Destinations: Bratislava
Hidden Nature Above The City
Just above Bratislava, cyclists can discover the hidden nature of Kamzík and Devínska Kobyla, two picturesque areas that offer a serene escape from the bustling city. Kamzík, nestled in the Little Carpathians, boasts insanely beautiful forests, rolling hills with punchy climbs that will take anyones legs. Although we didnt get a chance this time around, there are so many mountain bike trails to explore, in the past we have had the pleasure of using our gravel bikes on the trails. You can find the routes here.
when you ride up to these areasas you will be rewarded with panoramic views of Bratislava and the surrounding countryside. Devínska Kobyla is actually the highest point in the Bratislava region, Some history we learnt is that this area is particularly notable for its geological features, including rare rock formations and fossils. Anyway, on to our coffee stop ride.
Coffee Culture Ride
The ride was purely a coffee ride, and Bratislava has some amazing cafes as well, one of them nestled in the forests of Kamzík just above Bratislava, which you can access within 15-20 minutes depending on where in the city you are. Our ride started in Dúbravka, which is a suburb below Devínska Kobyla. So we swung our legs over our frames and rode to the first climb of the day, just a punchy 7.9% average with kickers of 14-17 percent that will wake your legs up. But once you are up the few kilometers, you are treated with amazing tree-lined descents and our first coffee stop of the day at Bufet Žufet, where we had a double espresso and poppyseed pastries, which are a Slovakian delicacy. Poppyseeds are serious business here; you will even find poppyseed ice cream.
Poppyseeds Aside
After our amazing little stop—full disclosure, we were only 14 km in, but this is about discovering, not about performance—we headed up towards the famous TV tower that towers over Bratislava, a place we have only seen from our friends' Strava rides and everesting attempts. As mentioned, it features communist architecture, which is called "Brutalist." It has its place and fits well, though it's not the prettiest up close, but it's iconic as you look up from the city. From here, we descended to Bratislava, which was super fun, fast, and easy, and within 10-12 minutes we were at 6:57am Coffee. Now this place is cool—it's called 6:57am because it opens at 6:57am. The owner is really into his fixed gear; he's even ridden from Bratislava to the Croatian coast on one. The coffee there is fantastic, there is plenty of bike parking outside with dedicated stands, and we can highly recommend a visit.
Over Caffeinated Ride Home
We know this feeling all too well—a couple of double espressos, an Americano, and a flat white with oat milk have sent us into a spiral of the coffee jitters. So, the only way we can think to burn this off is to put our legs over the saddle and head out down the River Danube to the collective camper. The Danube (/ˈdæn.juːb/ DAN-yoob, thanks Wikipedia) is the second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest south into the Black Sea. Something we didn't know until we came across it, which is pretty cool. So how can we summarize Bratislava? Well, it’s not the kind of place you would just say, "Let's go on a cycling holiday," but if you find yourself close by, it’s well worth going for a ride there. It’s vibrant, the local food is amazing, and as we have said, the coffee is great too.
