Bratislava Main train station (Bratislava hlavná stanica) is the largest railway station of the city of Bratislava. The current building station was built in 1905 in eclectic style. In 1960 it was reconstructed in socialist style. In 1987 a foyer was added to the second building. Bratislava main train station serves many domestic and international routes.
Main railway station in Bratislava is located not far from the city centre. Walk from the train station to the Old Town takes 15-25 minutes. You can take a tram no 1 or bus to the centre of the capital of Slovakia. The station serves as the hub for the local public transport service. Many buses and trolleybuses terminate here as well as almost all of the night buses. There is a tram loop. Ticket vending machines with local public transport tickets are situated at the bus and tram stops in front of the station.
The bus station in Bratislava lies approximately 3 kilometers from the main railway station. There is a bus no 40 to the bus station – journey time is 10 minutes.
Bratislava Main train station is not clean and friendly for passengers. There are many shops, fast-foods and bistros but personally I don’t like this place. There are also many suspicious people, beggars, drunkers and junkies. I don’t recommend stands with fast-food next to the station.
Access to the platform is via tunnel. Platforms are covered. I have no information about lifts.
Bratislava Main train station – facilities
– ticket office
– waiting room
– luggage lockers
– toilet (undeground, access via curved stairs)
– children’s play area
– newsstand
– cafes
– fast-foods
– food and drink vending machines
– taxi rank
– cash dispenser
There are several hotels close to the station, but as an elsewhere in Bratislava, the hotels and hostels are very expensive and have an average value for money.
Bratislava train station – useful websites
Slovak Railways – online shop
Dopravny podnik Bratislava – city public transport operator
Train travel in Slovakia – an ultimate guide
Narrow-gauge railways in Slovakia
Regional trains connect Bratislava with many interesting places but often are overcrowded. There are many trains from Bratislava to Trnava and Trencin. If you want to go to Nitra, you need to change trains in Trnava or Leopoldov. Long-distance trains to Kosice run via Zilina or Zvolen. The first route is faster. There are international trains from Bratislava to Budapest, Brno, Prague, Dresden and Berlin. Cross-border trains to Rajka depart from Bratislava Nove Mesto and Bratislava Petržalka station.
Important note: Cross-border trains from Bratislava to Vienna depart from two railway stations in Bratislava. The first one is Bratislava Main train station (Bratislava hlavná stanica), the second one is Bratislava-Petržalka located on the other part of the city. These stations are connected by bus 93. Sometimes due to engineering works trains from one of the stations are cancelled and at that time you can travel to Vienna only from one of these stations. Currently trains Bratislava – Vienna run from Bratislava Petržalka station but it may change in the future, so check timetable before your journey.
