Bratislava, Slovakia — Overview
Bratislava, the Slovak capital, is an old European city full of charm, with a beautifully restored historic quarter (Stare Mesto) and Habsburg Baroque architecture that help to offset its communist legacy. Its location on the Austrian border, with close proximity to Hungary and the Czech Republic, have resulted in a difficult political past, but like all cities of cultural confluence, the result is an emerging reputation for diverse architecture, wine and cuisine. Bratislava lies on a bend of the Danube like Vienna and Budapest, with bridges connecting its two halves. However, sites of interest to visitors are almost all north of the river, in the cobbled streets of the Old Town. Since Slovakia joined the EU in 2004, Bratislava has rocketed up in terms of cost of living, but it is also rising in fame for cultural tourism as well as becoming a thriving business center with an increasing number of direct flights coming in from the rest of Europe, especially the UK.
