Bratislava Airport to City Centre: How to Save Money

Flying to Bratislava? You can waste money right within the first 10 minutes of arriving—if you don’t know what you are doing.

In this post we’ll share with you our top money-saving tips when you need to get from Bratislava airport to the city centre.

And it’s not just some AI slop advice. We’re Slovakia locals, so can tell you all the secrets!

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Here’s a little bit about our journey, if you are new here! If you know us, feel free to skip this part.

After leaving our old life in Scotland in March 2022 (it rains too much there), we travelled full-time for almost 2 years. Sounds fancy, doesn’t it? Well, it was. If you think that carrying overpacked backpacks in 45°C heat around streets that aren’t even on Google Maps is fancy. And that’s just 1% of all the fun we had! 😆

During the 2 years we volunteered in Italy and Bulgaria (free travel while learning new skills, anyone?), explored other amazing European countries and backpacked Southeast Asia. Btw, even our secret wedding was more of an expedition than a wedding. 😅

And, of course, we researched and planned everything ourselves, because you gotta keep the budget low, right? If you are like us, you’ve come to the right place, because we want to share all the useful travel tips and info with you!

Excited? Good. Let’s get into it so you can go on your own epic adventures too!

Why should you trust us

Just briefly, because we already touched on this in the intro—why should you trust our advice on Slovakia?

Because we have insider knowledge! 

• Mirka was born in Slovakia
• We spent years travelling to Slovakia like tourists, back when our home was Scotland
• When full-time travels almost unalived us, we set up a temporary home base in Slovakia – in an awesome hidden gem of a city right next to Bratislava, actually!

So you can ask your favourite chatbot for info. Or you can trust locals. The choice is yours. (But be smart and make the right one!)

Arriving to Bratislava airport: money-saving tip

How can you waste a lot of money right after landing at Bratislava airport?

By not bringing your own food and drink!

Here’s the thing.

Bratislava airport sucks. 

This is objectively speaking—it’s a small airport with very few, quite crappy facilities.

So there are no water fountains to top up your water bottle (remember this for the way back too).

And not a lot of food options either, especially if you arrive at night.

So what can you do?

• Make sure you stock up before your flight to Slovakia
• Stop overpaying for expensive water at airports. With our tips, you’ll never have to do that again
• Check out the fantastic (read: poor) food and drink options available at Bratislava airport Arrivals, so you’re not shocked when you get there

A little hopeful note

With Wizz Air moving their base from Vienna to Bratislava (no Wizz Air flights from Vienna at all anymore!) and Ryanair planning to do the same, Bratislava airport is promising to upgrade its services.

Pretty exciting news, but we won’t hold our breath – positive change is rare in Slovakia, sadly. (Side note here: this doesn’t apply to our homebase town, which is evolving like a rare Pokemon in every area, you’ve got to take a day trip there when you’re in Bratislava!)

How to get from Bratislava airport to city centre

First, let’s talk about what transport options there are from Bratislava airport to the city centre.

Here is what IS NOT an option:

• There is no metro in Bratislava
• There are trams, but these don’t go to the airport
• There is also no train from Bratislava airport – the only trains you can catch are within the different Bratislava boroughs or when travelling further into Slovakia

So how can you get from Bratislava airport to the city centre?

Transport options from Bratislava airport to city centre:

• Local bus no. 61 
• Slovak Lines airport shuttle
• Taxi

We actually love when there aren’t many airport transport options—it makes planning a lot easier! Let’s talk about the 3 options in more detail, because you’ll see there is a smart way to get to/from the Bratislava airport and then the… less smart way, shall we say. 😬

Bus no. 61

This is your local bus that goes from Bratislava airport to the city centre.

It’s how we travel when flying to and from Bratislava airport, so we can share all the gossip, we mean travel tips! We do wish we had some good gossip though. Do you have any? If yes, give us a shout on our IG please!

Let’s discuss the yay vs nay, aka pros and cons of the bus no. 61 in Bratislava.

