What's on your wish list when choosing a European city for a break or business event?  Sustainable practices and activities are hopefully high on your list. But what else? Mountain views and an enchanting river? A historic old town alongside modern amenities and delightful green spaces? Maybe you focus more on the practicalities: a good public transport network and seamless connectivity that stretches across Europe and beyond.

This is where Bratislava shines, effortlessly checking all these boxes and more.

Train, Bus, Boat or Bicycle: Greener Ways to Reach Bratislava

Bratislava offers direct connections to major cities like Prague, Budapest, Vienna, Dresden, Berlin, Hamburg, and Zürich, which in turn seamlessly connect it to a multitude of destinations across Europe and beyond. The train journey from Vienna takes just over an hour, and from Budapest, it takes around 2 hours and 30 minutes.

The Mlynské Nivy bus station is the main arrival and departure point for buses, and there's an hourly bus to Vienna, providing connections to many other bus services. Coach companies, including FlixBus, Regiojet and Slovak Lines, offer services from dozens of European cities.

You can also arrive in Bratislava by boat. The Twin City Liner is a fast catamaran service that takes 75-90 minutes. It departs from the centre of Vienna and runs up to 3 times a day depending on the season. There are also boat connections to Hainburg in Austria and the Slovak towns of Čunovo and Čilistov.

Or why not cycle to Bratislava (safe in the knowledge that most trains can take your bike if you change your plans)? Eurovelo 13, the 'Iron Curtain Trail', runs from the Norwegian coast right down to Bosphorus in Turkey, passing through Bratislava. Eurovelo 6 runs from the Atlantic coast near Nantes in France to Constanta in Bulgaria, on the Black Sea coast. On the way, it passes through some of Europe's key cities, including Basel, Vienna, Budapest, Novi Sad, and Bratislava.

Welcome to Bratislava

Now you've arrived, how will you reach your accommodation? Kongres Magazine describes Bratislava as "a textbook example of a walkable city," pointing to the proximity of everything business visitors need: most of the city's accommodation, conference halls and special venues are all within a 2.5 km radius. In the pedestrianised city centre, only trams have access, and public transport is excellent. It's no surprise, then, that over two-thirds of residents here use a combination of walking and public transport as their primary mode of travel.

There are plenty of sustainable transport options for getting around the city. Dopravný Podnik Bratislava (DPB), the capital's public transport provider, is committed to reducing emissions. It runs extensive bus services, including hourly night buses. By 2022, half of DPB's buses were classified as low-emission (electric, CNG-powered and diesel-powered buses meeting the Euro 6 standard), and the company then ordered 40 hydrogen buses from Polish company Solaris Bus & Coach. In August this year, the first four of these went into operation on line 75 between Krasnany and Dolne hony. Unlike electric buses, these Urbino buses require no charging infrastructure in depots. Refuelling takes just minutes, and they have a guaranteed minimum range of 350 kilometres. Trams run from 5 am until 11.30 pm, and electric trolley buses serve some city centre and more hilly routes. You will also find electric scooters for rent and bike-sharing services: Slovnaft Bajk, offering 550 bikes and 73 docking stations, or Rekola, whose pink bikes can be found in the city and Bratislava's forests. The Bratislava CARD provides an economical way to traverse and experience the city. Available as a card or digital version, it offers unlimited use of public transport in the city and region, free admission to 27 museums and galleries, a range of discounts on shops and attractions, and a free walking tour of the historical city centre with a professional guide.

Other recommended hotels in the city include:

Grand Hotel River Park, part of the Marriott Group, and multiple winner of Trend Top's 'Best Hotel in Bratislava' award and the World Travel Award's 'Slovakia's Leading Hotel' title. Sitting on the bank of the Danube, it claims to have the largest and most luxurious presidential suite in Slovakia! It belongs to the Marriott Group's Luxury Collection, following the Group's 'Serve 360: Doing Good in Every Direction' sustainability and impact strategy. The superb restaurant uses seasonal, local produce, and the entire 11th floor is taken up by the amazing Zion Spa, which offers a wellness centre, fitness centre and swimming pool.

