Private Bratislava Tour - Essence of Slovakia

Slovakia is gifted with a unique position in the centre of Europe and Bratislava is the only European Capital at the border of two other countries. Many tribes and ethnic groups settled in this area but Slavs became the winners of the two millennia long struggle for the control of ancient gates between East and West, North and South. Life at the crossroad was prosperous in peaceful times but horrible in troubled times of which many castles, fortifications and battlefields bear a silent testimony. Celts, Romans, Slavs, Magyars, Slovaks, Germans, Czechs, Jews, Turks and other nations left their footprints in this small area. It was significantly shaped by Catholicism, Protestantism, Austro-Hungarian monarchy, two centuries of long struggle against Islamic armies of Ottoman Turks, democratic Czechoslovakia and communism. We will taste all this in a one day tour. It is like our favourite meal - goulash - many ingredients mixed in one cauldron.

- pick up the the Main Train Station, port or in your hotel - guided tour of the Bratislava Castle - Celtic, Roman, Slavic, Magyar heritage - first panoramic views - Calvary - a catholic pilgrimage shrine that communists tried to erase from the local landscape - Slavin War Cemetery and Memorial - witness of a coming communist rule after WW2 - amazing views of Bratislava - lunch in a traditional Slovak restaurant in the countryside - the Devin Castle - a spectacular medieval castle on the steep rock about the Danube and the Morava Rivers' confluence. Place full of fascinating history and outstanding views. - guided tour of the Old Town with its highlights - St Martin's Cathedral, Franciscan Church, Old Town Hall, Hviezdoslav Square, Archbishop's Palace - end of the tour in the oldest cafe in Bratislava