2 Hidden Gems Near Bratislava Most Tourists Don’t Know About

Are you looking for hidden gems near Bratislava for your next trip?

We get it. 

Slovakia’s capital city is slowly, but surely, crawling on people’s travel radars, so if you want to get ahead of the crowd and discover spots most tourists don’t even know exist, you’re in the right place. 

In this post, we’ll share with you 2 hidden gems near Bratislava that will make your trip genuinely local and unforgettable.

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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!

Tips for visiting Bratislava

Before we venture beyond Bratislava, we wanted to share some useful tips with you:

• Can you drink tap water in Bratislava? Actually, in the whole of Slovakia? Or will you 💩 yourself? Now that’s a crucial piece of info to have before a trip, right?
• Avoid wasting money in Bratislava—don’t make this costly mistake on public transport. Also check which transport you should take from the airport (there are 3 options and, spoiler alert, not all are good).
• Looking for 5 best cities to visit from Slovakia’s capital? We’ve got you covered.
• Remember that Bratislava is just an hour away from Vienna airport, so when checking flights, compare both.
• Need help planning your Slovak adventures? Give us a shout! You can book a call with us and we can talk you through everything. We’re Slovak locals, so you’ll get all the insider info and tips from us!

Ready to explore further? These are the 2 hidden gems near Bratislava we think you should visit.

Hidden gems near Bratislava

Want to know what we always tell people, whenever they ask us whether Bratislava is worth visiting?

As Slovak locals (Mirka is originally from a town next to Bratislava), we say this:

Bratislava is worth visiting, but make sure you travel further.

You can see the capital city in one day. 

Don’t waste the rest of your holiday. See more of Slovakia and uncover hidden gems near Bratislava instead.

In this post, we share our top 2 suggestions that can be visited on a day trip.

Your itinerary could look like this:

• Day 1: arrive to Bratislava + sightsee
• Day 2: day trip to hidden gem no. 1
• Day 3: day trip to hidden gem no. 2
• Day 4: chill out and leave Bratislava

You can fit so much into just 4 days—or even 3, if you choose just one hidden gem for a day trip. You’ll still have a more fun-filled trip than most travellers who only stay in Bratislava and don’t explore further will have.

Now let’s talk about the two hidden gems near Bratislava.

For each we’ll tell you why it’s worth visiting and how you can get there, so your trip planning is stress-free.

Hidden gem no. 1: Trnava

We talk about Trnava a lot, because it’s where Mirka’s originally from. We also set up a temporary home base there, after our full-time travels almost unalived us!

But don’t think we’re biased—Trnava is genuinely a beautiful town with so many surprises!

Let us tell you more about it.

Why should I visit Trnava?

First, Trnava is awesome! 

But if you want more specifics, visit for:

• History. From 13th-century medieval walls to the renaissance Town Tower, in Trnava you’ll feel like you’ve time travelled (insider info: Trnava is often a filming location for movies, TV shows, and commercials set in the past, thanks to its authentic historic vibe).
• Churches. Nicknamed The Little Rome, Trnava has 13 of them (!!).
• Cafes. From ice cream parlours with 20 flavours to a cafe in an actual synagogue, you’ll be spoilt for choice here.
• Peace and quiet. This is not a capital city. You’ll be able to relax here. Feel safe. Walk without having to push through crowds of tourists.*
• Fun and games! We did say peace and quiet, but that doesn’t mean a sleepy town. There’s always something cool going on in Trnava—give us a shout and we can check what’s on when you visit. Alternatively, you can check this website for any events. 
• Bonus tip: Trnava even has a year-round outdoor game you can play around the city. It’s called The Mighty Belt and you can play it using GPS on your phone, for free and in English!

*Speaking of walking, Trnava is super walkable! No need to be figuring out local buses, you can see it all without getting on public transport.

Trnava, the coolest city in Slovakia

How do I get to Trnava?

By public transport

The best way to get to Trnava from Bratislava is by train.

It’s fast, cheap and you don’t have to worry about car rental.

You can check train schedules and buy tickets on the official railway website.

Remember how we said Trnava is super walkable? You don’t have to worry about catching a bus once you get to the train station there. You’ll be in the city centre within 5 mins by foot!

By car

If you are going by car, you have two options:

• Taking the D1 motorway (motorway vignette required). It can take you anywhere from 30 mins upwards to get to Trnava, depending on traffic—traffic jams are common.
• Taking the country roads through villages. While a slower option, it might turn out faster depending on traffic jams on the motorway, so do check what your GPS is telling you. This way you can see more of the local life as well (or also stop by at any of the villages, if you have time).

No matter which option you choose, make sure you use a price comparison tool, so you don’t overpay on your car rental:

Trnava is the first of the 2 hidden gems near Bratislava.

What we didn’t tell you is that Trnava was the first privileged royal town in Slovakia.

Let’s keep the royal theme going and explore a castle, shall we?

Hidden gem no. 2: Smolenice

We’d bet you’ve never heard of Smolenice before today.

