Early this year we were lucky enough to visit Bratislava, the capital city of Slovakia. Bratislava was not only a visually stunning city to visit, it was also a place where I learnt alot about communism (by going on a communism walking tour) and how it can affect a whole nation in many different ways.

A view of Bratislava castle!
A view of Bratislava castle!

The old town of Bratislava is situated along the Danube river, and we decided to park on the far side and walk across - its not a long walk! Whats nice about this is you get a view of the old town, and also the impressive Bratislava castle. We chose not to go inside this, but from a distance it did look pretty impressive!

Old town of Bratislava
Old town of Bratislava

The streets of the old town have that distinct European feel - cobble streets and old stone buildings. The buildings here are beautiful, and the town old town is fairly small, and wasn't too full of tourists! These places often feel stuck in time, and it feels like you are in a time warp going back 100s, or even 1000s of years.

Beautiful!
Beautiful!

Some of the buildings and architecture here are incredible for a smaller city in Europe. Buildings like this wouldn't be out of place in much larger cities, such as Vienna or Paris. Big city feel in a smaller city - awesome!

The amazing blue church!
The amazing blue church!

The originally named "Blue Church" was one of the most incredible and unique churches I have seen in Europe! They werent exaggerating when they called it the blue church. The detail is incredible, and had a feel of more of a Russian design - alot different to the churches in central Europe! Sadly it was closed when we were there so we didnt get to look inside :(

Incredible!
Incredible!

Speaking of churches, during our Communism walking tour our guide told us that when Bratislava was under communist rule they planted trees at the entrance of some of the churches so they would be harder to find. If you ever visit see if you can find some of these hidden churches!

Radio and Television Bratislava
Radio and Television Bratislava

As I am speaking there is another place essential to visit which is the radio and television building. It has also been named one of Europes most ugly buildings - what do you think!? I dont think its that bad... The building was intorduced during the communist regime and obviously broadcast tv and radio. This is a bit further from the old town, but still walking distance.

UFO tower.
UFO tower.

One of the more well known buildings is the UFO tower overlooking Bratislava. Again we didnt go and visit from the inside (we were budget travelers!), getting a look from outside was still pretty impressive. The tower has an observation deck and restaurant which I am sure would give an amazing view!

Cheeky statue we found
Cheeky statue we found

Exploring Bratislava
Exploring Bratislava

Holocaust memorial
Holocaust memorial

Lights coming on in Bratislava
Lights coming on in Bratislava

Bratislava was a great place to visit - much less touristy than some of the larger cities in Europe, but still with alot of history and great architecture. A highly recommended place to visit for a weekend.

All photos taken by me :)