The big paid sights are Bratislava Castle's Museum of History (€14), the UFO observation deck (€11.50–€12.50), Devín Castle (€8, or €6 from November), the Old Town Hall (€8), Michael's Tower (€6) and the Kamzík TV tower deck (€7). A classic one-day circuit of castle, Michael's Tower, Old Town Hall and UFO costs about €40.50 in tickets. The Bratislava CARD costs €30 / €36 / €39 for 24 / 48 / 72 hours including transport, and it gets you into the castle museum, Devín, the Old Town Hall and Michael's Tower for free. All prices were checked on the attractions' own websites on 15 October 2026.
Planning a trip to Slovakia's charming capital? This guide brings together the official 2026 entry fees for Bratislava's main attractions, public transport fares (including the temporary half-price period), the Bratislava CARD maths, sample sightseeing budgets and the sights that are genuinely free. For a day-by-day plan to pair with these costs, see our complete Bratislava itinerary.
2026 Entry Fees: Every Major Bratislava Attraction
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Adult standard prices in euros, with the main reductions. "CARD" shows what the Bratislava CARD gives you, according to the official discount list (valid to 31 March 2027).
| Attraction | Adult | Reductions & notes | Closed | CARD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bratislava Castle – SNM Museum of History | €14 | Ages 6–17 & students €7; seniors 62–69 €8; under 6 and 70+ free; family 1+2 €18, 2+3 €33. Marie Antoinette exhibition extra (€10, or €22 combined, until 31 Dec 2026) | Tuesday (open Wed–Mon 10:00–18:00) | Free |
| UFO observation deck (Most SNP) | €11.50–€12.50 | €11.50 Mon–Fri 10:00–13:00; €12.50 weekday afternoons and weekends; €15 from 25 Dec to 4 Jan. Students €8.90–€10.50; children over 111 cm up to 15 €7.90–€9.30. Free tower entry with a main course in the restaurant | Open daily 10:00–23:00 | 20% off |
| Michael's Tower (Michael's Gate) | €6 | Reduced €4; family 2+1 to 2+3 €14 | Tuesday | Free |
| Old Town Hall + Apponyi Palace | €8 | Reduced €4; family 2+3 €18. Old Town Hall Tower is a separate €4 ticket | Monday | Free |
| Primate's Palace | €5 | Reduced €2.50 (students, 60+); under 18 free | Monday | Free |
| St. Martin's Cathedral | Nave free; tourist zone €5 | The €5 zone covers the sacristy, Canons' Chapel, treasury and part of the choir; students to 26 €2.50; under 15 free. There's no public access to the tower | Tourist visits 09:00–11:30 and 13:00–18:00, not during services | — |
| Devín Castle | €8 (Apr–Oct) / €6 (Nov–Mar) | Reduced €4 / €3; family 2+3 €18 / €14. Open all year: October 10:00–17:00, November–February 10:00–16:00 | Monday | Free |
| Kamzík TV tower (Veža) deck | €7 | Children under 100 cm free; one ticket refunded with a main course in the Veža restaurant | Monday | — |
| Kamzík chairlift | €5 one way / €8 return | Child 6–9 €4.50 / €7; under 6 free. Runs Thu–Sun and public holidays 10:00–18:00 (Tue–Sun in school holidays) | Mon–Wed outside school holidays | — |
| Slovak National Gallery (SNG) | €10 whole gallery | Reduced €6; ages 7–12 €4; one exhibition €7. Free for everyone on the first Sunday of the month (8 Nov and 6 Dec 2026) | Monday | €7 (30% off) |
| Bratislava City Gallery (GMB) | €8 one palace / €10 both | 50% off for students and 60+; under 18 free; free every first Wednesday of the month | Monday (Tue–Sun 11:00–18:00) | Free |
| Zoo Bratislava | €11 (Mar–Nov) / €8 (Dec–Feb) | Reduced €8 / €5; family 2+2 €33; under 3 free | Open daily | Free |
| Danubiana Meulensteen Art Museum | €12 | Students and 62+ €6; family €25; under 6 free | Monday | 25% off |
The castle grounds are open daily from 08:00 to 22:00. The SNM price list covers only the museum exhibitions, so walking the grounds costs nothing. Separate SNM tickets exist for the Treasury only (€4) and the Northern Walls only (€6). For what each castle ticket covers, see our full Bratislava Castle ticket price guide.
