

The positives: cheap, centrally located, different.
The negatives: A bit too small, not very tourist friendly

Bratislava, or even Slovakia, aren't usually the top of everyone's holiday list, so it's a bit different and special to say you were there. It's a cheap country, and even when you are getting ripped off in restaurants it's still far cheaper than the equivalent in Ireland.

The main attractions in the city are all quite centrally located so can be walked to, or alternatively you can grab a bus. What are the main attractions? There's an old town, although much smaller than the likes of Stockholm. In it you can find a blue Church, a castle on a hill, a palace, a fountain in a little square, and a few other buildings of mild interest or significance.
Just a few minutes outside the city centre there's a good sized zoo (and Dinosaur park!) which is very cheap and a good idea for a day out with children. There's a monument on a hill (Slavín) which is purported to give good views (but I just wasn't bothered trying to get there), and there's also another castle (in ruins).

View from the above castle

The negatives; It was a bit small, but due to it's close proximity to other cities that can be easily forgiven. My biggest shock was the general rudeness of people I met. As an Irish person I get hit with the "Oh Irish people are so friendly" thing all the time, but after visiting Slovakia it does make me wonder that what I had always considered as basic manners is regarded as something special. It could have been the language barrier - but let's face it, Slovak isn't exactly Spanish or a language that can be practically learned or used widely, so I don't think I should be blamed for not knowing it.

Overall, for the value it was great. I wouldn't recommend going solely to here - to make it worth your while you should avail of the cheap trains to nearby Vienna (€13 return) or Budapest (€20 return).