Bratislava

Bratislava is a small and pretty quiet city for a capital. As many other Eastern European cities it is severely underrated, underappreciated, and under-visited. There are very few tourists there, you can hardly see them at all outside of the narrow cobbled streets of the Old Town. And not that many locals around either.

Yet, there are plenty of cafés and restaurants of all kinds, and they are mostly full on a hot Summer night. Museums, galleries, and event centers are numerous too. As in any capital cities, there is always something going on in Bratislava. On my very short and poorly planed visit I accidentally stumbled upon a street food festival and tried Bryndzové halušky so slaninkou — a local take on gnocchi.

What makes Bratislava stand out from the rest of Eastern European cities is amazing bicycle infrastructure. Bike lanes are ubiquitous, well planned, and well used. It also a perfectly walk-able city, even by European standards.