Day Trip to Devin Castle from Bratislava
Over the Christmas holidays, I spent two and half days in Bratislava, Slovakia after visiting Prague. The trip between Prague and Bratislava was only fours hours by bus. I used Regiojet (I know the website seems super sketchy) but it was actually one of the easiest, cheapest and smoothest bus trips I've ever taken. So 10/10 would recommend Regiojet to anyone traveling in Eastern Europe.
The city center of Bratislava is nowhere as large as Prague's, but it was still charming to get out and explore.
If you get the chance to spend more than 24 hours in Bratislava, I highly recommend a day trip to Devin Castle! It is super easy and cheap to get there. It only takes 20 minutes to get to the castle by bus (Bus #29). Then from the bus stop, you just need to walk 5 minutes but don't worry about getting lost (you can use the giant ruins on the side of the mountain as your guide).
I should go ahead and clarification now, just the ruins of Devin Castle exist now. The castle has had many different occupants: Romans, Celts, Ottomans. The majority of the damage to the castle occurred when Napoleon I and his troops came through the area after the Seige of Pressburg in 1809. The area that surrounds the ruins is now protected land so even in the dead of winter when I visited, the grounds were kept well.
Just a little factoid to impress your fellow travelers or friends back home: from where Devin Castle sits one can see Austria. While Slovakia was under the Communist rule of Czechoslovakia, one could literally see the curtain of communism. (Okay there wasn't a literal curtain, but you know what I mean)
Since I wanted to make the most of my visit to the Castle and Bratislava, I decided to be at the castle as early as I could. I arrived at the Castle around 10:30 am, and there were only 3 other people there. THREE! That is almost unheard of! I had a lovely bright December day to explore the area. I never had the feeling that I needed to rush, I brought some snacks to just enjoy the grounds and the views from the castle. Ah, and it was glorious! I spent about 2 and a half hours just wondering around the ruins walking in and throughout all the remaining buildings.
There is a town that sits at the bottom of the ruins. However, there wasn't much open when I visited the castle. It is possible that there is more open during the summer. I was visiting the country just a few days before Christmas.
Have you ever visited Slovakia? Did you visit Devin Castle? I would love some more input on this awesome little gem in Europe! I plan to write a longer article about my visit to Bratislava soon!
your little mouse
The city center of Bratislava is nowhere as large as Prague's, but it was still charming to get out and explore.
If you get the chance to spend more than 24 hours in Bratislava, I highly recommend a day trip to Devin Castle! It is super easy and cheap to get there. It only takes 20 minutes to get to the castle by bus (Bus #29). Then from the bus stop, you just need to walk 5 minutes but don't worry about getting lost (you can use the giant ruins on the side of the mountain as your guide).
I should go ahead and clarification now, just the ruins of Devin Castle exist now. The castle has had many different occupants: Romans, Celts, Ottomans. The majority of the damage to the castle occurred when Napoleon I and his troops came through the area after the Seige of Pressburg in 1809. The area that surrounds the ruins is now protected land so even in the dead of winter when I visited, the grounds were kept well.
Just a little factoid to impress your fellow travelers or friends back home: from where Devin Castle sits one can see Austria. While Slovakia was under the Communist rule of Czechoslovakia, one could literally see the curtain of communism. (Okay there wasn't a literal curtain, but you know what I mean)
Since I wanted to make the most of my visit to the Castle and Bratislava, I decided to be at the castle as early as I could. I arrived at the Castle around 10:30 am, and there were only 3 other people there. THREE! That is almost unheard of! I had a lovely bright December day to explore the area. I never had the feeling that I needed to rush, I brought some snacks to just enjoy the grounds and the views from the castle. Ah, and it was glorious! I spent about 2 and a half hours just wondering around the ruins walking in and throughout all the remaining buildings.
There is a town that sits at the bottom of the ruins. However, there wasn't much open when I visited the castle. It is possible that there is more open during the summer. I was visiting the country just a few days before Christmas.
your little mouse
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