Having long lived in the shadow of its former Czechoslovak sibling, Prague, the Slovak capital is only now really starting to make a name for itself. Only 60km (37 miles) from Vienna, Bratislava is, though, in every way an ‘old' European city, with a beautifully restored historic quarter (Stare Mesto) and Habsburg Baroque architecture that help to offset its communist legacy.

Its location on the Austrian border, with close proximity to Hungary and the Czech Republic, have resulted in a difficult political past, but like all cities of cultural confluence, the result is an emerging reputation for diverse architecture, wine and cuisine.

With a population of just over 600,000, Bratislava lies on a bend of the Danube like Vienna and Budapest, with bridges connecting its two halves. However, sites of interest to visitors are almost all north of the river, in the cobbled streets of the Old Town.

Lying at the foot of the Lesser Carpathian Mountains, Bratislava held a high status from the second century BC as an important defence and trading post, and was particularly prized for its vineyards. From 1536 (after the Ottoman invasion of Hungary) to 1783, Bratislava was the capital of Hungary, known as Pozsony, and the coronation town of Hungarian kings.

Until 1918 the city was a ‘resort' area of Austria-Hungary, called Pressburg by Germans from as early as the 13th century, and also held a large Jewish population at one time.

Since Slovakia joined the EU in May 2004, Bratislava has rocketed up in terms of cost of living, but it is also rising in fame for cultural tourism as well as becoming a thriving business centre with an increasing number of direct flights coming in from the rest of Europe, especially the UK.