Located on the banks of the Danube and watched over by the massive rectangular Bratislava castle the capital city of Slovakia is full of surprises. Located in central Europe Bratislava is just a short distance from Vienna (58 miles) and Budapest (120 miles) but is much less inexpensive than the other two. The city has a nice youthful vibe and I found the locals to be quite friendly with most people under 40 being quite adept at English.
The city makes a great base to explore neighboring Hungary and Austria and even even Czecia as Prague is only about three or four hours away. The city is full of much charm and surprises and makes a great home away from home. It is a city you won’t want to miss on your next visit to central Europe
I love this place! My grandparents were from farm country in Slovakia, and this was The City to them. My mother and I visited a few years ago, and we were both surprised to see how small it was compared to their stories of going to The City! We spent a wonderful day there, but I don’t recall seeing those beautiful gates.
I first visited Bratislava back in 1988 back before the split. It’s so different now. I like the smaller town feel to it especially compared to Vienna or Budapest. It makes a great home base, If memory serves those gates were down around the old town area.