Getting Around: 2026 Transport Costs
Bratislava's city transport (trams, buses and trolleybuses) uses the IDS BK tariff. Inside the city, only a ticket's time limit matters (official IDS BK fares, valid since 1 June 2025):
| Ticket | Paper | App / contactless (TAPni sa) | Half-price period (12 Oct – 10 Nov 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 minutes | €1.20 | €1.09 | €0.60 paper / €0.55 card |
| 60 minutes | €1.80 | €1.60 | €0.90 paper / €0.80 card |
| 24 hours | €5.40 | €4.85 (also the TAPni sa daily cap) | €2.70 paper / €2.43 card cap |
| 72 hours | €10.70 | €9.68 | €5.35 paper |
Children under 6 ride free; ages 6–17, students (with ISIC, until the day before their 26th birthday) and seniors 63+ pay half. Riding without a valid ticket costs €79 on the spot and up to €99. Bus 29 from Most SNP reaches Devín Castle in about 20 minutes on an ordinary city ticket. The LOD boat to Devín costs from €25 return (€23 one way) for adults and runs until 30 November 2026, at weekends only in November (LOD).
Bratislava Card 2026: Is It Worth It?
The Bratislava CARD is the city's official tourist pass. Its 2026 prices:
| Validity | With public transport | Without transport |
|---|---|---|
| 24 hours | €30 | €27 |
| 48 hours | €36 | €32 |
| 72 hours | €39 | €35 |
What you get: free entry to 23 sights, including the castle's Museum of History, Devín Castle, the Old Town Hall, Michael's Tower, the Primate's Palace, both GMB palaces and the zoo. The card also includes the daily 14:00 guided walk (minimum 2 people) and discounts elsewhere: 20% at the UFO, 30% at SNG, 25% at Danubiana, 20% on LOD cruises and 10% on the Twin City Liner. The transport version covers all IDS BK zones, including regional trains and buses, and one child under 18 rides free with the holder. You can buy it at the Tourist Information Centre (Klobučnícka 2), ZSSK customer centres, Slovak Lines at AS Nivy, the DPB shop at Hodžovo námestie, partner hotels, online or in the app. The airport is not a sales point (IDS BK).
Is it worth buying? Here's the maths using standard 2026 prices:
- 24 hours: Castle €14 + Old Town Hall €8 + Michael's Tower €6 + Primate's Palace €5 + a 24-hour e-ticket €4.85 = €37.85, against €30 for the card. It saves about €8, more if you add the €18 guided walk.
- 48 hours: the same four sights plus Devín Castle €8 and two 24-hour e-tickets (€9.70) = €50.70, against €36 for the card.
- When to skip it: if you only want the UFO, Kamzík and a walk around the Old Town, buy single tickets. The UFO is only 20% off with the card, and Kamzík isn't on the discount list.
Until 10 November 2026, public transport is half price, which trims the transport side of the sums by about €2.40 a day. The card still pays off once you visit three or four of the free-entry museums.
Free Sightseeing in Bratislava in 2026
A surprising amount of Bratislava's character is completely free. These are the best no-cost experiences in 2026:
- Bratislava Castle grounds: open daily 08:00–22:00. The hillside views over the Danube and into Austria are some of the best in the city. Only the museum exhibitions are ticketed.
- Old Town (Staré Mesto): free. Wander Hlavné námestie (Main Square), Rybné námestie, and the medieval lanes without spending a cent.
- Slavín War Memorial: open around the clock and free. The hilltop memorial offers panoramic views, excellent at sunrise or sunset.
- Grassalkovich Garden: the public garden behind the Presidential Palace. Visit Bratislava lists it as open daily 08:00–21:00, though it occasionally closes for state events.
- Danube promenade (Eurovea area): free. A riverside walk with views of the castle and the Austrian hills beyond.
- Street statues: free. Čumil (the Man at Work), Schöne Náci and the Napoleonic soldier are all within a few minutes' walk of each other in the Old Town.
