Bratislava UFO Tower (2024 Guide) – How to Visit & Is It Worth It? 

You really can’t escape a glimpse of the Bratislava UFO tower on the city skyline and it makes a great photo opportunity with the Danube River.

But, did you know that you can take an elevator up to visit this flying saucer and enjoy breathtaking panoramic views of the capital? 

There’s even a UFO bar & restaurant where you can enjoy some pretty cocktails and fine dining. Or, take an adrenalin-filled adventure with the UFO Skywalk.

Here is a complete guide on how to visit the Bratislava UFO Tower and if it’s worth visiting on a trip to Slovakia. 

What is the Bratislava UFO Tower?

The Bratislava UFO Tower is a flying saucer that sits on top of Most SNP Bridge or ‘New Bridge’. 

This spaceship is not only a futuristic monument but a popular tourist attraction in the capital of Slovakia as it has an observation deck, restaurant and bar. 

It’s located 95 metres (295 feet) above sea level and the panoramic terrace provides views over Bratislava and up to 100 kilometres away.

History of Most SNP Bridge 

Most Slovenského Národného Povstania, or Most SNP for short is a bridge that stretches over the Danube River.

It was built between 1967 and 1972 and the name translates to the “Bridge of the Slovak National Uprising” but most locals simply call it New Bridge or UFO Bridge.

It was a daring project by architect J. Lacko and engineer A. Tesár using pylons and cables to suspend the bridge over the water as it weighed over 8,000 tons. 

The bridge was built with a futuristic flying saucer and it opened as an observation deck in 1972. It has since had a bar and restaurant opened onsite.

Today, the Bratislava UFO Tower is part of The World Federation of Great Towers and is a well-loved icon of the city silhouette. 

It’s now a popular tourist attraction that welcomes thousands of visitors every year. 

Can you visit the Bratislava UFO? 

Yes, you can and I would make sure to do this as it’s one of the best things to do in Bratislava. 

There are many great viewpoints around the city but the UFO Observation Deck is by far the best one.

The terrace allows you to see the most famous attractions in the city from above like Bratislava Castle and the church spires of the enchanting old town. 

It makes an incredible place to go to watch the sunset and it doesn’t hurt that there is a cocktail bar and fancy restaurant onsite either. 

Tickets aren’t overly expensive and they even have ‘day & night’ deals where you can visit for different experiences. 

Opening hours & ticket prices 

The UFO Tower is open every day from 10 am – 11 pm. It would be a great idea to visit on a Monday as most Bratislava attractions are closed.

Bratislava UFO ticket prices entirely depend on the day of the week and the time of day you want to visit. 

At the time of writing, tickets are €9.90 for an adult on Mondays to Fridays in the morning. Then it’s €11.90 from 1 pm onwards. On Saturdays and Sundays, tickets will be €11.90 for the entire day. 

You can check the current prices and opening hours here.

There are discounts for students, tour guides, disabled guests and children plus you get 20% off entry with the Bratislava Card.

You must buy tickets at their reception desk on the day, you can’t buy tickets in advance or online. They take card payments.

If you buy a main course in the UFO restaurant you will get free entry to the viewpoint when showing your reservation or the price will be deducted from your bill.

But, it’s good to note that you still have to pay for the viewpoint to access the UFO Bar. You can’t reserve seats either, it’s on a first-come first-served basis. 

How to get to Bratislava UFO Tower

You can walk to the UFO Tower in around 20 minutes from Bratislava Old Town or take public transport. Most transport is included with the Bratislava Card. 

I decided to walk and although accessing the Most SNP bridge is pretty straightforward in Bratislava, I found that finding the entrance to the UFO Observation Deck was not.

The bridge is a complex traffic system for cars but you’ll find the pedestrian walkway under the bridge which is quite futuristic and it even lights up at night. 

There are pathways on either side of Most SNP but note that you can’t switch sides in between. 

It doesn’t make a difference which side you pick really as they both lead the same way but you may want to choose a side with good photo opportunities i.e. the castle or UFO in front of you. 

You’ll need to cross the bridge from the Bratislava Castle/Old Town side to the opposite side of the River Danube.

Then, there were stairways, slopes and an underpass to traverse before you reach the tower entrance and there were no signs that I could see.

Just keep walking downward after you cross the river until you reach a road underneath the bridge. You will find the UFO entrance around this area by the river bank.

I would have Google Maps on hand to navigate your way there. The reception booth where you buy tickets and take the elevator up to the terrace is really small and unassuming.

Here is a Google Pin to help you find the entrance on your phone! 

The elevator and journey to the viewpoint 

Once you’ve paid for your ticket, you’ll enter an elevator that will take you up to the viewing platform.

It’s quite shaky but the journey goes pretty quickly as it only takes 45 seconds to reach the top!

When you get here, you can either head to the UFO bar & restaurant or head upstairs to the outdoor viewpoint. You will need to show your ticket again to go further up. 

From the elevator floor, you will still have to ascend several steep staircases to reach the viewing terrace itself. 

Those who require extra accessibility should be mindful of this and make enquiries before you buy your tickets. It may be an idea to see the view from the bar on the accessible floor if a lot of steps are difficult.

When you reach the top, you’ll arrive at a large square viewing platform that provides a 360-degree panorama of Bratislava and the Danube River over the Most SNP bridge. 

You’ll find some telescopes, cheesy photo backdrops and even a love lock area if you’d like to get involved. They really push this as a romantic activity with the restaurant below. 

But, I still took my single, solo female traveller self here and had an awesome time. In fact, this viewpoint was one of the highlights of my visit to Bratislava. 

What can you see from the Bratislava UFO?

It’s one thing to see the images online of this viewpoint but completely another to see these fairytale views with your own eyes.

