A local’s guide to Bratislava, Slovakia: the Danube, dumplings and rubber duck cocktails

Food

Koliba Kamzik is a small place next to the main square in Bratislava which aims to recreate the countryside feel of the area it is named after. The menu features traditional dishes (there’s a lot of bryndza, a cheese made from sheep’s milk mainly produced in the Carpathian mountains) as well as great sharing platters with pork belly, potato pancakes and sauerkraut.

I also love the bigger Bratislava Flagship restaurant, which used to be a monastery and then a theatre in Soviet times – it still looks like a theatre inside. Its owner also has a farm and uses homegrown ingredients in dishes such as bryndzové halušky (gnocchi with sheep’s milk cheese) and kapustové strapačky (dumplings with cabbage and bacon).

In the city centre, Arthur Gelato, next to the Čumil statue of a worker peering out of a manhole, does fantastic ice-cream.

Inspiration

We have two exceptional art galleries. The modern art museum, Danubiana, is on an island in the Danube – you can take a boat there. Opened in 2000, it’s a striking building surrounded by a sculpture park, and has a brilliant permanent collection as well as temporary exhibitions. In the city centre, next to my Grand Cru Wine Gallery, there’s a private gallery called Nedbalka, a beautiful building dedicated to Slovakian modernism.

Devín Castle – where the Danube and Morava rivers meet – is also a museum. It’s surrounded by greenery and is a lovely place to cycle or walk. You can hire a canoe here and float down the Morava. It’s one of my favourite places in town.

In September, Bratislava hosts Biela Noc, which means white night – a festival of contemporary art including poetry and music (the nearby city of Košice runs one too).

Green spaces

I love to visit Devínska Kobyla, about three miles north of Devín Castle. It’s the highest point (at 514 metres) in Bratislava and part of the Little Carpathians mountain range. There’s an observation tower here built next to the remains of a defunct cold war military installation. It offers a great view of the Danube; it’s especially beautiful at sunset.

There are lots of hiking trails around it – even one from Devín Castle to Sandberg, a borough of the capital seven miles from the centre. It’s an extraordinary landscape which was under the sea millions of years ago and is still rich in fossil remains.

In town, there’s a lovely park called Sad Janko Kráľa, between the UFO bridge and the Old bridge, which dates from 1774 and is the oldest public park in central Europe.

Neighbourhood

I like the area around St Martin’s Cathedral. Kapitulská Street runs parallel to St Michael’s Street, the city’s main tourist stretch. The two roads are very close to each other but are completely different: the main street is for tourists, and none of the locals like it, but Kapitulská Street makes you feel like you have gone back a few centuries. The buildings are owned by the church and some are falling apart, but it’s utterly beautiful.

Nightlife

For the best view in Bratislava, head for the Sky Bar. Tourists tend to go to the UFO bridge tower but the Sky Bar has a much better view and isn’t overpriced. Ask for a yellow duck: it’s a cocktail served in a “bath” complete with a little yellow duck.

For wine, the other place I’d recommend (aside from my own, of course) is called Vinotéka pri Modrom Kostolíku, which translates as “wine bar next to the blue church” and is owned by an Italian friend of mine. I also love Antique American Bar – it has just one cosy room but does some of the best cocktails in town.

Stay

Hotel Arcadia (from €80 for a standard room with courtyard view) is a small boutique hotel. The beautiful building dates from the 13th century and is next to the 12th-century Franciscan church.

Martin Pagi was born and raised in Bratislava, and has owned the Grand Cru Wine Gallery for 11 years