- Blue Church (St. Elizabeth's Church): no entrance fee, but the interior opens only for short slots around services, mostly early morning and evening (parish hours). The Art Nouveau facade is one of Bratislava's most photographed sights.
- St. Martin's Cathedral: the main nave and St. Anne's Chapel are free during tourist hours; the tourist zone costs €5.
- SNG and GMB free days: the Slovak National Gallery is free for everyone on the first Sunday of the month, and the City Gallery (GMB) every first Wednesday.
You can fill an entire day in Bratislava without paying a single admission fee. Our guide to the best Bratislava attractions for first-timers maps out which paid sites are genuinely worth the money and which free alternatives are just as rewarding.
Sample Sightseeing Budgets for 2026
These budgets cover admission and city transport only, at standard adult 2026 prices. Accommodation and food vary too much by choice and date for us to quote reliable figures.
Free day: €0–€4.85
Castle grounds, Old Town, the statues, Slavín, the Danube promenade and the nave of St. Martin's. Walk everywhere, or add a 24-hour e-ticket (€4.85; €2.43 by card until 10 November). Time it for the first Sunday of the month and the SNG is free too.
Classic one day: about €45 (or €40 with the CARD)
Castle museum €14 + Michael's Tower €6 + Old Town Hall €8 + UFO €12.50 + 24-hour e-ticket €4.85 = €45.35. With a 24-hour Bratislava CARD (€30), the first three and transport are covered and the UFO drops to €10: €40.
Two full days with Devín and Kamzík: about €75 (or €60 with the CARD)
Day 1 as above, plus Devín Castle €8, the Kamzík deck €7 and the SNG €10, with two 24-hour e-tickets = €75.20. With a 48-hour CARD (€36), you pay only the UFO (€10), Kamzík (€7) and SNG (€7): €60. Riding the Kamzík chairlift adds €5 one way or €8 return.
Guided Tours and River Cruises: 2026 Prices
Organised tours add context that solo exploration can miss, especially for Bratislava's Communist-era history and hidden courtyards.
- Official city walk: Visit Bratislava's regular guided tour leaves daily at 14:00 from the Tourist Information Centre at Klobučnícka 2. It lasts 75 minutes, runs in Slovak, English and German, and costs €18 for adults and €9 for under-18s. It's free with the Bratislava CARD (Visit Bratislava).
- Tip-based walking tours: sold by private operators. We couldn't confirm a current schedule on an operator's own website, so check meeting points and times directly before you go.
- LOD boat to Devín: from €25 return or €23 one way for adults, €19 return for children aged 2–12. It's about 90 minutes upstream and 30 minutes back, until 30 November 2026.
- Twin City Liner to Vienna: from €34 one way plus a €3 fuel surcharge. The regular season ends on 2 November 2026; Advent cruises run from 27 November to 20 December (Twin City Liner timetable).
- Food, e-bike and themed tours: prices are set by private operators and change often, so compare current offers when you book.
Our Bratislava public transport guide covers how to reach Devín Castle and other out-of-centre sites by local bus, which is far cheaper than booking a day-trip tour.
Money-Saving Tips for Bratislava 2026
These practical strategies reduce costs without cutting the quality of your visit:
- Order the "denné menu": many Slovak restaurants offer a fixed weekday lunch menu (usually soup plus a main), which is the easiest food saving available.
- Walk the Old Town first: Many visitors spend half a day in the historic centre without paying a single ticket. Save paid attractions for the afternoon or day two.
- Calculate the Bratislava Card break-even: Add up your planned paid sites before buying. The card pays off once you visit three or four of its free museums. For a UFO-and-Old-Town day, buy single tickets.
- Use the city bus to Devín Castle: Bus 29 from Most SNP takes about 20 minutes on an ordinary city ticket. A 30-minute ticket costs €1.09 by contactless card, or €0.55 until 10 November 2026.
- Use the free days: the SNG is free on the first Sunday of the month (8 November and 6 December 2026), and the City Gallery (GMB) on the first Wednesday.
- Check age discounts: under-18s get in free at GMB and the Primate's Palace. Seniors 70+ get in free at the castle museum, and children under 15 free in the cathedral's tourist zone.