The Sheraton Bratislava, also part of the Marriott Group. Located on the bank of the Danube, just a five-minute walk from the city centre, it's on a boulevard bristling with stores and entertainment venues. It offers 209 stylish rooms and suites, a top-class fitness suite, a breakfast brasserie and two bars. It also has eight event spaces accommodating up to 400 people.

Loft Hotel, which overlooks the Presidential Gardens in the Old Town. It has striking 'industrial chic' décor, with retro touches. The beer barrels repurposed as furniture are a nod to its popular attached restaurant and brewpub, Fabrika. It serves craft beers and dishes that put a contemporary spin on Slovak staples. There's also a wine bar serving over 200 Slovak wines, and the choice of more luxurious rooms in the adjoining 19th-century building, Wilson Place.

Devin Hotel Bratislava, overlooking the Danube. Built in 1954, this city centre hotel was chiefly designed by Emil Beluš, a prominent architect in the Slovak functionalism movement. It's a listed National Cultural Heritage landmark with a long history of famous guests. The hotel offers luxurious rooms and suites, a wellness centre, and a bar, restaurant, and patisserie.

Once you've unpacked, you might be ready for some refreshment.

To accompany your meal, try a local wine or slivovica, a strong alcoholic beverage made from plums. Finish with Šúľance s makom (poppy seed dumplings), slivkové knedle (sugar-dusted dumplings filled with plums), or štrúdľa (strudel) for dessert.

Flagship is a great place to try Slovak specialties. It is one of the largest restaurants in the Central Europe and boasts its own in-house beer production. Another, Soup Culture, sells vegan drinks and sweets, and, of course, vegetarian and vegan soups—Slovaks love their soups! Here, they're served in edible cups made of bread.

Enjoy Bratislava's Outdoor Experiences

Bratislava may be a capital city, but it has plenty of green spaces. Don't miss Comenius University's Botanical Gardens—5.5 hectares of land and greenhouses close to the Danube River, with a wide array of trees, shrubs, and flowers, including tropical plants. If trees are your passion, then also visit Horský Park, the Forest City Park in the middle of the city. It's home to a wide variety of tree species and has a historical lodge, with a café and playground.

Bratislava's baroque gardens include the Bratislava Castle Gardens, designed by Empress Maria Theresa's architect, and Medicka Garden, with its café, tearooms, market stalls and food trucks, which hosts plays and concerts.

Grassalkovich Garden was once part of the Presidential Palace grounds, and is home to several statues, including one of Empress Maria Theresa on horseback. It's a quiet, beautiful spot, as there are no dogs or bicycles allowed. Sad Janka Kráľa, on the bank of the Danube, is the oldest public park in central Europe, famous for its towering 200-year-old plane trees, zodiac statues and Franciscan Church Tower.

Cyclists aren't limited to the Forest Park. As well as the Eurovelo 6 and 16 routes already mentioned, Bratislava offers hundreds of kilometres of cycling routes. A brochure available from the Bratislava Tourist Board details 10 different routes from 6.7 km to 46.9 km. It's a great way to explore the city and the surrounding countryside.

Cyclists, hikers and birdwatchers alike can find picturesque routes along the Morava River, Devínska Kobyla Mountain (where you can spot the European Bee-Eater) or on the Danube floodplains (the water dam Hrušovská Zdrž near Čunovo is a great place to watch wintering birds).

If you prefer to be on the water rather than beside it, take a boat tour on the Small Danube or hire a canoe. The stretch between the villages of Hurbanova Ves and Jelka is very popular for its natural beauty and its four historic wooden mills.

For a more active yet still sustainable experience, try Disc Golf, played with a frisbee, at Malý Slavín, or visit one of Bratislava's golf courses or yoga classes. To really get your heart going, why not bungee jump from the Lafranconi Bridge or try white-water rafting at the Water Sports Centre in Čunovo?

On days when the weather is unkind, there are plenty of indoor attractions in the city as well, offering a diverse range of cultural, historical, and recreational activities to engage visitors of all ages.