The pros of bus no. 61 from Bratislava airport

Here’s why we take bus no. 61 every time we are flying to and from Bratislava airport:

• The cost. It’s so cheap! You’ll pay just €1.09 for an adult ticket. This is the best option, to get from Bratislava airport to the city centre, if you’re trying to save money on your trip.
• Convenient schedule. The bus starts before 5am and runs all the way past 23:00. And then a night bus takes over (more on that here). So no matter when you arrive, you can always get to the city centre from Bratislava airport.
• No faffing with tickets. You can just tap your bank card on the bus. We explain everything in our guide to buying public transport tickets in Bratislava (and avoiding fines!).
• The bus stops at 19 stops (+ the airport), so you have more options to find one closer to your accommodation.
• If you’re catching an onward train, for example if you’re heading to the famous High Tatras mountains, the train station is actually the final stop for bus no. 61, so you can get there directly from the airport.

The cons of bus no. 61 from Bratislava airport

• One of the main issues is that this is not an airport-exclusive bus. It’s a normal local bus, used by locals in their day to day life. That means during peak times it can be very busy, and getting on with a big suitcase can be…problematic.
• If you’re heading to the very heart of Bratislava, the Old Town, you won’t be able to get there using the bus no. 61 from the airport. You can either change at one of the stops (e.g. to tram no. 1) or get off at a stop called “Karpatská” and then walk for 15 mins to the Presidential Palace, which is right opposite the entrance to the Old Town, and often also the first stop on a Bratislava itinerary.
• This might sound crazy, but you’ve got to buy an extra ticket for your suitcase on this bus…or risk getting a fine. Yep, you read that right. Make sure you check out this so you know which ticket to buy for your friend suitcase (and how to avoid that fine).

Slovak Lines airport shuttle

We’re going to be honest with you.

While we love Slovak Lines, this new (Feb 2026) airport shuttle they came up with is dumb.

It’s clearly just a way to profit off of the increase in flights to Bratislava airport, thanks to the Wizz Air and Ryanair changes.

Here’s what Slovak Lines is offering:

A direct bus from the Nivy bus station for €5 (adult), 16 times a day.

Sounds ideal, right?

Not quite…

The pros of Slovak Lines airport shuttle from Bratislava airport

Slovak Lines airport shuttle might suck, but it’s not all bad. There are some reasons why you might consider taking it:

• It’s a direct bus, meaning no stopping at other local stops.
• Since it only goes to the airport, you won’t struggle with locals crowding the bus at peak times, just trying to get around their city, unlike on no. 61.
• Being an airport shuttle, it comes with luggage space and luggage is free—this can save you money if you’re travelling with a lot of luggage, since on the no. 61 local bus you have to pay for every suitcase.
• You can buy a ticket online, meaning you don’t have to use your card to tap on a bus, like on no. 61 or, travel gods forbid, try to work out the paper ticket machine at the airport.

The cons of Slovak Lines airport shuttle from Bratislava airport

And now why we think the airport shuttle sucks:

• The cost. If you pack light (which btw is such a travel hack) and only travel to Slovakia with a backpack? You’ll save €3.91 on each bus ticket by taking the bus no. 61 instead! That might not sound like a lot, but this is Slovakia. Some things are still cheap here. You can, for example, get a bottle of a good local wine for that!
• The schedule. 5:00 to 20:30 is great, but not as good as the bus no. 61 (and the night bus – we’ll talk about that shortly).
• The destination. Nivy bus station is a really good bus station, because it’s inside a big shopping centre. That means you have access to free toilets, food and drink options, loads of other shops and a free water fountain. And it’s (relatively) safe! But it’s not right in the city centre, meaning if you have heavy suitcases or you just can’t or don’t want to walk, you will have to pay extra for another bus or a tram to take you from the bus station to the Bratislava city centre.

Btw, if you haven’t booked your accommodation in Bratislava yet, be smart about it.

The city is super compact, so stay in or near the city centre, and you won’t need public transport at all (other than to get to and from the airport!)

And you can also save a lot of money if you compare prices! Here’s a handy map showing you the options:

When should you take a Slovak Lines bus

We don’t want to sound like we’re hating on Slovak Lines. Far from it. We actually use the company a lot—when it makes sense.

