Are you going to the Christmas markets in Bratislava? Are you looking forward to it? You should! But, before you go, read this article to enjoy the Christmas markets to the max!
The annual Christmas markets in Bratislava brings tens of thousands of tourists to the town and lots of locals to the city center of Bratislava. These markets will give you the chance to experience the local culture and buy lots of products you will not find in regular stores. So if you want to enjoy your stay in Bratislava, use five minutes to read this article. It will help you in your preparation, and it will also share some insight that will help you return home with cool experiences you will remember for a long time.
Christmas market advice
Come with an open mind
Do not travel to the Christmas markets in Bratislava and think that you are only going to eat food that you like and know. Come with an open mind, and prepare yourself for new tastes! Half the fun in visiting Bratislava and the Christmas markets is experiencing things you haven’t experienced before, and tasting stuff you haven’t tasted before. Do not be afraid of tasting something that you will not like, rather be afraid of missing out on something that you might like.
Come with warm clothes
Do not only arrive with an open mind but bring some warm clothes in your suitcase. You might drink a whole lot of hot wine, and it will for sure help you stay warm, but some warm clothes will prove themselves even more useful. During the daytime, you will often experience beautiful sunshine and quite nice temperatures, but as soon as the sun goes to bed or hides behind some buildings, the temperature will decrease, and you will get cold. The best way of avoiding that is, of course, bringing warm clothes, warm shoes and whatever you need to keep warm.
Live in the city center
Would you like to live in the very heart of Bratislava? Would you like to leave the hotel and be by the biggest Christmas market in Bratislava at once? If your answer is yes, then you should stay at Radisson SAS Carlton in Bratislava. This is the most central hotel in Bratislava. It might be more expensive than other hotels, but you will save a lot of time living in a hotel as central as this one. If you want to live at a cheaper hotel, but still in the center of Bratislava, we can warmly recommend Hotel Michalska or Hotel Arcadia.
Why is it important to live in the city center? You will save a lot of time. It is also very convenient because you do not have to bring all sorts of clothes with you out all the time. If you start freezing, return to your hotel room and put on extra clothes. If you get too hot, leave the clothes in your hotel room and come back for them whenever you need them. If you live outside the city center you will use money on cabs and public transportation, and of course spend lots of time traveling/walking, so all in all, we believe you will do better simply booking a central hotel in Bratislava instead.
Plan your programs already
Have you read about a Bratislava restaurant that you for sure want to visit? Do not forget to book a table in advance. You might think that it is easy just to drop by, but in December both locals and tourists visit their favorite restaurants in Bratislava, and it can often happen that a restaurant is fully booked. It is important to remember that lots of companies also have their “Christmas celebrations” in December, and thus they go out to eat with all their employees. This, combined with lots of tourists, will cause restaurants to be fully booked/reserved. So, go ahead and book your table in advance, at least if it is important for you to visit a certain restaurant.
Are there other programs you want to take part in? Book them as early as possible!
Visit Vienna or Budapest
If you come to Bratislava and have some time left, why not make a day trip to Bratislava or Budapest, or maybe even Prague? Vienna is the most accessible city to visit as it can be reached in less than one hour from Bratislava. Budapest and Prague are a bit further away, but if you have a private driver, these are both destinations easy to visit on a day-trip from Bratislava. If you have 3-4 days in Bratislava, you might feel as if you have discovered the essential places and Christmas markets after the first two days. In such cases, a day-trip to one of the mentioned cities might be a great program. It should also be mentioned that these cities all have fantastic Christmas markets!
Get some cash from an ATM
If you come from a nation with Euro this should be no problem. But, if you visit Bratislava for the Christmas markets and do not have any Euro’s in your wallet, you should get some. You can pay with your card in most stores in Bratislava, but at the Christmas markets, you will normally have to pay with cash. For that reason, get hold of some cash, and the best way to get some Euro is by using an ATM.
Bring a large suitcase
It is much funnier to visit the Christmas markets in Bratislava if you have a large suitcase in which you can bring extra stuff with you home. If you come with hand-luggage only, you will visit the markets and know that “I cannot bring anything with me home anyway.” That is a boring mentality, and it is much cooler if you discover Bratislava and the Christmas markets knowing that anything is possible, and you look for great products to bring with you home.
Check out the Christmas market dates
The dates for the Christmas markets in Bratislava differ from year to year. Make sure to check them out, so that you will not arrive too early, or too late. You can read more about the Christmas markets in Bratislava (including dates) in the linked article.
What is your Bratislava Christmas market advice?
Have you got any advice that you would like to share with our readers? Have you got a question about the Christmas markets in Bratislava? Use the comment field beneath and let us hear!