Soak Up Bratislava's Culture and History

Local wines are important here. Wine fans should take a vineyard tour in the Devin or Raca district, and the Small Carpathian Wine Route starts in Bratislava. However, you don't have to stray far to sample the best Slovak wines. The Museum of Viticulture, well worth a visit, is also home to the Slovak National Collection of Wine: the 100 top Slovak wines. You can taste 72 wines in 100 minutes!

Grassalkovich Palace is a splendid 18th-century Rococo summer palace built for the Chairman of the Hungarian Royal Chamber, Count Anton Grassalkovich. It attracted the society elite, and composer Joseph Haydn also performed here. It's now the seat of the President of the Slovak Republic.

The Blue Church gets its nickname from the striking pastel blue shades of its façade, interior, and roof tiles! More appropriately known as St. Elizabeth's Church, it was built at the beginning of the 20th century in the Art Nouveau style and is exquisitely decorated.

Slavín is the largest war memorial in Central Europe and dominates the skyline. Standing 52 metres high, it marks the burial ground of 6,845 Soviet soldiers who died during the liberation of Bratislava in World War II.

The UFO is a rather more modern cultural icon: an observation deck built on the pylons of the Slovak National Uprising Bridge, complete with a restaurant. Standing 95 metres high, it provides wonderful views for up to 100 km around.

Art Galleries: Bratislava City Gallery and the Slovak National Gallery both house permanent and temporary exhibitions of art, ranging from medieval to contemporary. Nedbalka Gallery has a permanent exhibition of Slovak Modernism over four floors. The Danubiana Meulensteen Art Museum sits in a striking location in an 8,000-square-metre sculpture park on the Danube Peninsula. It's less than 20 km from the city and can be reached by road or boat. Inside, you can admire the museum of contemporary art on the ground floor, while the first floor has an exhibition of work by leading international artists, which changes regularly.

The institute's other projects have included:

• The replacement of asphalt in some areas with durable, environmentally friendly tiles.
• Provision of shade and cooling near the New Market Hall, where many people wait for public transport, via the planting of five large trees of a particularly climate-resistant variety of plane.
• Construction of a 'hide' at the Vydrica Spring, made from local timber.
• The transformation of an unused plot of land in Karlova Ves into a multi-generation public space with greenery, playgrounds, and a skate park and parkour area designed in consultation with local skateboarding and parkour groups.
• Improvement of accessibility and safety at the Bee Meadow near the Krasňany mining plant, which is an Urban Forests of Bratislava project, allowing it to be opened to the public.

A new Positive Energy District (PED): A large area of Petržalka, the largest prefabricated housing estate in Europe, is set to become a Positive Energy District (PED). Bratislava is a Fellow City of Atelier, an EU-funded Smart City project aiming to create and replicate PEDs within two Lighthouse Cities and six Fellow Cities. The project focuses on the reduction of CO2 emissions via local smart urban solutions; sustainable, secure and affordable energy systems for citizens; and collaboration and knowledge sharing between the cities involved. The city plans to design passive, zero or plus energy houses based on natural energy resources and add a tram line for green mobility and better connectivity throughout the district. Greenways are planned across the axes, which will include footpaths and cycling lanes, and connect existing playgrounds and green areas. A large park is being created, and all the new roofs will be green, helping to create a cooling effect among the existing paved areas.

Einpark is a LEED Zero Carbon and LEED Platinum-certified building which claims to be the greenest building in Slovakia. It has green roofs, scalable EV charging stations, an electric composter, and an energy-efficient heating and cooling system that makes use of local water resources.

Nová Cvernovka is a cultural and creative centre in a former chemical factory run by the Nadácia Cvernovka Foundation. It's home to a public library, 132 art and creative studios, an outdoor terrace, a stage, a community garden, a children's playground and, thanks to a novel recycling project, a public park. After reconstructing their building when they moved sites, the Foundation discovered the remaining rubble would be prohibitively expensive to send to landfill. Instead, with advice from experts, the rubble was sorted with the help of volunteers and a bicycle-powered sorting device. It was then used to provide landscaping and threshed surfaces to create a public park.