When is that, you might ask?

• To Vienna airport. Slovak Lines offers a direct bus service (but there are also other options: Flixbus and RegioJet , so always compare schedules and prices)
• To Vienna city centre. Same as the airport info above
• To some concerts/sport events. If you happen to be visiting Bratislava because of a major concert, festival or a sporting event, check out Slovak Lines—they sometimes offer direct connections from Bratislava to major events

Taxi

We’ve never taken a taxi from Bratislava airport to the city centre, so can’t share any insight from personal experience.

But what we can tell you is that:

• The airport is promoting a taxi company called Airport Service and says that prices are displayed on info panels in front of the Arrivals Terminal
• If you’d rather use well-known companies that you’re familiar with, there is Uber and Bolt in Bratislava
• Or if you want to try a Slovak alternative, check out HOPIN Taxi
• There are, of course, plenty of local taxi companies too, but we’re assuming no traveller wants to deal with those (we also don’t have any specific recommendations)

What do you have to know about taxis at Bratislava airport

An important note here is that Slovakia is not one of the countries where you land at an airport, barely walk through the “Exit Only – No Return” doors and get swarmed by a group of taxi drivers, pestering you to use their services (looking at you, Bali 👀).

There will be nobody trying to talk to you.

Nobody shouting to get your attention.

And no haggling over the price.

If you dread that when you travel, you can relax now.

If you love it as a cultural experience and were hoping to save money like that—we aren’t judging, but do think you’re a weirdo (for enjoying it). 😆

Bratislava airport transport: a comparison

Here is a handy table that will let you compare the 3 Bratislava airport transport options without getting overwhelmed:

Transport option	Price (adult, 2026)	Comfort level	The good	The bad
Bus no. 61	€1.09 + luggage	low	Cheapest, multiple stops throughout the city	Can be crowded with locals
Slovak Lines airport shuttle	€5	medium	Dedicated airport bus	Cost, only one stop (at bus station)
Taxi	Depends on destination	high	Flexibility – time and place	Cost

Bonus 4th option

The one transport option we haven’t mentioned yet?

Hiring a car!

As car-free travellers, so we’re public transport experts.

But if you want the ultimate freedom to explore Slovakia?

Because there are so many cool things to do there?

Consider hiring a car.

Just be smart about it and use a price comparison tool, so you don’t waste money.

What if I get to Bratislava airport at night?

If you arrive at Bratislava airport in the middle of the night, don’t worry.

You can catch a night bus no. n61 (sadly, it’s nothing like the fun, awesome Knight Bus from Harry Potter).

And we have extra tips to share with you as well, of course we do!

Here’s what you need to know, if your flight lands late at Bratislava airport:

• The last day time no. 61 leaves from the airport at 23:29. The last Slovak Lines bus at 20:30.
• If your flight lands later than that, you can catch the night bus n61
• N61 starts at 23:52 and goes once every hour until 3:52, meaning you won’t get stuck at the airport overnight
• The night bus takes a slightly different route than the day time bus no. 61, stopping also at the Nivy bus station
• You can see the route of n61 here
• The final destination for the night bus is again the train station (like with the day time no. 61), so if you are heading beyond Bratislava, you can time it with your train departure (but read our note on the pic below!)
• If you do end up spending a night at an airport though, we have 25 tips to stay safe and comfortable

Don’t forget this for your trip to Bratislava

A quick reminder that things can go sideways at any point when you travel (or even when you are at home, if you’re like us and have the worst luck ever).

The way to manage that anxiety is by having good travel insurance.

We trust True Traveller when we travel, because they’re awesome, cheap and have the best customer service.

Check them out if you want to sleep better at night, knowing someone has your back if anything goes wrong.

Now you know everything you need to get from Bratislava airport to the city centre—without wasting money, like many other travellers, undoubtedly will.

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You can also follow us on our Instagram, so you can keep in touch with us—come say hi, we’re always happy to make a new friend!

And have the best time in Bratislava when you go!