The wonderful thing about Vienna is just how close it is to so many of Europe’s best cities — Prague, Budapest, and Munich being just a few — but Bratislava might well be Vienna’s most exciting and convenient neighbor. The capital of Slovakia, Bratislava is the cultural heart of one of the world’s most underrated countries.
You can get to Bratislava from Vienna in an hour on the train. A whopping $12.
Stay: The Hotel Michalská Brána, in the city’s historic center, has an inconspicuous, traditional exterior, but is thoroughly modern on the inside. The city’s most popular bars and clubs are only seconds away, as is the magnificent Bratislava Castle.
Eat: Modra Hviezda does atmospheric Central European dining at a surprisingly low cost and is frequently ranked as one of the best restaurants in the city. Make sure to try something off of their list of traditional Slovak specialties.
What to Do: It’s worth heading out of the city to take a tour of the surrounding vineyards and wineries. (Slovakia, ever the underdog, has a tremendously underrated winemaking industry). And if wine isn’t your thing, the Slovaks aren’t exactly strangers to beer-making either.
