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"I would to thank all of you at Bratislava hotels, the site really made everything straightforward...I'm sure I will be in touch again to organise my next trip soon," Alex from the UK wrote on March 18, 2008. He spent five nights at the Apartment Residence.
DID YOU KNOW?
Slovak national meal is Bryndzove halusky, potato dumplings with unique curd sheep cheese and bacon bits.
Bratislava Public Transport
WarningPublic transport fines
Important warning: Ticket inspectors in Bratislava public transport are ruthless towards tourists. They carry out random spotchecks around the clock. Make sure that you:
1. Familiarise yourself with the instructions below on how to purchase tickets.
2. Mark your ticket in the orange ticket marking machine IMMEDIATELY upon entry into the bus, tram or trolleybus.
3. Purchase the 30 minutes ticket for SKK 18 for any journey with scheduled duration over 10 minutes (the scheduled duration is posted at the bus and tram stop for each line), only purchase the 10 minute SKK 14 ticket if you are absolutely positive that the journey is under 10 minutes. The SKK 4 saved could cost you the hefty SKK 1400 (EUR 43.68) fine.
4. Ask your fellow passengers for help if you are being treated rudely by the ticket inspector or insist on calling the police or your consulate.
Do not let the public transport ruin your experience in Bratislava!
Today's public transport services in Bratislava are of decent quality in terms of coverage and frequency by the standards of many Western visitors. They consist of tram lines, trollyebus lines and bus lines.
There are still some old buses and trams in service, but slowly they are being replaced with new ones. Many buses now run on natural gas. Americans may find our public transport system quite comprehensive and impressive, but some westerners may be used to a higher standard.
Bratislava's public transport network is divided into two zones. The first zone lines are the usual choice for tourists, since they cover downtown and most of the city.
Bus lines cover most of the city, however it's better to take the tram downtown. Trams are generally faster during the day, since the buses are often stuck in traffic jams. Trolleybuses service some parts of the city, too, especially the area above the castle hill. Night lines cover all parts of the city, however they run only 3 times per night.
Fares
Tickets are available in the ticket machines at the public transport stops and in some of the newspaper stands. Ticket machines accept coins of value 1 to 10 Slovak crowns only.
Immediately after entering the public transport vehicle you have to mark your ticket in marking machine - the machines lock automatically 30 seconds after departure from the stop.
Ticket inspectors from the Bratislava Transport Company spot-check tickets occasionally. They enter the bus or tram on a random stop and check all passengers' tickets. A passenger without a valid ticket or season pass can be charged a fine of the valid fare multiplied by 100 (i.e. usually SKK 1400 (EUR 43.68)). There have been reports of ticket inspectors inappropriately fining tourists. If you have the correct ticket marked in the marking machine upon entry, refuse to pay any fines on the spot. You are entitled to give the inspector your personal information (show them your passport) and pay the fine later (needless to say this is an unlikely outcome in case of foreigners).
The Bratislava City Card on offer from the official Bratislava Tourist Service includes free travel on the city's public transport system. The City Cards are available for one, two or three days at SKK 200 (EUR 6.24), SKK 300 (EUR 9.36) or SKK 370 (EUR 11.54) respectively.
Basic fares
10 minute transfer ticket costs SKK 14 (EUR 0.44)
30 minute transfer ticket costs SKK 18 (EUR 0.56)
1 hour transfer ticket costs SKK 22 (EUR 0.69)
Children up to 6 years of age ride for free.
Children between 6 and 15 years of age ride with a 50% discount.
30 minute transfer ticket is valid for 45 minutes during weekends and holidays, 1 hour transfer ticket is valid for 90 minutes for night lines and during weekends, holidays.
The ticket duration corresponds to scheduled trip duration (i.e., in case of traffic delays, the 10 minute ticket is sufficient for a scheduled 10 minute ride even if the ride takes longer).
Value fares
1 day transfer ticket costs SKK 90 (EUR 2.81)
2 day transfer ticket costs SKK 170 (EUR 5.3)
3 day transfer ticket costs SKK 210 (EUR 6.55)
1 week transfer ticket costs SKK 310 (EUR 9.67)
Important lines
From Main train station to downtown/city centre:
From Main train station to Petrzalka train station (connections to Vienna):
From Main train station to Bus station:
From Main train station to the Bratislava Airport:
Bus stops are located outside of the train station to the right, trams through an underpass to the left.
Timetables and more information at iMHD Bratislava website.
At BratislavaHotels.com we take visitors' problems with the public transport very seriously. We have repeatedly notified the City of Bratislava and local media of our visitors' experiences and publicised problems reported to us.
Related articles:
Reviews
Featured in the Guardian's Best of the Net as "an obliging accommodation agency" (2004), in Washington Post in 8 Tips for Finding Cheap Lodging (2008) and in The London Paper (2008).
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