- Mind the closing days: the castle museum and Michael's Tower close on Tuesdays; Devín, the Old Town Hall, the SNG, GMB, Danubiana and Kamzík close on Mondays.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does sightseeing in Bratislava cost per day in 2026?
A free day costs nothing beyond an optional €4.85 day ticket. A classic paid day costs about €45 in tickets and transport: castle €14, Michael's Tower €6, Old Town Hall €8, UFO €12.50 and a 24-hour e-ticket. With a 24-hour Bratislava CARD it's about €40. Two full days that add Devín, Kamzík and the SNG cost about €75, or €60 with the 48-hour card.
Is the Bratislava Card worth it in 2026?
Usually, yes, if you visit museums. The card costs €30 / €36 / €39 for 24 / 48 / 72 hours with transport (€27 / €32 / €35 without). The castle museum (€14), Old Town Hall (€8), Michael's Tower (€6), Primate's Palace (€5) and a day ticket (€4.85) already add up to €37.85, so the 24-hour card saves about €8. It is less useful if you mainly want the UFO (only 20% off) and Kamzík (not included).
What is the cheapest way to do Bratislava sightseeing?
Spend your first day on free sights: the castle grounds (open 08:00–22:00), the Old Town streets, Slavín Memorial, the Danube promenade and the nave of St. Martin's Cathedral. Visit on the first Sunday of the month for free SNG entry, or the first Wednesday for free GMB entry. Take bus 29 to Devín Castle on a normal city ticket (€1.09 by card, half price until 10 November 2026).
How much is Bratislava Castle entry in 2026?
The SNM Museum of History at Bratislava Castle costs €14 for adults, €7 for ages 6–17 and students, and €8 for seniors aged 62–69. Under-6s and seniors 70+ get in free. The Marie Antoinette exhibition is extra (€10, or €22 combined). The museum closes on Tuesdays. The grounds are open daily from 08:00 to 22:00, and Bratislava CARD holders enter the museum free. See our Bratislava Castle ticket price guide for the full breakdown by ticket type.
Are there any discounts for Bratislava attractions in 2026?
Yes. Children, students and seniors usually pay about half, but the rules differ by site, so carry ID. The Bratislava CARD gives free entry to 23 sights and discounts at others (UFO 20%, SNG 30%). The SNG is free on the first Sunday of each month, and the City Gallery on the first Wednesday. Ordering a main course at the UFO restaurant includes free tower entry, and at the Kamzík Veža restaurant it refunds one €7 ticket.
How much does Devín Castle cost to visit from Bratislava in 2026?
Devín Castle costs €8 for adults from April to October and €6 from November to March (reduced €4 / €3). It is open all year from Tuesday to Sunday and closed on Mondays. Bus 29 from Most SNP takes about 20 minutes on an ordinary city ticket (€1.09 by card for 30 minutes), so the trip costs about €10 per adult. The LOD boat costs from €25 return.
Bratislava remains one of central Europe's more affordable capitals in 2026. With the official entry fees in hand (Bratislava Castle €14, UFO €11.50–€12.50, Michael's Tower €6) and transport from €1.09 a ride, you can plan your trip without financial surprises. Use the Bratislava CARD if you'll visit several museums; otherwise buy individual tickets and walk the Old Town for free.
Ready to plan your days around these costs? Start with our complete Bratislava itinerary for a day-by-day structure, or jump straight to the best Bratislava attractions for first-timers if you haven't decided what to prioritise yet.
Key Takeaways
- Bratislava Castle museum: €14 (closed Tuesdays); the grounds are open daily 08:00–22:00.
- UFO observation deck: €11.50–€12.50 (€15 at Christmas); free tower entry with a main course in the restaurant.
- Bratislava CARD 2026: €30 / €36 / €39 with transport, €27 / €32 / €35 without; free entry to 23 sights.
- Devín Castle: €8 April–October, €6 November–March. Bus 29 takes about 20 minutes on a city ticket.
- Kamzík deck €7, SNG €10 (free on the first Sunday of the month), zoo €11.
- City transport: €1.09 by card or €1.20 on paper for 30 minutes, half price from 12 October to 10 November 2026.