Tight minge Posted April 22, 2016 Share Posted April 22, 2016 I made a fleeting visit to Bratislava last year. Absolute shithole, I wouldn't recommend it in the slightest. Not even cheap compared to other Eastern-European places. I wouldn't say Bratislava is an absolute shit hole. Definitely not the best, but a relatively nice, but small old square and the castle is nice. Not total redeeming factors but far from a shit hole Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vikingTON Posted April 22, 2016 Share Posted April 22, 2016 Bratislava is a city that grows on you - I wasn't thrilled at the prospect of returning there having visited briefly before, but it's a very good city, particularly once you know where to go. The best parts of Slovakia are usually the mountains and castles rather than the cities but Bratislava is an exception to that rule. If I can ever be arsed I'll put up some posts that would easily be good for a two-three day visit to the city over the summer. You can quite comfortably get great halušky with a couple beers in a pub for under ten Euros in the city, which is on a par with anywhere else in Eastern Europe. Value really is not in question. I can only presume that the poster in question did it wrong and lingered around the large, nice but very tourist-trap square near the river, which would explain that statement. If you spent all your time on Old Town Square in Prague or other immediately obvious hotspots then you'd experience the exact same issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul-r-cfc Posted April 22, 2016 Share Posted April 22, 2016 Well I've got two days in Bratislava so happy to hear any suggestions on making the best of it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tight minge Posted April 22, 2016 Share Posted April 22, 2016 Well I've got two days in Bratislava so happy to hear any suggestions on making the best of it It's far from shit and I'm going back 7-15 years ago. Central and Eastern Europe, like many places, is what you make it. Fair play to Vikington, he seems to have thrown himself into the region and gets the rewards and I would take his judgement over anyone else's relating to the region.I lived in Budapest and travelled extensively thoughout the region many years ago. A lot looked rough on the face of it, especially going back 15 years but everywhere was fantastic and I am sure a lot has improved since then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex_14 Posted April 22, 2016 Share Posted April 22, 2016 I wouldn't say Bratislava is an absolute shit hole. Definitely not the best, but a relatively nice, but small old square and the castle is nice. Not total redeeming factors but far from a shit hole Hey, you're probably right. We had an absolute fucking nightmare in Bratislava due to, long story short, leaving passports in the middle of a cafe. Maybe that's clouding my judgment somewhat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshbairn Posted April 22, 2016 Share Posted April 22, 2016 I went to Prague and Bratislava a year after the Velvet Revolution, when they were still in the same country. The contrast was stark, Prague was very welcoming and unbelievably cheap whereas Bratislava was sullen and hostile and trying to rip you off. No doubt everything has changed and I probably went to the wrong bits of Bratislava, think I was only there for a day. Went back to Prague a couple of years ago and was disappointed to find a standard Euro city, bars selling Stella was a low point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centralTon Posted April 22, 2016 Share Posted April 22, 2016 I made a fleeting visit to Bratislava last year. Absolute shithole, I wouldn't recommend it in the slightest. Not even cheap compared to other Eastern-European places. It's funny how people see things differently. We loved Bratislava, cheap, good quality food and beer, especially away from Hviezdoslav Namestie, Zelena and Michalska areas. We were given a few pointers by vikingTON and they were spot on. Will definitely go back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meddabhoy Posted April 22, 2016 Share Posted April 22, 2016 Off to Venice in 3wks for my honeymoon. Will need to book a family holiday when get back, don't know weather to do a Spain one or just a few long weekends away at caravans and log cabins and just book a decent holiday for new year Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quentin Taranbino Posted April 24, 2016 Share Posted April 24, 2016 Did Rome/Venice this week in what was my first time to Italy. Thought Rome was alright but not really my cup of tea. Colleseum was a bit shite and not really into my museums and art etc. Venice however was fantastic and would love to go back and spend more time there and the surrounding areas. Could just walk around the place for hours and