Nové Nivy is a building combining Nivy Mall (with over 250 shops) with a major bus terminal underground, food court, car park, automated bike storage tower, fresh food market and Nivy Tower, which is a business space. It was designed to be an energy-efficient building, and has photovoltaic panels and rainwater retention measures in place, plus 1 km of cycle paths. However, what really draws attention is its green roof, designed to be used and enjoyed rather than passive. It offers a community garden, workspaces with power and charging ports, exercise zones (including a 500 m running track and table tennis facilities), a barbecue area with bookable grills, playgrounds with trampolines and water jets, an insect hotel and plenty of greenery, including 134 trees.

EIT Urban Mobility works with cities across Europe to pilot innovative urban mobility solutions from startups. As part of this, Bratislava currently participates in a project from the company BitaGreen to identify locations where green and blue infrastructure can reduce air pollution and traffic noise. The winner of the Urban Mobility Hub's Startup Competition in 2022 was BikeUp, a startup based in Bratislava that hires out children's bikes. This prevents parents from having to regularly purchase new bikes as their children grow, and reduces discarded, unused bikes in sheds.

Urban Beekeeping is growing in popularity here. The first urban beehive in the city was set up on the roof of the Old Market Hall in 2014, organised by the Centre for Environmental and Ethical Education Živica. There are now beehives in the gardens of Bratislava's Presidential Palace, the roof of Bratislava City Hall (home to over 120,000 honeybees) and the NH Bratislava Gate One hotel, where you can visit the hives on the rooftop terrace.

Business Background

Bratislava's MICE destination marketing tagline is 'Surprisingly Close, Exceptionally Smart'. The capital is in an excellent position logistically, on the border of three countries (Slovakia, Austria, and Hungary), with good access by road, rail and river. It's known as an innovation hub, and famous for its exceptional execution and engineering expertise.

Slovakia's automotive production sector represents 44% of its entire industry and Slovakia now has the world's highest car production per capita. Volvo are planning to build a climate-neutral plant—their first plant dedicated exclusively to producing electric vehicles—in Košice in eastern Slovakia.

As for the capital, automotive giants Volkswagen (producing Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche, ŠKODA and SEAT cars), Peugeot Citroën, KIA, and Jaguar Land Rover, all have plants in or around Bratislava. It's also the home of Aeromobil, makers of one of the first flying cars. The city has thriving chemical, textile, metal and electrical goods industries, too.

Bratislava also represents good value for money, with more affordable prices compared to other capitals offering similar services and quality. The Bratislava Convention Bureau is part of the official Destination Marketing Organization, the Bratislava Tourist Board. It provides a full range of services for the MICE sector, from initial event planning and site inspections to networking and promotional materials.

The UFO Tower can accommodate up to 200 people, and Jurkovič Heating Plant has been refurbished as a modern event and co-working space with a restaurant and gallery. The Slovak National Collection of Wines can accommodate 55 people and offers wine-tasting and team-building activities. Universities in Bratislava also provide a range of great meeting spaces, and if you want to get the best views of the Danube, why not consider holding an event on a boat? The Harmonia is a luxury event boat that provides catering services, with a top deck capacity of 250 and a lower deck that accommodates 150 people.

Kulturama Bratislava is a multifunctional space that was once a large garage. After a refurbishment using sustainable materials, it's now a modern event hub. The chairs were once PVC bottles, and the tiles were made from recycled tyres. It offers a bistro space, gallery and training room, which can be hired separately or together. The entire venue can accommodate up to 130 attendees, who can enjoy a great gastronomic experience from renowned in-house caterers Soupa Bistro.

The Spot has a large conference area accommodating 120 people, a smaller hall for 70 people, a workshop space for 25 people, a podcast studio, and meeting rooms for 4-14 people. Its standout selling point is its panoramic terrace with amazing views. In-house catering is available, and it's also home to over 50 companies and a hub for co-working, collaboration and innovation, particularly in the area of decentralised technologies and cryptocurrency.

For larger events, consider Incheba Expo Bratislava, right by the Danube, where flexible spaces allow for events for 50 to 5,000 people or the A4 Studio, with its state-of-the-art lighting and sound facilities, which accommodates 3000.