Bratislava's old town is small enough to cover on foot in a single day, but the city rewards those who dig deeper. Beyond the castle and the main square, there are peculiar bronze statues around every corner, Cold War relics hidden in the surrounding hills, a Blue Church that looks like it belongs in a fairy tale, and a bar scene that runs long and cheap by European standards.
Start at Bratislava Castle for the overview, then drop down into the medieval lanes around St Martin's Cathedral and the Main Square. The Primate's Palace is a short walk east. Cross the Danube on Most SNP for the view back at the city. For something less expected, hunt down Cumil the sewer worker emerging from a grate on Laurinská Street, or the cannonball still embedded in the wall of the Old Town Hall.
The Slavín Memorial on the hill north of the old town gives both panoramic views and a sobering reckoning with the city's 20th-century history.