A Day in Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia

Bratislava is only a two-hour train ride away from its Hungarian counterpart. It is frequently mentioned as a capital city that retains small-town intimacy and is reasonably off the beaten path to be somewhat of a hidden gem, so I incorporated a full-day trip to the Slovak capital into my Budapest-centric itinerary.

The historic center of Bratislava, encompassing most of the points of interest in town, is pretty compact and largely pedestrianized. On a late-November Saturday, the main square was predictably taken over by a Christmas market, forcing me to shoot primarily over-the-head perspectives.

The square is watched over by the tower of the Old Town Hall and the Maximilian Fountain, built by the Hungarian King of that name as a public water supply in the late 16th century.

On the opposite side of the square, this Art Deco building stands out in contrast with the mix of Baroque and Neoclassical styles.

The theme of pointing my camera to the upper parts of surrounding buildings continued on all major squares. Good thing that there are plenty of attractive features to find.

The castle was one of my targets to explore, and in its courtyard, I was unexpectedly greeted with a delightful medieval fair. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).