hours. Highlight was going to the island of Burano - just beautiful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamieT1314 Posted April 26, 2016 Share Posted April 26, 2016 Side tomorrow ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshbairn Posted April 26, 2016 Share Posted April 26, 2016 Did Rome/Venice this week in what was my first time to Italy. Thought Rome was alright but not really my cup of tea. Colleseum was a bit shite and not really into my museums and art etc. Venice however was fantastic and would love to go back and spend more time there and the surrounding areas. Could just walk around the place for hours and hours. Highlight was going to the island of Burano - just beautiful. How did you travel from Rome to Venice? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiegoDiego Posted April 27, 2016 Share Posted April 27, 2016 As advertised in the other thread, I'm flying to Skopje in a few weeks' time. Dirt cheap flights with WizzAir. The day after I land is the Macedonian cup final, which is usually watched by about 500 folk in a beautiful 33,000 stadium. The main focus of my trip is on Albania and Kosovo though. I was in the area back in 2007 and had it down as perhaps the most beautiful part of Europe. I've been wanting to return ever since so I can get more of it under my belt. Later on in the year I'm probably off to Riga with the other half to visit her brother. I'll stay behind for a bit to travel and see friends in Kaunas. I've also pencilled in a trip to visit friends working as mountain guides in Piedmont and a long weekend in Oslo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centralTon Posted April 27, 2016 Share Posted April 27, 2016 How did you travel from Rome to Venice? You can get the train from Venezia Mestre or Santa Lucia railway station and the journey takes from three and a half hours. We're spending 7 days in Lido di Jesolo, then getting the bus to Venice for the weekend. Staying 5 mins from the bus station. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quentin Taranbino Posted April 27, 2016 Share Posted April 27, 2016 Yeah as above. We got train direct from Mestre to Rome and was about 3 hours. Their trains are quality Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monster Posted April 28, 2016 Share Posted April 28, 2016 I'd echo the positivity regarding Bratislava. VT is spot in suggesting that if you linger in tourist traps in any European city you'll get a skewed view of the city itself. I walked a kilometer from the city centre through some beautiful historic architecture and ended up in a small bar where a delicious bowl of stew and a beer was around 6 euros. Never had any issues with the people, wasn't ripped off and had an excellent couple of days. The castle is a must see and so is the restaurant at the top of the old tower near the bridge. I also visited Zilina which was a complete contrast. It's a city almost still in a Soviet timewarp. Even saw horses and carts on the roads. Still fascinating though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boostin' Kev Posted April 28, 2016 Share Posted April 28, 2016 Lisbon for a week at the end of June which should be very good. Trains in Italy are excellent. We travelled from Venice to La Spezia for Cinque Terre, then to Florence and Rome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiegoDiego Posted April 28, 2016 Share Posted April 28, 2016 Trains in Italy are excellent. We travelled from Venice to La Spezia for Cinque Terre, then to Florence and Rome. Not all trains. The Intercity ones are good, but you pay a lot extra. If you're travelling shorter distances you're often in a grimy, slow shoebox subject to breakdowns and delays. So, pretty much the same as most of Western Europe really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vikingTON Posted April 28, 2016 Share Posted April 28, 2016 Lisbon is superb: a city big enough to be lively while being next to the coast, great weather and cheap food and drink. If you're interested in vaguely historic stuff then a day trip on the suburban trains to the old royal castle and palace in Sintra is recommended; a similar trip down the coast to Cascais or the beach at Estoril is definitely worth doing as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sergeant Wilson Posted April 28, 2016 Share Posted April 28, 2016 Trains in Italy are excellent.And who do you have to thank for that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Granny Danger Posted April 28, 2016 Share Posted April 28, 2016 I'm pretty jealous of this talk about Italy. We were supposed to go to Venice the weekend before last but I've had a throat infection for a fortnight and had to cancel it. Really pissed off. Next year maybe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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