By Plane -- Bratislava's regional airport (letisko), M.R. Stefánik Airport (tel. 02/3303-3353; www.letiskobratislava.sk) is 9km (5 miles) northeast of the city. Czech Airlines/CSA (www.csa.cz) maintains regular air service to and from Prague. Budget carrier SkyEurope (www.skyeurope.sk) flies to several European capitals, including London, Paris, Amsterdam, and Rome, and several smaller European cities. Other airlines that fly to Bratislava include Austrian Air and Lufthansa. Vienna's Schwechat airport (tel. 431-7007-22233; www.viennaairport.com), 67km (40 miles) west of Bratislava, offers the most flight options, and remains the only option for direct flights from North America. Bratislava is a 70-minute bus ride away.
By Train -- Regular train service links Bratislava with Vienna (1 hr.), Prague (5-6 hr.) and Budapest (3 hr.). For exact times, check the Slovak State Railway's (ZSR) (tel. 02/2029-1111; www.zsr.sk) online timetable (use "Praha" to search for Prague, "Wien" to search for Vienna, and so on). Most international trains arrive at Bratislava's centrally located Hlavná Stanica (Predstanicne nám. 1; tel. 02/18188), about 20 minutes by tram or 10 minutes by taxi to the Old Town.
By Bus -- The Slovak national bus carrier, SAD (tel. 02/5556-7349; www.sad.sk), together with the Europe-wide consortium of bus operators, Eurolines (www.eurolines.com), maintains regular long-distance bus service from Bratislava to a number of European capitals and other cities, though this service is coming under increasing competition from budget airlines. Bratislava's bus station is at Mlynské nivy 31.
By Car -- Bratislava lies on a main central European motorway, linking Prague with Budapest. The drive to Bratislava from Prague (320km/200 miles) will take 3 to 4 hours, depending on traffic. From Budapest (250km/155 miles) expect to drive about 3 hours. The drive from Vienna (70km/42 miles) will take about 1 hour, but try to avoid travel on Fridays to miss frequent preweekend backups at the border crossing. Note that you will have to buy a special sticker to drive on Slovak highways. The sticker, available at the border crossings and at major gas stations, costs 150 Sk ($5/£2.75) for 1 week, and 300 Sk ($10/£5) for a month. If you rent a car in Slovakia, the rental should include a valid highway sticker.
By Boat -- It's possible to travel between Bratislava and Vienna by high-speed catamaran (about 75 min.). Check Twin City Liner tel. 0903/610-716; www.twincityliner.com). Boats depart from the main dock area on Rásuzovo náb, just behind the Devin Hotel. Fares average about 729 Sk ($25/£13) one-way. Regular ferry service is also available to Vienna and Budapest (about 4-5 hr. away). Contact LOD (tel. 02/529-3222; www.lod.sk).
