Getting to Bratislava: By train

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The easiest way to get to Bratislava by train is from central Vienna (Südbahnhof station or less frequently Westbahnhof station). Trains leave Vienna almost every 30 minutes fahrplan.oebb.at/bin/query.exe/en. It takes 50 minutes to get from Südbahnhof to Bratislava - Petržalka railway station situated in the southern residential area of the city, and some 70 minutes to get to Bratislava - Hlavná stanica (main railway station) situated at the northern border of the city center. A day-return ticket purchased in Vienna costs €14 for an adult or €7 for a child, and also allows you use of all public transportation in Bratislava (as of Feb 2010).

There are also many train lines from the Czech Republic (e.g. Prague) and some train lines from Poland, Hungary as well as Ukraine and Russia that mostly end at Hlavná stanica (Main Train Station). Many bus and tram lines start here. To get to the Old Town, you can either take a bus or tram (tram No 13 is currently the best connection), or simply walk - which takes about 10 minutes.

Petržalka station is not a particularly good starting position for getting around, but generally it is better and quicker to get off at Petržalka station and use the public transportation system to get to the city center. Take bus No 80 towards Kollárovo námestie from outside the station building. You can also use the underground passageway in the station hall and take any of the buses that leave from the opposite side of the road when you exit. Get off the bus at the first stop after crossing the river for best access to the historic part of town or at the second stop to start you tour at the Presidential Palace. Buses No 91 and No 191 end right below Nový most bridge and directly in the city center, below Bratislava Castle and St. Martin's Cathedral.

There are several other train stations in Bratislava but international travelers rarely have to get off the train at any of them.

Note that train ticket prices from Austria to Slovakia bought in Austria (ÖBB, Österreichische Bundesbahnen) are considerably higher than the same ticket bought in Bratislava (ZSSK, Železničná spoločnosť Slovensko) due to government subsidy in Slovakia.

• fahrplan.oebb.at/bin/query.exe/en