Day and Night
Bratislava, a great place to chill during the day, takes on a new face when the sun goes down. Whether your particular thing is techno or jungle music, sipping cocktails or rocking the night away, there is a scene for you.
The city’s nightlife includes an established clubbing culture with DJs and live music. Hotspots can be found mostly in the area around Michalská, Obchodná and Ventúrska streerts as well as Hviezdoslavovo and Župné. Those whose tastes tend toward alternative rock will not want to miss Bratislava’s famous Subclub tucked away in a bunker beneath Bratislava Castle. And for those seeking the hip multicultural scene a hub is emerging on Karpatská Street, which is home to about a half dozen bars and clubs where a variety of subcultures congregate.
During the daylight hours, juice jockies can get their fill of adrenalin sports. Whether it’s bungee jumping off Bratislava’s Lafranconi Bridge, a 25-metre-high plummet towards the water, or zorbing down a hillside in Action Park, adrenalin nuts can find lots to get their hearts pumping. And those venturing outside the city limits will find a full range of fast-pased water sports at Čunovo.
While some people come to Bratislava to explore the capital’s historical and cultural sites and the city’s exceptional architecture, for those who prefer adrenalin-pumped activities, Bratislava offers a range of extreme sports and a vibrant night-time scene.
Do you fancy viewing the city upside down? Then bungee jumping over the Danube is the answer – with its 25-metre-high plummet. Tumbling down a hill in a giant plastic balloon? No problem!
Or do you prefer getting wet? Then the experiences on offer at Čunovo, Slovakia’s paradise for water sports is for you. At Cunovo, you can try canoeing, kayaking, surfing, wave-boarding and white water rafting. The area, known as Divoká Voda, was first opened in 1995 and since then has hosted many prestigious European and World canoeing and kayaking events. No other place in Slovakia offers a better rafting ride than Čunovo, and newcomers are as welcome as the experienced rafters. One-hour raft trips are available (a raft can take up to six people plus an instructor). Rafting is a great team-building exercise as it requires cooperation from its participants and respect for all the safety rules.
Not far from Divoká Voda is Action Park, another centre for extreme and unusual sports. Here, the adventurous adrenalin-nut can try “zorbing”– think of standing in a giant bubble and running down a hill.
Bratislava, charming and chill during the day, becomes a totally different place at night. The clubbing scene is lively. Pick your poison and your choice of venue and off you go! Find an intimate spot where you can sip a dry martini whilst having a great conversation for hours, or choose a more vivid spot, where you can dance wildly into the early hours. Rumours have it that visitors of Vienna get often lured to cross the border to party at the Bratislava’s hotspots, which can be found in the Old Town scattered across the Michalská, Obchodná and Ventúrska streets as well as Hviezdoslavovo and Župné squares. The Old Town is full of clubs and music bars with live musicians or great DJs.
For a club with a difference, visit the former military bunkers beneath Bratislava Castle. It is one of the city’s most unusual night spot, a mainstay of Slovak nightclubs for two generations. Known across the Europe for its deep, loud and steady rumble, here the founding fathers of a vibrant underground culture dust off their vinyl to work the crowd. Subclub, formerly known also as U Club, started out as a venue for alternative rock concerts, where the audience sat on empty beer crates. As the club grew popular, more and more DJs were invited to play sets here and the cornerstone of the Slovak techno, house, drum ‘n’ bass, and jungle music scene was born.
One of the founders of Subclub, Tibor Holoda, is also behind the Wilsonic electronic music festival, held in Bratislava every June. The festival and its spin-off club nights are a showcase for upcoming trends in the electronic dance music and present a fusion of old and new genres, mixing tradition with experimentation.
And finally, hipster movement is on the rise too. A new multicultural hub is emerging on Karpatská Street, housing half a dozen number of cool bars and clubs, where a variety of subcultures congregates. A similar place can be found on Nedbalova Street, in the city centre. The cultural centre Dunaj in the town centre is another cool spot, with its live concerts, club nights, literature, visual arts, theatre and discussions evenings. The bar and the top-floor terrace offers great views of the castle and the Old Town.
Chill by day and smokin‘ hot at night, Bratislava is fast earning a reputation as one of Central Europe’s best youth scenes.
