Route through the lakes of Bratislava

Route through the lakes of Bratislava

Hello everyone! Today I'm writing a post as I want to talk to you about the lakes on the outskirts of the city of Bratislava. A lot of people don't know this, but the heat here can be scorching, stifling and quite sticky during the summer months. A lot of the time, to be in the street right in the middle of the day, it can be unbearable. But, it's prohibited to swim in the majority of the areas along Danube or it's too dangerous, so there has to be an alternative. It's right then that the lakes on the outskirts of the city become more important. And for this very reason, today I'm going to talk to you about the lakes I know of and which ones I recommend you go to, Let's go!

Čunovo

To get to this lake, we got the bus from MOST SNP, number 91 and it took 30 minutes to get there. It's one of the cleanest lakes in Bratislava, so we used to go there to swim a lot of the time. I'll add a photo where you can see how clear and clean the water is.

The thing that makes this lake so pretty is the fact that it's surrounded by nature. This is different to the majority of lakes in Bratislava where you can see buildings around them and you can hear the sound of cars driving by. The walk to the lake is through a forest, where the green trees seem to touch the sky, and you might even see some animals.

Čunovo has a specific nudist area for those who practise nudism, which is normal in Bratislava. In general, the water is quite warm, it's not too difficult to get in and you can swim for quite a long time without feeling cold. I really recommend it.

Rusovce and Antica Toscana

Very close to Čunovo, about a 50 minute walk (pretty close! ) and only three stops further on the bus, you'll find Rusovce. To me, this lake is one of the best as it's in a very calm area, in the middle of the forest where you can sunbathe serenely and go for a dip. Just like in Čunovo, there is also an area to practise nudism which is often frequented with nudists. Even so, Rusovce is a little bit smaller than Čunovo so it's a little less busy. Right in the middle of the lake, there's a small island.

Rusovce has a bit more of a family atmosphere than Čunovo, so it's quite common to see families having picnics there during the afternoon. They tend to come by bike, eat there and spend the afternoon diving in the water or practising some sort of ball-based sport. I recommend that as well.

In Rusovce you can find an Italian restaurant called Antica Toscana. I mentioned it previously in another post but today I'll expand on it a bit more. This restaurant is Italian and it's one of my favourites in Bratislava. I like it particularly because it has a country house feel. It's perfect for the summer because they have a patio in the garden, with a lot of plants, flowers and the tranquility is priceless. I'll stick some photos in.

This restaurant was very famous at one point when it opened. It was full every weekend. It has become very popular with students. It's not surprising as the quality of the dishes is undeniable and the customer service is very good. The landlord, who's Italian and Slovakian, came over to our table and started to chat with all of us.

In terms of the dishes, I've put in some photos of the plates we had the pleasure of eating the day we went.

Risotto funghi, pasta with truffle, ravioli, pasta... If you fancy something that's not typically Italian, they have different kinds of soups and sandwiches with different combinations. Truth is, everything was delicious and they were very generous quantities. A lot of us struggled to finish our plates, and remember we were super hungry as we'd just spent the whole day at the lake. When it came to dessert, the tiramisu is their star dish with the perfect texture and the bizcocho was done to perfection. It's pretty expensive like most restaurants in Bratislava in particuar, but the fact that it's somewhere with an outside terrace, in a tiny little town on the outskirts where you can breathe in the fresh air and peace, makes the price to quality balance better. I recommend it no matter what.

Veľký Draždiak

From the Zochova bus stop, bus 93 arrives there in 30 minutes. The first day we went, we went by car as a Slovakian friend of ours took us. Right where we found a place to park was one of the entrances to the lake (as there are a few). Later, we got our backpacks, towels, food and we had to walk over a wooden footbridge surrounded by water. It must have been a stream leading into the lake. The water was completely still and look, this part was full of water lilies.

I really like Veľký Draždiak because the water is super clean and strangely, it's not busy at all. This lake isn't in such an untouched state as Rusovce or Čunovo because there are bars, shacks, some fast food restaurants and ice cream parlours dotted all around the lake. Also, you can see some buildings (known as “pánelaks”) from a lot of different parts of the lake. Even so, this lake is also very calm and it's ideal for relaxing. There is also an area with some bars to do some exercise with. We didn't expect that area to be so busy, but it was full of people who were taking turns to do different movements and exercises. Also, a lot of them seemed like professionals.

Like I've already told you, the water is very clean and the temperature is great. It's actually warmer than the two other lakes I mentioned earlier. Also, you can rent a pedalo to go around the lake on, and it's quite big. I'll leave you with some photos that I took.

As you can see, there were swans as well! And there are loads. Also, they're accustomed to the amount of people that go swimming here, so you can swim next to them with no problems at all. And finally, something that I like about Veľký Draždiak is that there are a lot of shady areas, which are ideal for the times when the sun is too strong.

And that's everything I wanted to tell you all. Near Bratislava there are more lakes which are also quite popular, but these are my favourites and I often visit them. I hope you've liked this post and you read the next one! Best wishes!

Photo gallery