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www.bradt-travelguides.com Another first from Bradt Travel Guides, and indeed who else would dare to publish a guide to Bratislava. Czechoslovakia’s tumultuous ‘velvet revolution’ preceded an amicable ‘velvet divorce’ and the re-emergence of Slovakia as an independent state in 1993.
The then-somnambulant provincial town of Bratislava became overnight the latest capital city in the re-drawn map of post-Soviet Central Europe.
Lucy Mallows’s new guide, the first dedicated solely to Bratislava, describes a city that since independence has awoken to become the go-getting cosmopolitan gateway to the ‘Tatra Tiger’ of Slovakia. In common with many divorcees, the ‘little big’ city of Bratislava blends some history with some hedonism.
For more than 300 years the capital of Hungary, the city defies its diminutive size, drawing visitors in to shop till they drop, stroll museums and galleries, unwind on a Danube cruise, visit the opera and, finally, wrap themselves around great food.
Bratislava’s character is reflected in its population, neither dour nor grim like the enduring Eastern Bloc stereotype, but relaxed and positive. As Mallows says, ‘It doesn’t bellow its beauty like Prague but states it quietly and insistently… Bratislava is not the elusive “new Prague” and is probably quite happy being itself’.
The handy pocket-size volume is packed with practical travel information, including accommodation in boats on the Danube or villas in the hills, full-colour city and tram maps, self-guided city walking tours and excursions to nearby romantic castles.
Restaurants (from budget to fine dining) are covered, together with wine and tip-top Slovak beers. Slovak, we are told, is not as tricky to pronounce as Czech… great! However, attempts at the selection of words and phrases in the language section will, at the very least, amuse Bratislavans.
Lucy Mallows is a freelance travel writer and translator. She contributes regularly to many international dailies and magazines and has written for all the top travel publishers. She is an expert on Central Europe and speaks six foreign languages. Her passions are travel, soul music and Chelsea FC. | 
