MHD/Public Transport, Bratislava

The easiest way to get to or from the airport is to take the bus, line 61.
The first bus in the morning leaving the airport is at 04.45, the last in the evening leaving at 23.25.
The first one in the other direction leaves the main station at 04.45, the last one in the evening is at 23.05.
The buses runs daily.
Here is the link to the :schedule
Here the link to the :ticket information

If you are staying in or near Bratislava's old centre you are unlikely to need public transport; the city is small and very walkable. But if you want to go elsewhere, or if your base is outside the heart of the city, you will.

Although I didn't actually use Bratislava's public transport in the end (injury), I had fully intended to do so. I wanted to go to Devin, I'd thought about getting a tram out to Raca (once a hillside village, now part of Bratislava itself) and, if I'd visited earlier in the year, I would definitely have taken the bus out to Rusovce to visit Roman Gerulata, and maybe to Hainburg in Austria as well.

The Bratislava public transport website in English (below) is not especially easy to use, but it does have downloadable pdf maps of tram and trolleybus routes, which is helpful (I printed them out before I left home). And if you can work out which bus number you want, you can easily find timetables.

There is a bus station at the main railway station (Hlavna Stanica), another one near Novy Most (the 'UFO' bridge) and another one on Mylinske Nivy to the east of the city centre.

You'll need tickets before you board any type of transport. There are ticket machines at stops (with English translations, which is helpful) but they only take coins. You can get 1, 3 and (I think) 7 day 'tourist tickets' if you wish.

Make sure you validate (date-stamp) any type of ticket as soon as you enter the vehicle, using the machines inside. There are on-the-spot fines for non-validation and inspectors do check.

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Bratislava has a very good public transport system consisting of trolley buses, trams and buses. Single tickets are valid for 10, 20 and 60 minutes and cost 14, 16 and 20 SKK. A day ticket sets you back 80 SKK (2004).

Tickets are available at vending machines or special kiosks. When boarding a vehicle the ticket has to be stamped.

If you are on a daytrip by train from Vienna, then your train ticket is also valid on the public transportation in Bratislava.

Website: http://www.imhd.sk/

Bratislava doesn't have an underground, but like the rest of former Czechoslovakia it does have an excellent public transport system. Tickets can be bought easily from English language electronic machines at most stops, and it's just 0.70 euros for a ticket that lasts up to 60 minutes (90 on weekends).

You can use the web link below to plan your journey.

Hi, you can learn more about the public transportation in Bratislava here:
http://www.imhd.zoznam.sk/ba/index.php?w=2e25212e36212c28〈=en
Have a nice stay in our country. If you have more questions, be free asking me. Bye Katarina

In Bratislava you won't have any problem in getting around cause this city has buses, trolleybuses and trams and they pass every 5 minutes. You just need to find out which one will take you where you need to go and that's it. Tickets are sold at Kiosks and also in automatic machines at some bus stops. Tickets may have different times: 15 minutes, 60 minutes, 70 mins and so on.

Usually 15 mins are good when you are in the city center and you need to reach some place also in the city center.. otherwise opt for 60 mins ticket.

Most of the bus stops or metro stops
have an automated ticket machine where u can buy the tickets from

It is broken up into 10 minutes- 30 minutes (which i read somewhere allows u to be on the metro for 60 minutes the weekend )
we normally c hose the 30 minute one - which was 18 SKK

remember to validate your ticket when u get into the bus- most seem to be located just inside the entrance or exit doors
and people seem to get into the buses and trolley buses in no particular order

i think if u look touristy at all u are possibly an easy target for the bus /security/conductors to check if u have a valid ticket or not and then u get a fine - which will only leave a sour taste !

As always, ask at your hotel about which taxi company to use.

As with all European cities, there are many companies that will rip you off. Ask for a price etc before you set off, even if there is a meter.

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When we arrived at Bratislavs Main Station (Hlavna Stanica), we didn't know how close the city center was, so we decided to use the public transportation. We found the street cars/trams just downstairs from the train station, but did not have change, so we went back upstairs and got our 30-minute tickets (18 SKK each). After looking at the map, we were still unsure exactly which tram to take, so we ended up boarding the wrong one. Luckily I was watching the map during the ride, and I soon realized we were heading away from the Old Town. We jumped off the tram, still not really knowing where we were. To make things worse, now I couldn't find my ticket and I didn't have enough coins in the local money left for a 30-min ticket! I ended up buying a 10-min ticket (14 SKK) and we waited for the next tram back to the main train station so we could regroup, ask directions, and get where we needed to be. Luckily a friendly local gentleman saw our predicament and offered to help (already a huge improvement over Budapest!). He pointed out that we wanted the #1 tram and showed us the direction it would be heading. We started to walk that way, and the weather was nice and the people were out so we kept walking, ensuring we kept following stops for the #1 tram. Next thing we knew, we were on Obchodna pedestrian street, heading into the city center... soon St. Michael's Gate appeared in front of us and we were off exploring the Old Town!

As of March 2006, the lines have been renumbered and Tram 13 now goes directly from the main train station to old town (trams no longer run down Obchodna). Though we only used the tram this once, I am told the city ticket inspectors are Nazis and they love to fine tourists. Be sure you buy the proper ticket for your journey and stamp it immediately upon boarding the tram.

Use the public transportation. The Bratislava Transport Company has a network through the city, with amore than 90 trolley-bus, trams and bus lines, operating from 5 AM to midnight - which means that you can go wherever you like.

Tickets are available from machines or from newagents. There are two zones and different time limits. Once you boars a bus or tram or trolley remember to validate the ticket in the machine.

transfers, by the way, are free and do not require and extra ticket.