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Bored with Barcelona? Apathetic about Amsterdam? Blase about Berlin? Why not visit somewhere totally different – Bratislava?

Slovakia’s capital doesn’t have the notoriety of its more famous neighbour Prague – and it doesn’t have the hordes of tourists either. Instead it offers a pretty river setting, lively nightlife, and a mixture of 18th century spires with socialist-era monuments.

It’s a fascinating and fun city to explore and this Big Deal takes you there with direct flights from Edinburgh and three night’s central accommodation.

With a number of flights leaving between March and May, this deal would also make a great gift.

Flights dates

The city breaks are for three nights. Flights are with Ryanair from Edinburgh International, departing the following dates:

7th, 14th, 21st, 28th March

4th April

16th May

March flights leave Edinburgh at 17:40 and arrive in Bratislava at 21:20. Coming home, flights depart Bratislava at 10:35 and arrive in Edinburgh at 12:25.

April and May flights depart 20:40 and arrive 00:20 (private transfers are available to book). Inbound flights depart 10:45 and arrive 12:25.

Flight times may change and will be confirmed at time of booking.

Four star accommodation

This deal includes a three night stay in the four star Apollo Hotel. The hotel is located between the city’s Old Town and Business District and is walking distance to a number of attractions, such as the new Slovak National Theatre, the Eurovea Shopping Centre and the Danube river.

All rooms in the Apollo Hotel have free WiFi, air conditioning, satellite TV, a mini bar and complimentary bottled water and coffee and tea making facilities.

The hotel also has a restaurant serving a range of international dishes, a lobby bar, a summer terrace, a salt cave, a fitness centre and a Finnish sauna which is available at additional cost.

Explore Bratislava

With baroque palaces, fairytale cobbled streets (and cool Socialist-era architecture) Bratislava is a fascinating city to explore.

Visitors can sip a flavoured fresh lemonade in the pavement cafes or hit the bars for very affordable local beer and wine.

There’s also plenty of museums and art galleries to explore.

Happy guests

Apollo Hotel has welcomed many happy guests. The hotel currently has an average rating of four stars out of five from 763 reviews.

Recent reviews, edited for length, say:

‘Our usual hotel in Bratislava was fully booked so a quick search on TripAdvisor and booking we ended up choosing Apollo hotel as they had one of the best prices so really we didn’t expect much. Once you are in the lobby you start to get this nostalgic feeling as it reminded me of lobbies I see in older movies, also the check-in lady was very nice and polite. Our room was rather big and was very clean with an amazing bathroom and a separate toilet, also one of very few hotels where they have a bidet. And here is the shocker the mini bar which had 2 bottles of water, orange juice, soda and 2 beers was for free – that was a first. Also their breakfast buffet is very nice. Honestly I am glad that our regular hotel was booked and we got very lucky we found hotel Apollo. We will definitely stay there again.’

‘The hotel is a few minutes away from the terminal, from where we caught a bus to Vienna. Very helpful English-speaking staff, very nice & clean room, also supplied with kettle and tea/coffee. Breakfast was very good, suggest you try going for breakfast before 08.30. Will definitely recommend it to others.’

Potential gift idea

This deal for a trip to Bratislava would make an excellent gift for someone who loves exploring new cities.

With flights and accommodation taken care of, all they’d need to think about is having a good time.

Alternatively, you could book this deal for yourself and a partner or friend for a city break to look forward to before the summer.