Globetrotting is series is all about my adventures in travel. They include my tips, takeaways, and realizations about travel, as well as recommendations for food, culture, and nightlife.

After all the traveling I have done and all the photos I have taken, I am so backlogged with images and my brain is bursting from all the posts I still need to draft up. So why don’t we just start off with the most recent place I have been – Bratislava.

I recently took a road trip with my friends in Vienna to Bratislava – because, dear readers, as I have learned, Vienna and Bratislava are the two closest capitals in the whole goddamned world. Now for someone from the US who is pretty much used to driving, oh say, 7 hours in one day to get from one state to the next, the idea of traveling from one country’s capital to another in under an hour was pretty insane.

Urban House, Bratislava photographed by rae tashman for lovefromberlin.net

I didn’t really have any expectations entering Bratislava, as to be perfectly honest, I didn’t know that much about Bratislava, let alone Slovakia, aside from the one crazy foreign exchange student I knew who almost got us arrested and taken away kicking and screaming when we and a few other friends arrived at the Canadian border. The beginning of our trip started out like the scene from some shitty holywood horror movie full of cliches about eastern Europe. But after a taxi ride 5x as expensive as it should have been (okay, I am exaggerating a little here…) we arrived at this awesome wine festival and met up with some friends of friends so it ended up being a pretty rad time because I am all about seeing how people actually live and not just ending up in tourist traps. Unfortunately, the night ended kind of nasty when my friend got her purse stolen, but the next day was absolutely beautiful and besides that one downer, our experience of the city was incredible.

Urban House, Bratislava photographed by rae tashman for lovefromberlin.net

On our walk around the old town the next day, Jamal popped into this cafe to grab an coffee. We had previously passed it the night before, and needless to say I was kind of immediately in love. I mean look at the place, the design is fucking incredible. Which is even more insane when I tell you that Urban House is apparently a chain. Now I’m thinking this because a few streets down there was another one. I am just so used to being confronted with places like Starbucks which all look the same inside. Now, as a foreigner living in Europe, there is some comfort in this kind of familiarity and the fact that you basically know what kind of service you are going to get when entering when you enter Starbucks. Still, of course, I prefer to support local businesses and smaller places, but I would gladly spend hours in Urban House.

Urban House, Bratislava photographed by rae tashman for lovefromberlin.net

One of the really nice features here is that they have this giant leave-one-take one book wall, which I am completely in support of. I myself didn’t pick up any drinks or food there so I can’t really tell you guys what the drinks or pastries taste like, but if it’s anything like the place itself I would venture it’s pretty damned good. So if any of you are planning on visiting the city, if you need some time to relax, sip a coffee (or tea) and catch up with work or friends, I would definitely suggest checking out this place. We were only in and out but I still managed to snap a few pictures to give you guys a good idea of this incredible space. Enjoy.

Urban House, Bratislava photographed by rae tashman for lovefromberlin.net

Urban House, Bratislava photographed by rae tashman for lovefromberlin.net

Urban House, Bratislava photographed by rae tashman for lovefromberlin.net

Urban House, Bratislava photographed by rae tashman for lovefromberlin.net


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Rae Tilly

Rae the EIC of LFB and YEOJA Magazine. She is also a photographer and social media influencer.

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  • You have such amazing pictures and I love your blog.
    Morgan | theradwife.blogspot.com

    • rae

      Thank you so much, Morgan! Really happy to hear that you like LFB! Loving your Friday Favorites post as well!

  • From Luxe With Love

    I love your photos! great post.

    http://www.fromluxewithlove.com

  • Such a beautiful post! I love the look and vibe of this place, xx
    Rivania |The Glam Unicorn

    • rae

      I know I just fell in love with the place when I saw it!

  • megsiobhan

    Your pictures are so stunning!! And it sounds like a lovely place – sorry to hear about your friend’s purse being stolen!!

    Meg | A Little TwistOf…

    • rae

      Thanks so much, Meg! And yeah, it was definitely the downer of the trip, but the most important thing is that everyone was safe and nobody got hurt!

  • A take-one-leave-one book wall is such an amazing idea! I’d love to find something like that in this little country of mine! It must be fun to travel to a city, just under an hour away. Urban House sounds like such a beautiful place. I could just stay there for hours. Hahah <3

    xx Bash | Hey Bash | bloglovin’

    • rae

      Right? I love the idea so much! I am sure if you look hard enough you might find a similar cafe where you live as well! And yes, it was a really crazy feeling to be in another country’s capital in under an hour!

  • Beyond cool! Exactly the kind of place I want to visit. I plan to get to Bratislava someday. Thanks for writing about this!

    http://Leftbankgirl.blogspot.com

    • rae

      I really hope you are able to make it to Bratislava one day and that you have an amazing time when you do!

  • The only impression of Bratislava I have is the one from the movie Eurotrip, unfortunately. This cafe looks beautiful, I love places like that you can do work in!

    • rae

      I know and it was really funny because me and one of the guys on the trip were joking about exactly that – and “Hostel” of course. We were saying how all four of us in the car was like a start to some terrible horror film. The beginning of the trip did start out a bit rocky and the city was pretty deserted, but things really picked up at the Wine Festival in the neighboring town!

  • Kelly M

    Is it embarrassing that I have never heard of Bratislava before? Thank you for teaching me this morning :) What a beautiful spot. I agree with your part about supporting local businesses and the annoyance of Starbucks.. I am shocked that one is a chain!!!

