Pint-sized Bratislava has the unique distinction of being the only capital city in the world wedged by three countries. Just inside the border of Slovakia, the city is also sandwiched by Austria and Hungary. You can lay your eyes on those three countries from various perches around town. 

Bratislava’s old town is a little bon-bon, a perfectly formed tangle of twisting cobbled streets, studded with pastel-hued 18th century buildings. But far from simply being an urban relic from a bygone age, the Slovakian capital has an unmistakably cosmopolitan, contemporary feel and quirky personality, best exemplified by its infatuating public art installations.  

Introducing Kumil the Watcher. It’s my favourite piece of street sculpture, a headliner in the old town’s well-studded art trail. Installed nearly thirty years ago, Kumil is a road worker peering out from a manhole, all rendered in bronze. After coming close to being beheaded by several cars who inadvertently drove over him, a “Man at Work” road sign was added for Kumil’s self-preservation. The sculpture speaks to the city’s cheerful demeanour, as it emerged from the long shadows of the Iron Curtain.   

Kumil the Watcher. Photo / Supplied

A similarly unexpected and unforgettable folly is the UFO Tower – perhaps the Communists’ greatest contribution to the city, in contrast to their swathe of brutalist tenement blocks. Bratislava straddles both sides of the Danube, and rising above the southern bank is the UFO, a futuristic statement tower, crowning the Novy Most (New Bridge), and proud to be the tiniest member of the World Federation of Great Towers. You can zip up the shuddering elevator to the roof-top observation deck, to see Austria and Hungary, before retreating inside the UFO disc for a drink. Locals advised me not to bother with the food in the restaurant. “The view is great, but the food is lousy.” Another brazen hand-me-down from the Cold War era is the Radio building. It’s the most bizarre Soviet architectural statement, an upside-down pyramid, descending into a massive concrete block. Built between the 1960s and ‘80s, the Slovak Radio building is a brutalist scene-stealer. 

You’ll be looking directly across the river to the leading city landmark, Bratislava Castle. The original foundations were laid in the 9th century, although fortifications on the hill-top site reach back to the Roman age. The castle is home to various museums, but it’s the ornate gardens that are particularly eye-catching. Aside from the castle, scale the hill, which strategically lies between the Alps and Carpathians, or the knock-out view. On a clear day, you can actually see Slovakia all around you, Austria to the west and Hungary to the southeast. Bratislava has the unique distinction of being the only capital city to be flanked by three countries. The current building, a boxy four-towered rectangle, is a 1950s reconstruction of Emperor Sigismund’s fifteenth-century castle, which was destroyed by fire in 1811.  

Bratislava Castle. Photo / Supplied

But it’s the Old Town where you’ll want to linger most, a showcase of the mastery of Slovak town planners, who somehow jam-packed a whole city’s worth of churches, shops, palaces and museums into a handful of blocks. The district is smaller than Prague's Old Town, but uncannily similar, with winding cobblestone lanes hiding gothic churches and elegant residences. I loved the Primates' Palace, a stirring architectural monument, worth an exploratory for the glinting Hall of Mirrors and the adjacent English tapestries which date to the 17th century. The Hall of Mirrors is where Napoleon and Austrian Emperor Franz I signed their peace treaty in 1805. It was only when the palace was being restored in 1903 that the English tapestries were discovered, concealed behind the plaster. The palace also brims with large oil portraits of Hapsburg royalty, including one from 1742 of Maria Theresa at her coronation.  

The showpiece entry point into the Old Town is St. Michael’s Gate, with its onion-domed copper tower. Look carefully and you’ll notice that gracing the top is a statue of archangel Michael slaying a dragon. Originally built in Gothic style in the 14th century, it was later adapted to Baroque style 300 years later, and is the only surviving medieval gateway, which is adjoined by stately Baroque buildings, including Mozart House, where the six-year-old Mozart performed for the city elites.  

St Michael's Gate in Old Town. Photo / Mike Yardley

It’s a great street to enjoy a restorative plop at a pavement café, where exotically flavoured fizzy drinks are all the rage like lavender lemonade. Try it - you might like it. Other essential sights include St. Martin’s Cathedral, with its distinctive blue spire. It’s where 19 Hungarian kings and emperors had their coronation, when Bratislava became the Hungarian capital, following the Ottoman conquest of Budapest. Present-day Slovakia was part of the Kingdom of Hungary for nearly a thousand years up until the end of WWI, when it became part of Czechoslovakia. 

You’ll also enjoy admiring the neo-renaissance magnificence of the silver-roofed Slovak National Theatre, a beautiful building, bracketed by frothy fountains. An art nouveau landmark for the tick-list is the Blue Church, officially known as the Church of St Elizabeth of Hungary. Just over 100 years old, both the interior and exterior of the church are painted in shades of pale blue and decorated with blue majolica tiles; even the roof is tiled with the soothing blue-glazed ceramics.  

Local hospitality? Here’s a few taste tempters that I happily grazed from across Bratislava. On the main road to Bratislava Castle, you’ll find Kava Bar, an eclectic hangout that looks part-hipster, part Viennese coffee house. Housed on the ground floor of a Soviet-era apartment block, it sports an expansive coffee menu, with a fun and quirky décor, complete with vintage cups and saucers. Slovakia’s national dish would have to be Halušky, gnocchi-like potato dumplings smothered in melted sheep’s cheese and a sprinkling of fried bacon. It’s not exactly Michelin-star material but undeniably satisfying. You’ll easily find the dish on the menus of most cheap and cheerful pubs.  

I’m a walkover for anywhere that offers great cakes and pastries, but if there is one unmissable stop in Bratislava, it would have to be Konditorei Kormuth, which turns 200 years old next year. With a full-size mannequin of Hapsburg Queen Maria Theresia, this cake and coffee shop resembles a rococo jewel box, with vivid wall and ceiling Renaissance frescoes, antique furniture, exquisite carvings and retro china. The sumptuous interior is just the start of the sweet seduction. It’s the cakes that people come for, freshly baked every day and steeped in traditional recipes from the Austro-Hungarian empire. My eyes drooled over the vast cabinet of confections, intricate edible art works like the swan-shaped choux buns, which are composed of choux pastry and caramel cream. Officially known as Saint Honore Creams, these delicate treats look almost too good to eat – but I happily did. Two other recommendations - the Dobos torte with its six layers of chocolate and buttercream; and rum cake crowned with berries.  

Cake heaven at Konditorei Kormuth. Photo / Mike Yardley

Beyond the city, take a side trip on Slovakia's wine trail which stretches north of Bratislava through the small Carpathian mountains, which fringe the city. The wine route has morphed tremendously in recent years. If you’re short on time, but wish to sample the local vino, head to the city’s Museum of Viticulture. It actually beckons more like a potential binge-drinking spot than a museum, because the basement tasting room boasts the chance to taste 72 wines in 100 minutes, for 30 Euro. Host responsibility seems to have missed Slovakia. One of the best grape varietals worth a sample is Tokaj (pronounced toe-kai), very popular in Hungary, and also widely grown in Slovakia. It is a rich, sweet dessert wine. Salute! 

I recently visited Bratislava as part of Trafalgar’s 10-day Imperial Europe tour. Tour Differently. Travelling with Trafalgar means you won’t just see the world – but you’ll experience it with authenticity to the fore, from the must-sees to hidden secrets, and those priceless encounters with the locals. Plus, you’ll have plenty of flexitime for your own personal discoveries. Call 0800 484 333, visit trafalgar.com or see your local Travel Agent. 

Mike Yardley is our resident traveller and can be heard on Newstalk ZB at 11.20am on Saturday Mornings with Jack Tame.