That’s okay, we’re here to tell you all you need to know!

Because we’re sure that you’ll want to visit this small village in the west of Slovakia.

There’s more here than meets the eye, and we can’t wait for you to see it.

Why should I visit Smolenice?

This will be hard to believe, but here is what you can find in this small village near Bratislava:

• Smolenice Castle. You can explore the courtyard of this beautiful castle for free, chill in the castle cafe or go on a guided tour to peek inside. The path leading to the castle is stunning too, passing a small pond—make sure you stop by on the way.
• Driny Cave. This is the only cave in the west of Slovakia with guided tours—open seasonally from April to October.
• Včelovina. Wait what? Don’t worry, it’s a super cool place! It’s a meadery that produces all sorts of honey-related products, from mead to beer to cider to cosmetics and chocolates. You can taste it all in their cafe (which has views of the Smolenice Castle!), buy what you like in their shop and learn all about bees and bee keeping in their bee garden. Would 100% recommend a visit, we love it there! 
• Hiking. Smolenice sits on the foothills of the Little Carpathians, the mountain range in the west of Slovakia, meaning you can do easy forest walks there or even climb the highest peak, which isn’t that high at all, sitting at 767m. Oh and the hike starts from Smolenice – handy!
• Molpír. Light hike alert! Head up from Smolenice to this hillfort—used back in prehistoric and Slavic times. Wander the ruins, soak up the ancient vibes, and get a peek into how people actually lived here (Pro tip: bring offline Google Translate—info signs are only in Slovak). Quick walk, big adventure.

Wine at a castle? You can already see yourself there, right?

Bonus tip

What is more epic than visiting a stunning castle in Slovakia?

Staying overnight at that castle!!

Yep, you can actually stay at the Smolenice Castle.

We haven’t done it yet, but it’s definitely on our bucket list.

If you want to check out prices and availability, head this way.

Also, if you end up staying there, will you let us know, so we can envy you your royal holiday?

How do I get to Smolenice?

Smolenice sounds awesome, right?

The one problem?

Getting there from Bratislava using public transport is not the easiest. Not like going to Trnava, where you just hop on one direct train and get there in just over half an hour.

You’ve got 3 options, when it comes to travelling to Smolenice from Bratislava:

1. Renting a car

As car-free people, we almost never recommend renting a car, but in this case, it would be the easiest solution.

You can drive to Smolenice in around an hour (passing Trnava, btw! So if you’re considering car hire, you might be able to combine the two hidden gems near Bratislava into one day).

Remember to use a price comparison tool, that we recommended earlier, to save money.

2. Braving public transport 

The issue with the public transport from Bratislava to Smolenice?

There aren’t any decent direct connections. 

Chances are you’ll be having to change trains in Trnava.

And the whole journey will take you anywhere between 1hr to 1.5hrs.

You can see train timetables and buy tickets here.

Now, if you’re taking a train to Smolenice (because you can also take a train to Trnava and change to a bus to Smolenice there, the bus station is right next to the train station), there is one more thing you need to know.

The problem with taking a train to Smolenice

The annoying thing about taking a train to Smolenice is the fact that the train station is not right in the centre of the village, but a 30-min walk away.

And not the nicest or most interesting walk either—we wouldn’t recommend walking from the train station unless you are a pretty chilled traveller. Do check the path on Google Maps before deciding though.

Summer solution for taking a train to Smolenice

There is a way for you to take the train, though, if you are visiting during the summer months (June – August) on a weekend.

A free minibus connects the train station with the village and a couple of the main sights (the meadery, village centre for the Smolenice Castle and the Driny Cave).

The good thing? Aside from the fact that the minibus is free, it also matches up with trains going to Trnava, so you won’t have to wait long!

You can find all the information, including the timetable here (for some reason, this page is only available in Slovak, so use the website translate feature).

The minibus stops right at the Včelovina meadery—a must-visit place in Smolenice

3. Staying overnight in Trnava

Yes, we know this is a post about 2 hidden gems near Bratislava.

But nobody said you couldn’t spend a night in one of those gems, right?

Why not visit Trnava, stay there for one night, so you can catch a bus or a train to Smolenice easier, and then just jump on a train back to Bratislava?

If you want to check whether this would be doable for you price-wise, here is a handy tool, just pop in the dates you’re thinking of:

Your itinerary could look like this:

Day 1: arrive to Bratislava + sightsee

Day 2: travel early to Trnava and do a day trip to Smolenice. Come back to Trnava for your night there

Day 3: spend a day in Trnava, return to Bratislava in the evening 

Day 4: chill out and leave Bratislava

If this isn’t clear enough, remember you can book a call with us and we can help you, so you’re not just sitting at home, screaming at your laptop, as you’re trying to figure out transport in Slovakia.

These are the 2 hidden gems near Bratislava that are a must-visit, if you want to venture further than the usual traveller.

We hope you have the best time in Slovakia and remember, give us a shout if you need any help with planning your trip!