Not only could you see Bratislava Castle perfectly on the hilltop but you could also see many of the colourful buildings in the enchanting old town.

One of the coolest experiences was having a bird’s eye view of the hundreds of vehicles that travel over Most SNP on the labyrinth of roads!

This 360-degree viewpoint also allows you to see from 100 kilometres away on a clear day. 

You could see the Danube snake through the city towards the Slovak-Austria border with attractions like Devin Castle and the peaks of the Carpathians in the distance.

Although not as attractive, the views over the ‘newer’ side of Bratislava were interesting too. 

It was mainly blocks and blocks of housing and business districts but you could see for miles over the horizon! 

There are telescopes that you can use for free to take a closer look but you don’t need them to appreciate this stunning vista. 

As cheesy as it sounds, you felt on top of the world looking at the city from up here and I was enraptured.

What is the best time to visit Bratislava UFO Tower?

Although you can visit the UFO tower throughout the day and night, the best time to visit this viewpoint would be at sunset as I did. 

This way you can watch the sunset over the Danube and see the changing colours of the sky.

As it was sunny on the day of my visit, I got lucky as the sky turned a beautiful candy-floss pink, orange and then a deep red. 

I loved seeing the colours change over Bratislava Castle and slowly seeing the city light up when the stars and moon came out overhead.

The only thing I would say is that you should prepare for the viewpoint to be busy at this time. 

Although it’s a 360-degree platform, it can be hard to secure a good spot on the Danube side with the castle in the backdrop.

So, I would get here around 30-45 minutes before the sun actually sets to snag a place if photography is your main reason for visiting here. 

Why not visit the Bratislava UFO Restaurant? 

If you want to dine somewhere really special in the city, you can book to eat in the Bratislava UFO restaurant. If you get at least one main course you get your entrance included for free. 

It’s not a cheap affair as most of the mains are 40 – 50 euros but they serve up some delectable cuisine with views of the city skyline. 

As the restaurant was fully booked on my visit and there was a bit of time before sunset, I decided to visit their UFO Bar instead.

I had a pretty Aperol Spritz with a sprig of elderflower and the bar seating provided great views of Bratislava Castle and the Danube. 

The bar does have food on offer like their UFO Tower Burger but I was told there was a 90-minute wait for food as they had a large group, a small kitchen and couldn’t cater. 

Even their desserts were going to take an hour. It was obvious that they just didn’t want to serve food so I just gave up and had dinner elsewhere. 

The cocktails were really good though, reasonably priced and they came with pretty flower decorations too – tres Instagrammable! 

Does the restaurant have a dress code? It’s smart casual at the restaurant but if you’re just visiting the viewpoint or bar you can wear what you like!

UFO Skywalk

Adrenalin junkies will love the UFO Skywalk experience that they offer between April and October.

Similar to other experiences in places like Dubai, this will allow you to scale the edge of the UFO tower and suspend off the bridge by a cable. 

Of course, you’ll have a qualified assistant with you and there will be lots of photos/videos you can buy at the end to remember your thrilling experience.

I’m not going to lie, I could never but you can book this experience online if you’re interested.

My top tips for visiting 

• Visit for sunset – the best time to visit is sunset or at night time when you can watch the city skyline light up. 

• Book the restaurant well in advance – it’s a very popular restaurant with a small kitchen and places do get booked up. 

• There are stairs to the outdoor viewpoint -the lift only takes you a part of the way. Make sure to enquire before you buy tickets if you require extra accessibility to avoid disappointment. 

• Use Google Maps – it should be straightforward to visit the UFO from Most SNP Bridge but it’s not haha. It can feel like a labyrinth of walkways and underpasses to finally get there and it has a small, unassuming reception booth you can easily miss. 

• Go for a river stroll – before/after your UFO visit, I would recommend taking a leisurely stroll along the river on this side of the Danube to admire the views. The stroll provided some beautiful photo opportunities with Bratislava Castle in the backdrop. 

How long do you need to visit the UFO tower? 

You can spend as little or as long as you like here with a ticket. But, I would budget around 2 hours to visit the Bratislava UFO, especially if you want to visit the bar and stick around for sunset.

It can get quite busy in the evenings so you want to get there a minimum of 30 minutes before sunset time to secure a good spot of the city skyline for photos.

I ended up staying way after the sunset too as I loved seeing all the twinkling city lights and Bratislava Castle light up. 

As it was a clear night you could see a crescent moon and the stars from up here. It was magical. 

Don’t forget, you will have to get the (small) elevator up and down from the viewing terrace too and there could be a long queue during busy periods.

Is visiting the Bratislava UFO worth it? 

Yes, I think that a visit to the Bratislava UFO is definitely worth it as the views you get from here are breathtaking. 

Although there are plenty of amazing Bratislava viewpoints like the Kamzík Television Tower and the Bratislava Castle terrace, I found the UFO to be the best.

This is mainly because you could capture almost all of the main city monuments from up here and you got incredible views of the iconic Bratislava Castle. 

I also loved the fact that this viewpoint had a bar where you could enjoy food and drinks with the beautiful panorama. 

It’s not overly expensive to visit and it is a novel experience with the UFO theme. I couldn’t help but think of Men in Black.

Don’t skip a visit to the Bratislava UFO Tower on your visit to the capital of Slovakia. The views are truly outstanding! 

Read more of my Bratislava travel guides

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Is Konditorei Kormuth the prettiest café in Bratislava?

How to visit the pretty pink Primate Palace 

Visiting the Blue Church of Bratislava

Devin Castle – the best Bratislava day trip

Cachtice Castle – home of Elizabeth Bathory

Save visiting Bratislava UFO tower for later!