Bratislava Travel Budget – How Much Does It Cost?

Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and many people visit on a day trip from Vienna. For those wanting to dive a little deeper into Bratislava and the country of Slovakia, they can spend the night, or even longer. It’s cheaper than Vienna and I found it to be an easy on the travel budget (at least as far as European capitals go).

So in this guide, I’m going to break down exactly what I spent on my trip to Slovakia, so you can plan out your own Bratislava travel budget.

About My Trip to Bratislava, Slovakia

My visit to Bratislava was part of a larger trip through Europe. I started in Ljubljana, Slovenia before heading to Vienna, Austria. After Vienna, I had two days in Bratislava before I continued on to Budapest, Hungary where I finished my journey.

I spent three nights in Bratislava but only two days were spent sightseeing. I arrived late in the evening on my first day, so I didn’t do much in Bratislava other than grab dinner and get to my hotel. Then I had one full day in Bratislava and I spent my last day on a day trip to Trenčín and Trnava. After that, I took an early train to Budapest.

About My Travel Style

Before we get started, I want to give a little insight to my travel style. I think this is important as travel styles can vary wildly. Your travel style will dramatically affect your budget. My hope is that you can take my travel style as a base and adjust your budget accordingly.

I travel solo and consider myself to be a budget conscious traveler. I’m not a complete budget traveler because I will pay for some luxuries (having a private room), but I’ll make up the difference in food and transportation costs. For activities, I look for a nice balance between free and paid activities. I don’t want to skip the top sights, but I’m only going to pay for them if it’s something that truly interests me.

A Note

This article will use USD as a base. You will pay for everything in Euros, but I used my credit card for almost every purchase. So, when I went back to look at exactly how much I spent, everything was in USD. You can convert this into your local currency.

Note – At the time of my visit, $1 USD = 0.86 Euros (1 Euro = $1.16 USD)

How Much Did I Spend in Bratislava, Slovakia?

Bratislava Travel Budget Breakdown

Sure, numbers are fine, but lets breakdown each of those categories further to give a little more detail. I’ll also give some ideas for ways you can adjust the Bratislava budget, either to save money or to travel more luxuriously.

Hotels/Accommodation

Like with any other destination, my biggest expense in Bratislava was my accommodation which came out to about $63 per day. I booked a private room that was listed as a shared bathroom. However, when I checked in I found that I did have a private bathroom which was an awesome surprise. The room itself was basic (though objectively big by European standards) but the location was right outside a tram stop and a short ten minute walk to the Old Town. For the money, I was happy with where I stayed.

My accommodation was nothing fancy and if this sounds like your kind of travel, I’d suggest you set aside $75 for your accommodation while determining your Bratislava travel budget.

Adjustments to the Budget

You can absolutely spend more or less than I did. For the budget travelers, a quick search on Hostelworld shows dorm beds for as low as $10 to $15 per night. That will really help make Bratislava a budget destination in Europe.

For higher end travelers, I’d recommend starting your search at around $90. Did I find a private room for less? Yes, but that’s no guarantee. For those comfortable with a private room with a shared bathroom in a good location, $70 is a good starting point. I think with a budget of $90 per night, you’ll be able to find an average private room with private bathroom in a good location. If you’re willing to pay even more, you can find something even more luxurious or in an even more central location in Bratislava’s Old Town.

Transportation

I didn’t use any buses or trams within Bratislava. I walked everywhere which worked well for me. However, I’ll be the first to admit that occasionally there were some longer walks. I don’t think it would be a huge budget breaker to pick up transportation tickets if you need them for those longer walks.

So if I didn’t spend money on buses or trams, what did I spend my money on? My transportation expenses were train tickets for my day trip. For my second full day in Slovakia, I took a day trip where I visited Trenčin and Trnava. I needed three train tickets (Bratislava to Trenčin, Trenčin to Trnava, and Trnava to Bratislava) and paid $16 total for these. I don’t think that this was a bad deal and I’m glad I ventured beyond Bratislava during my time in Slovakia.

Adjustments to the Budget

I think the biggest adjustment is if you plan to use public transportation within Bratislava. I chose to walk everywhere, despite there being a tram stop right outside my hostel. The walks weren’t long so I didn’t find them too bad. But if you don’t mind spending a little extra money, you could look into purchasing a transportation ticket. Tickets are cheap and more information can be found here.

In addition, if you plan additional, or different day trips, make sure to account for the cost of your bus or train tickets. I found train tickets in Slovakia to be very affordable, but you get what you pay for: only one of my trains was on time.

Food

Most of my food in Bratislava was either street food or grocery stores. When I arrived in Bratislava, it was nearly 5:00 pm and I had had a very busy day so I just grabbed a kebab. The next day, I stopped at a park and got a traditional meal of bryndzové halušky (which is small potato dumplings with a sheep’s cheese and small bits of bacon) from a food truck and for dinner, I grabbed a quick slice of pizza. On my third day (my day trip), I grabbed a hamburger in Trenčin before catching the train to Trnava.

I also got some gelato and pastries for breakfast in the morning. All of my other food was supplemented with snacks from the grocery store. My meals weren’t anything fancy or special, but it worked for me and kept my travel budget to an average of about $14 per day.

Adjustments to the Budget

While I ate well in Slovakia, I won’t deny that I stuck to a lot of more budget options. You could go even lower than what I did, especially if you stick to grocery stores exclusively. At a minimum though, I’d recommend at least $10 per day, even for budget travelers. $15 per day allows you to supplement your meals with the occasional street food and I think is a better place to start.

For those looking for more sit down options, I’d budget higher at closer to $25 per day. That would get you a morning pastry, one good meal in an average restaurant, and allow you to supplement anything additional with food from a grocery store. Of course you can go higher that that still.

Activities

I didn’t spend a lot of money on activities while I was in Slovakia. In Bratislava, I didn’t pay for any sights. That’s not to say that there aren’t any sights, but nothing jumped out at me like it does in other large cities. If I’m going to spend money on an entrance fee, I want it to be something I’m excited about. I was content to wander the Old Town, hike up to the Bratislava Castle for photos, and walk along the river.

In Trenčin, I paid for entrance into the castle. I had debated about whether or not I would do it, but in the end, I realized I hadn’t spent any money on activities while in Slovakia, so why not splurge the $11 on the castle. I will say that the views from the top were great, though it wasn’t my favorite castle ever. So while I know this goes against my prior statement of only paying for sights I’m excited about, I don’t consider this wasted money.

Adjustments to the Budget

There are a handful of sights you could visit in Bratislava, so if any of the sights jump out at you, make sure to include them in the budget. In general though, there aren’t as many major sights as there in nearby cities like Budapest or Vienna, so the activity portion of your Bratislava travel budget will likely be lower than in other cities.

A Reminder About Inflation

Naturally, prices tend to go up as time goes on. I traveled in October 2025 though I do my best to update this article and keep it current.

Final Thoughts

Bratislava isn’t my very city in Europe, but I can’t deny that it was one of the more budget friendly European capitals that I’ve visited. Your money can go further here and that can allow you to visit more of the sights. So whether you’re interested in Slovakia or looking for a more budget friendly location to balance out a larger trip, I hope this Bratislava travel budget helps you plan your trip.

Continue Your Adventure

Bratislava, Slovakia: Learn how to spend one day in Bratislava.

Czech Republic: Nearby is the Czech Republic whose capital of Prague is a favorite among travelers. Kutná Hora makes a great day trip.

Nearby: Vienna, Austria is a common day trip, but can also be visited separately. Many visitors combine a trip to Vienna with Budapest, Hungary which is just three hours by train.