Bratislava Shopping

In Bratislava you can shop in many places. Markets, indoor and outdoor, speciality shops and department stores. The big stores like Tesco and Dunai are great value for money and you could buy local wines or liquers really cheaply there and also things like fancy boxes of chocolates or watches.

At Christmas the markets are great for crafts and souvenirs , although you need to buy early in the day if you hope to be able to browse in peace and quiet.

The nicest shopping experience I had was in the old indoor market which has recently been refurbished. This market, Stare Trznica, is open every day of the week during business hours and from 6.00 in the morning.

What to buy: In this market I would buy food and crafts. The knitwear was very attractive and very keenly priced. All the produce is fresh and you can also buy hot snacks here. Even if you just want to browse, I think you will find this a very enjoyable place to spend some time in.

What to pay: Not very much.Things are much more reasonably priced than in the shops.

Note - was not much in way of souvenirs. Best bet was a kiosk at the train station. Had loads of odds and ends, very cool. Not just souvenirs but other stuff too.

Is a small shop at castle.

At Christmas there is fair in square but there wasnt much there in my opinion. However if you are into the local arts n crafts, you may find something

What to buy: model of the castle at the train station kiosk

What to pay: relatively cheap for souvenirs, especially given not many places sell them

I think this is the biggest and best shopping mall in Bratislava located in Petržalka just across the River Danube. Here you can find nice restaurants - pizzeria, Asian restaurant, Scottish pub, Robinson restaurant, lot of cafes plus biggest fitness center in Bratislava Golem, Aquapark with wellness and of course lots of shops and boutiques. Aupark is also a home of Palace Cinemas - with 12 cinema halls on the 2nd floor. It is all quite new, very clean and cozy.
Other big shopping malls in Bratislava are Polus City Center and Avion Park (near the airport) but they are not that nice.

For some quick gifts to take home, the Billa Plus grocery store offers some fine bargains. We bought 2 bottles of Zlaty Bazant beer (15.50 SKK / .50 USD each), 2 bottles of Czech Budvar beer (21.90 SKK / 0.70 USD each), a bottle of local Riesling wine called Rynsk (79.90 SKK / 2.60 USD), and a box of Slovak Trubicky chocolates (49.90 SKK / 1.60 USD).

This is a very nice, modern grocery store with a little bit of everything. This would also be a good spot to get a very cheap meal or stock your kitchen if you were staying in town for more than a few days. The location is convenient and easily walkable from the Old Town. Billa Plus is located in a modern shopping center with several restaurants and other shops.

Billa has about 210 stores in eight central and eastern European countries.

Unlike their Czech neighbours, Slovakians are wine people. Yes, they do have nice beers as well (like Zlaty Bazant), but they do have some very nice wines too. Sample them in a restaurant or buy from a specialist store or any supermarket around, it is worth it. I especially enjoyed the white wines, but for example the red frankovka is drinkable too. Whites worth trying are made of chardonnay, gewürtztraminer or riesling grapes. Some Slovakian whites have done very well in wine shows around Europe and won numerous medals, like the lovely Gewürztraminer in the picture.

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Aupark is a big shopping/entertainment center with everything from clothes shops, home furnishings, cafes and restaurants to a multi-theater cinema and a park full of all kinds of activities for children of all ages.

What to buy: The old town has mostly expensive designer goods on offer so this is the place to go with a more reasonable budget to fulfill your shopping urges under one roof.

What to pay: Well, it depends on whether you shop in Mango or in Swarovski...

The Polus City Centre is an award winning modern shopping mall which was opened in 2000. It has designer label shops spread over 2 floors, a multi-screen cinema, supermarket and a number of cafes and restaurants.

You'll love this shop from the window: plenty of wines on display and you can even taste some of them. A large selection of slovakian wines - but there are several foreign wines as well - which is always a good sign, as it shows it's no tourist trap.

What to buy: Slovakian wines are good, but local "schnapps" are even better. We bought a small bottle of slievovitza and one of moskovitza.

What to pay: about 300 a bottle for a shcnapps