After challenging couple of days we finally arrived in Slovakia on Friday. We left home at 3 AM to arrive in Bratislava at lunchtime. We had a lunch date with our friends, but we also had a bit of time to explore the old town and enjoy the atmosphere of the Christmas market there. It was a long drive and we were tired, but we were still excited to be back in Slovakia.
I haven't been to the Christmas market in Bratislava before and I was honestly surprised to see how well it was organized. The organizers kept some traditional elements which was great as even though it is a commercial event it was somehow genuine as well.
Let's have a look!
We started our tour at Hviezdoslavovo n谩mestie, right in front of the old theatre. There was a large elegant Christmas tree in the middle of the square. It looked like it was a meeting point too as we saw many groups gathering next to it. There were also groups of school classes that took turns and the kids sat underneath the Christmas tree for group photos.
The rest of the square was full of stands where people enjoyed their food and drinks.
From there we continued to Hlavn茅 n谩mestie or the Main square where we were welcomed by the statue of Sch枚ne N谩ci. It's a life-sized statue of a beloved Pressburg's (this is how Bratislava was called in the past) resident called Ign谩c Lam谩r. Ign谩c was a kind man from a poor shoemaker family. Often, he didn't have money to buy food, but he always made sure to dress properly and spread smiles in the streets of Bratislava. He was famous for taking off his hat and bowing in front of ladies. He greeted them with Ruky bozk谩vam which translates to I kiss your hands. This is how gentlemen greeted ladies in the past. The smiling statue was created in his memory so that he can keep spreading smiles forever.
Hlavn茅 n谩mestie was full of Christmas stalls. I was surprised to see that there were not so many stalls with traditional arts and crafts, but their focus was on food. There was so much food and drinks! In Switzerland, we could count the types of mulled wine on one hand, and in Bratislava we saw at least twenty. One of them was called 'liquid jumper' - whatever that means 馃槉
It looked like a cute Christmas village...
Right in front of The Old Town Hall was this beautiful Christmas tree. I liked that its decoration was rather simple with some lights and traditional Slovak ornaments painted on wood.
As this part of the Christmas market focused on food there were many covered stands for food and drinks around the main square. We were surprised to see how clean it all was. There were many people walking around and collecting trash, and there were also several stations where you could separate your trash. There was always somebody who could help you with the separation if you were not sure. It was greatly organized.
It was almost lunchtime and more and more people were coming...
It was also not too cold, so it was a great time to meet friends outside.
After Christmas, the tree will be sent to the local zoo to feed animals.
We continued to Primaci谩lny pal谩c or The Primate's Palace which is only a few steps away from the main square, and the atmosphere there was very different. It was called The cosy zone and it focused on people who don't like crowds, but still want to enjoy the atmosphere of the Christmas market. You can get your food and drink at the main square, and come here to enjoy it away from the crowds. What a great idea!
We also walked through The Christmas Forest which is an amazing project organized by the city. The trees are decorated with handmade ornaments by children from local elementary, art and special schools, and later donated to various charitable institutions or families that cannot afford one. The visitors can vote which tree should be donated where.
Then we walked to Franti拧k谩nske n谩mestie or The Franciscan Square where the concerts of new artists and literal events are organized. There is a program for the entire holidays season and you can join whichever event you like for free. There are also readings from children's book and as the drinks are sold only a couple of steps away I can imagine that many families are using this opportunity. Kids enjoy the reading and their parents can enjoy some mulled wine.
There is a 'cloudy' platform for the performing artists...
All trees are decorated with the fairy lights. It must be so pretty at night.
Let's walk around a bit more before going for lunch...
It looks like it was the evening already, but it only became temporarily dark because of the dark clouds...
Good food, Christmas carols, lots of chatter - the only thing missing was a bit of snow...
We met our friends in Brixton which is one of the coolest restaurants that we have ever visited. There are various 'rooms', and you can either go for lunch or simply enjoy a drink after work.
Each part looks like a different restaurant...
Or a trendy living room...
We took the brunch menu which included this delicious avocado toast with chips from purple potatoes. It was yum!
We spent about 2 hours with our friends, and then we had to leave as we had a few more hours of driving ahead of us.
The Christmas market in Bratislava might not be as popular as Christmas markets in other European cities, but it is definitely worth a visit. There are various stands across the old town, so it doesn't get too crowded, and I'm sure that everyone will find something to enjoy there.
See you next time!
