Beautiful Christmas market in Bratislava in Slovakia

Every year in December I catch it again – the Christ market fever. I have already visited many Christmas markets in Berlin and now I’m attracted by Christmas markets in other parts of the world.

This year, it was the Christmas Market Bratislava! Our visit to Bratislava was ideally timed for a visit to the Christmas market. The market is traditionally held in December but started a little early in November, just in time for the first Advent. It is open daily.

A wide panoramic view of the Christmas Market in Bratislava, featuring rows of red and white striped wooden stalls and crowds of people gathered in the historic city square. The market is framed by elegant, multi-story European buildings under an overcast sky.

The squares Hlavné, Františkánske and Hviezdoslavovo námestie in the old town of Bratislava are transformed into a beautiful, small Christmas market with an ice rink to skate on. Small wooden houses are built as stalls where you can buy not only delicious treats but also pieces of local craftsmanship. The usual caps and socks are also available of course. On two large stages a Christmas show programme can be enjoyed.

A night view of the Christmas Market in Bratislava, featuring festive stalls with red-and-white striped roofs and a tall, illuminated clock tower rising into the dark sky.

A tall, brightly lit Christmas tree covered in white lights and large glowing ornaments stands in the center of the Bratislava Christmas Market at night, surrounded by historic buildings and a crowd of people.

We first checked out the marked on the early afternoon of our first day. It was still quite empty. What immediately caught our attention – the mulled wine! Here a true variety of hot grog, punch, Christmas meal and mulled wine is offered. Some booths, fortunately, had English descriptions on the menus so that we had some help in the decision-making process. My absolute favourite was Mojito-mulledwine!

A festive Glühweinstand at the Bratislava Christmas Market features a red and white wooden stall topped with a "Punčový Raj" sign and decorated with evergreen garlands and red bows. The stall offers various types of punch and mulled wine, with menus in Slovak displayed alongside large metal dispensers and colorful mugs.

A row of large stainless steel dispensers at the Bratislava Christmas Market offers traditional holiday drinks like Glühwein, Christmas punch, and fruit tea. The dispensers are lined up on a dark counter, each featuring a festive label with a red plaid heart.

If one is on a quest for the usual sweets found on traditional German Christmas markets, such as caramelised almonds or gingerbread, they will not find those here. Instead, wafers, honey cakes and, above all, sweet egg pancakes (pancakes, rolled, filled with, for example, coconut or poppy seeds) are sold. The lovers of hearty food are pampered with giant potato pancakes, dark (very greasy) bratwurst, lard-onion-bread, roasted pig or bread filled with chicken or pork.

A stack of crispy, golden-brown Kartoffelpuffer rests on a metal cooling rack at a food stall during the Christmas Market in Bratislava.

A display case at the Christmas Market in Bratislava is filled with stacks of rolled eierkuchen, some plain and others topped with a generous layer of shredded cheese.

When darkness fell over the Christmas market in Bratislava, it slowly became busier, but still not overcrowded. We comfortably had access to all stalls and attractions when we wanted to. The Christmas market Bratislava maybe isn’t the most beautiful Christmas market. But I enjoyed it a lot and for me, it was worth the visit.

Opening hours:

Daily from 10 am to 10 pm
ATTENTION! Many of the craftsmen stalls were already closed at 8 pm

Published 5 December 2015

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