Bratislava at christmas time
 

Hi will be travelling to Bratislava airport christmas time with hubby and 2 kids age 13 and 10. would you suggest we spend our 7 days based in bratislava and then have day trips to budapest and vienna or divide holiday??...tia

You won't need more than a day or two to explore all of the old part of Bratislava, maybe another day for the modern city. That said, it is a totally enchanting place, and I'd be happy to spend a week there during the holidays and maybe take a day trip or two. I say this with the caveat that I am fond of small places and am not a fan of either Budapest or Vienna, though I imagine the latter is magical during the holiday season.

Hi,

Bratislava can keep you occupied for a couple of days and daytrips to Vienna, Budapest, Győr, Brno are all feasible. Frequent, cheap trains. Budapest is a bit further(3 hours) so an early start is a good idea.

In addition to the cities I recommend the Christmas Market in the Hof palace(in Austria, but very close to Bratislava).

https://www.weihnachtsmarkt.co.at/sc...ihnachtsmarkt/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schloss_Hof

We lived in Vienna for 7 years before moving to the U.S. in June, and our children were 10/15 at our arrival and 17/23 at the outbound. It is based on our experiences that I offer my comments.

1. The dates of your travel. "Christmas Time" can be anywhere from the first Sunday of Advent through Epiphany. Central Europe shutters heavily from late on the 24th and through the 26th, with many reduced hours in between. Finding places to eat can be complicated. Finding open activities/museums for Christmas Day can be tough, as well. (Though, many of Vienna's museums are open on Christmas Day.)

2. DH and I loved Bratislava. Our children, not so much. They loved climbing around Devin Castle (closed in winter) but otherwise took a pass on our numerous day trips from Vienna. The Old City is pleasant, but you may want to consider basing in two cities to minimize movement and maximize interest with your children.

3. The Christmas markets in Vienna far outshine those in Bratislava, and I am being generous in my writing. Many of Vienna's markets are especially magical at night (the Wiener Christkindlmarkt at Rathaus offers ice skating...), which makes at least one overnight a treat. The market at Schloss Hof, identified above, is lovely, and can be reached from both Vienna and Bratislava.

Basically, look at the travel times/cost between Bratislava, Vienna, Budapest and so forth, paired against your dates of travel to decide what itinerary is best for you and your family. You know your family's travel style best. After that consideration I am confident you will receive helpful advice and suggestions from this forum.

Happy Planning!

Train travel times and fares

Bratislava - Wien(Vienna) 1 hour, 14 EUR return ticket(7 EUR for children)

https://www.slovakrail.sk/en/tickets...en-ticket.html

Bratislava - Budapest 2h30min , 17,5 EUR return ticket(8,75 EUR for children)

https://www.slovakrail.sk/en/tickets...rn-ticket.html

Bratislava - Brno 1h40min, 14,5 EUR return ticket(7,25 EUR for children)

https://www.slovakrail.sk/en/tickets.../citystar.html

Bratislava(Bratislava-Petrzalka station!) - Győr 1h20min with a change at Hegyeshalom station, Bratislava-Petrzalka - Hegyeshalom 6€ return(children 5€), Hegyeshalom-Győr one-way 930 HUF(around 3€)

https://www.slovakrail.sk/en/tickets...na-ticket.html