The castle itself isn’t all that impressive. It has been heavily renovated a number of times, was left as a ruin for years, almost demolished and then restored. It hosts the Slovakian national history museum which is pretty interesting, but that’s all there is to see inside. No period rooms, or furnishings, or things one often encounters in European castles. You can enter and walk through the castle grounds and gardens (which are very pleasant), enjoy beautiful views of the Danube and the city of Bratislava, and even enter the castle inner courtyard itself without any charge. There is an admission charge for the museum, which is the only way to get inside the rooms of the castle or to get up to the main tower. We thought that it was a worthwhile visit — particularly for the grounds and the views — and that the museum was interesting. If you walk to the castle from Old Town, the shortest way is up the steps which start on the other side of the bridge across from St. Martin’s Cathedral, but it’s a lot of steps. It’s a bit longer walk if you take the walk along the road that circles around the castle from the north (Zamoca) but that’s a gradual incline — not steps. There are WCs and a restaurant on the castle grounds. The museum took us about an hour. Walking the grounds and gardens was another 45 minutes.

Fascinating history and lovely tour! Worth the light walk to the top- beautiful views. You will see the river below, town and landscape from the castle. Them wander through the peaceful lanes. Enjoy a bit of shopping, a coffee, or a delicious meal! There's lots to see in Bratislava!

We were last here a few years ago and found that experience mildly interesting but not exceptional. This time was very different. First of all, the whole place seemed brighter and more beautiful, with everything looking newly painted and polished up. Everything just gleamed. Secondly, the castle now offered a host of interesting and very well curated new exhibitions that featured high-quality English translations, among the best I've seen lately. Real effort appears to have been made to create displays that are appealing and understandable to the wide of visitors who walk the steep hill, hoping the end result will be worth it. Now, it definitely is. I have to add that one of the most charming experiences here was being able to walk through so many narrow, steep (whether up or down) "atmospheric" pathways to move around the castle. It was rather like a game: "hey, wonder where THIS one will take me?!." The big payoff came, of course, when we finally reached the top and saw the beautiful of castle turrets and the glorious views of old Bratislava opening beyond, all the way to high hills beyond the urban center. Among the exhibitions we saw, I found the small one with photos and biographies of Slovak partisan-patriots who died for their country to be very poignant and memorable. That, and all the gold: there is just heaps of it here, all very highly polished, a treat for both the eye and the imagination. If you are travelling with children, be assured that they are welcome here, and there is a small place, just for them, that I think they will enjoy.

Ok to visit while in Bratislava There is free entry to the Castle grounds and gardens and the view of the Danube but not too much there to do unless you pay a visit to the museum. It’s still worth the trip in my opinion. There are different routes to reach the castle either the reasonable steep one from the Historic district or the route bus which is less steep and takes you to the main entry.

The castle is an interesting visit and definitely recommend it. There is a lot about the history of Slovakia and Bratislava, interesting materials and a lot to see. One downside is that it could definitely use a more structured visit system (a route, for example) or better mapping. But otherwise, definitely worth a visit.

We were on a day trip from Vienna and the Flixbus stops conveniently at the base of the castle hill. Before you start the climb, you have to walk across the bus station to get to the footbridge which crosses the busy main road. Once on the other side, ignore the steps (unless you're fit!) and take the road to the left of the pretty yellow house. It's a fairly steep slope but nowhere near as bad as the steps. As you climb, there is a great view of the UFO Bridge crossing the Danube. Once you're through the gate you can again choose a set of zigzag stairs or a slope to walk up to the outer courtyard. The ticket office is on the right and is not that obvious on a bitterly cold day when they have the door shut! Once inside the castle, there is an attended cloakroom or just to the left in an alcove, there are lockers which you will need a Euro to operate but it is refunded. The first area has displays about the history of the castle and it's restoration. However the gorgeous white and gold staircases lead you to beautiful state rooms with collections of religious figures, nativity scenes and artifacts that have been found at the castle and it's environs. A trip up to the tower is yet another steep climb but worth it for the fine 360 degree views. Finally there are gardens and statuary but given the sub zero temperatures and a strong wind, we didn't linger.

We walked to the castle on foot. Its like a 15 minute hike and its really nice. On the hill you can look around the castle for free. Inside you have to pay for the museum. If you have the bratislava card, the museum is included, so you don’t need to pay. Inside there are many interesting things to see - history of Slovakia…

The castle, it’s views and grounds were a really nice surprise in their splendour but I recommend you give yourself plenty of time as the castle is huge. I walked over several floors from underground foundations including Roman, to the top of one of the towers. The walkways were never ending with room after room to explore and several times not knowing if I was making my way round in any particular order however that said it was well worth the visit with some fascinating history!

Outwardly, the castle is mainly from the 17th century onwards but go inside and down into the basement and you encounter the medieval and even Roman ruins beneath. I was surprised that nobody else seemed to realise this. There's even traces of the Celtic fortress that was once here, destroyed by Roman legions. At ground floor level, it's a bit bland and that might put people off. They should rethink the exhibits to draw visitors in a bit more. The shop and cafe were closed, which was disappointing.

This visit was a must and we weren't disappointed. Simply fabulous. We visited on a particularly cold and snow covered day. But I think that just made the experience even better. We didn't book a tour and just made our own way around, everyone was so helpful and friendly. We stopped in the little cafe while there and the hot chocolate is highly recommended. This landmark is a must if you visit Bratislava.