About the City Center Running Tour

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This 7-11km tour will bring to the the most visited places in Bratislava. We will warm up along the river Danube, first check the most modern part of Bratislava - Eurovea, New building of Slovak National Theather, then continue to the old town and Bratislava Castle.

Bratislava castle

Bratislava Castle is the main castle of Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. The massive rectangular building with four corner towers stands on an isolated rocky hill of the Little Carpathians directly above the Danube river in the middle of Bratislava. Because of its size and location, it has been a dominant feature of the city for centuries. The location provides excellent views of Bratislava, Austria and, in clear weather, parts of Hungary. Many legends are connected with the history of the castle.

River Danube

The Danube is a river in Central and Eastern Europe, the European Union's longest and the continent's second longest.

Eurovea

Eurovea is a business, retail and residential centre in Bratislava, Slovakia, located near the Apollo bridge and Tower 115 building. Eurovea connects the Danube riverbank with the city center and offers many stores and leisure time facilities. The centre also includes offices, apartments, and a Sheraton hotel. Almost two thirds of the Eurovea area are covered by green and public areas. It belongs to the city. It opened to the public on March 26th, 2010.

Blue church

The Church of St. Elizabeth, commonly known as Blue Church (Modry kostolik), is a Hungarian Secessionist (Jugendstil) Catholic church located in the eastern part of the Old Town in Bratislava, Slovakia. The fasade was at first painted with light pastel colours. Later the church got its characteristic blue colour. A line of blue tiles and wave-strip encircles the church.

Main Square

Hlavne namestie (literally "Main Square") is one of the best known squares in Bratislava, Slovakia. It is located in the Old Town and it is often considered to be the center of the city. Some of the main landmarks found in the square are the Old Town Hall and Roland Fountain.

Michals Gate

Michael's Gate is the only city gate that has been preserved of the medieval fortifications and ranks among the oldest town buildings. Built about the year 1300, its present shape is the result of baroque reconstructions in 1758, when the statue of St. Michael and the Dragon was placed on its top. The tower houses the Exhibition of Weapons of Bratislava City Museum.

St. Martin's Cathedral

The St. Martin's Cathedral (Slovak: Katedrala svateho Martina, German: Kathedrale des Heiligen Martin) is a church in Bratislava, Slovakia, and the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bratislava. It is situated at the western border of the historical city center below Bratislava Castle. It is the largest and finest, as well as one of the oldest churches in Bratislava, known especially for being the coronation church of the Kingdom of Hungary between 1563 and 1830 and is one of two Hungarian Gothic minsters today's in Slovakia.

St. Stefan Church

Capuchin complex in Bratislava is one of the most important architectural monuments. Interesting is its history, unique architectural form and interior furnishings, reflecting orders of magnitude habits. Kapucinska street has one of the best views on the Bratislava Castle

National Theathre - The old building

The Neo-Renaissance building was built in 1885-1886 during the time of Austria-Hungary, based on a design by the Viennese architects Fellner & Helmer, who designed theatre buildings in 10 European countries. The building has housed Slovak National Theatre ensembles since 1920, but today only the opera and ballet ensembles are resident. It was restored between 1969 and 1972, when a new modern technical building was added behind the old building. It features a unique lustre (a special ball) with 2532 bulbs enabling the creation of millions of combinations of light pictures based on a selected programme.

National Theathre - The new building

The design of the new building was begun in the early 1980s, and construction started in 1986. Due to a lack of funds, the building was under construction (with long interruptions) for 21 years. The building was finally opened on April 14, 2007 and it houses all three ensembles of the Slovak National Theatre, although the ensembles continue to use the old building in the Old Town in parallel. The building is designed to hold 1700 spectators at a time in its three sections.

National Council

The main parliament building is situated next to the Bratislava Castle on the castle hill. The building is insufficiently large to accommodate all officials and representatives. This is because it was built during the Czechoslovak period, when the legislature usually met in Prague. The secondary parliament building, which was the main building until 1994, is situated next to the Trinitarian Church below the castle hill in Bratislava.

Grassalkovich Palace

The Grassalkovich Palace (Slovak: Grasalkovicov palac) is a palace in Bratislava and the residence of the president of Slovakia. It is situated on Hodzovo namestie, near the Summer Archbishop's Palace.