    XOXO
    http://www.kellmenow.com/blog/
    https://www.facebook.com/kellmenow?fref=ts
    https://instagram.com/kell_menow/

    • rae

      Haha, I am sure that many people have not heard of Bratislava before and to be completely honest, I knew very little about the city before our trip! And yes, I am all about local businesses!

  • I have never been to Bratislava but the pics look amazing. The cafe is so cool. Love the book wall :D Tourists (taxi) always have to pay more than locals. That sucks.

    xx glamdevils.com / miasmode.blogspot.com

    • rae

      Thanks, Mira! I really hope that you get to travel there one day and yes, I really hate it but it does seem to be a pattern that no matter where you go, if people realize you are a tourist they will try to take advantage of you financially.

  • I think that sometimes the beauty of a place cannot be captured through the lens. Somehow you’ve managed to capture the atmosphere and wonder of this amazing cafe. It looks so so beautiful!!! I’ve actually never heard of Bratislava before (to be frank, my knowledge of Europe isn’t very extensive so…) but it sounds like a quaint and cozy little city to visit!

    p.s. highly intrigued to find out more about that little episode you had at the Canadian border… :P

    • rae

      Thank you so much, Aisyah, your comment means so much to me! And I know exactly what you mean – I often feel like this is the case with landscape photos, but if you have the proper lens and the proper setting it is possible to capture what you see to mirror reality. The crazy thing about photography is that the opposite is true too. It’s also possible to take less than stellar things and make them appear a lot nicer in photos.

      And yes, maybe I should write up that story on LFB in a future post!

  • Looks pretty neat! :3

    • rae

      Thanks, Charlotte

  • This place looks just stunning! Your photos are beautiful! I can’t over how homey and welcoming it is.

    https://forsevenseasons.wordpress.com

    • rae

      Thanks so much, and yes this place is so homey but stylish at the same time. Love the combination.

  • Wow, that coffee shop looks amazing! I, too, find comfort in Starbucks, but I also like hitting up a neighborhood coffee spot in Brooklyn, too :) I like a mixture of familiarity and variation to keep things interesting. That book wall is pretty awesome and so inspirational!

    Thanks so much for sharing your experience with us, I’ll definitely keep this place in mind when traveling to Europe (hopefully soon)!

    Have a wonderful day, beauty!

    XO,

    Jalisa
    http://www.thestylecontour.com

    • rae

      Doesn’t it? I fell in love with the place on the spot. And yes, I am all about those neighborhood spots. And you should definitely visit Bratislava when you make it over to Europe! It’s a lovely little city and perfect for a weekend trip.

  • rae

    test

  • From one capital to another in under an hour… That’s good :) To be honest I only heard Bratislava couple of times and I had no idea where that city is, at least now I know :) I hate that taxi drivers always charge more to tourists, why would they do that… These photos are so neat!

    http://www.elabellaworld.com

    • rae

      Glad you know where it is now ;) To be honest, I really did not know much about Bratislava before the trip either. And yeah it is such a bummer that a lot of people will overcharge you regardless of where you are when they realize you are a tourist! Glad you liked the photos, Ela!

  • Teng

    Amazing post, the photos are so amazing. You are really talented. Hope you have have a great day. xo, Teng

    https://itsjustteng.wordpress.com

    • rae

      So glad you liked the post, Teng! And thank you! hoep you have a great day as well!

  • Always love a charming looking coffee shop, seem to make everything taste better as well, haha! I especially like the stone wall (got a soft spot for stone walls for some reason) and your photos are amazing!

    Filippa ⎮ http://alwaysadot.blogspot.com

    • rae

      I totally agree! It’s the same with meals as well – when they are presented nicely and plated beautifully everything tastes better. And thank you so much, Filippa!

  • I love coming across coffee shops like this all over the world. That place looks really big!

    • rae

      Me too! It’s one of my favorite little things to discover when on holiday! And yes the place was huge!

  • Colorful shelves of books, mismatched chairs, chalkboard paint and a cute barista? This place is a dream! I hope the coffee was as great as the atmosphere!

    xx Larisa @ weheartbeauty.com

    • rae

      Haha, it definitely is! I am not sure because we only ran in so our friend could grab a coffee, but I asked him and he said he had no complaints!

  • anika kokatay

    unique coffee shops are one of the many little joys in life! great find :)
    xx closetchronicle.blogspot.com

    • rae

      I entirely agree with you on that one, Anika!

  • just stumbled across your blog and devouring every post and every photo. your style/photography/everything, is epic. :) xx

  • Seems like a pretty rad place to chill. Dorothy, we’re not in Kansas (Starbucks) anymore! :)

    xx Yasmin

    http://banglesandbungalows.com

    • rae

      Definitely! :)

  • Alluring Alyss

    Beautiful pictures <33

    alluringalyssbeauty.blogspot.com

  • I love the idea of a take one leave one library! Oh, and I didn’t know those two capitals were so close DD: That’s so cool! I am glad to hear the road trip was so cool and I am looking forward to seeing all those other pictures you have for us x

    • rae

      Me too! I think it is such a way to reduce clutter and also be able to give something back while getting something too without having to deal with anything monetary. And yeah, I wasn’t aware of that either before the trip! Will be posting more photos soon, so stay tuned!

  • thefashionsalt

    This looks like a great place to visit. I can’t believe it’s only an hour from one capital to the next. Sounds like a fun trip!
    ~Lili
    http://www.thefashionsalt.com

    • rae

      It really was! And I know, it’s pretty crazy how small Europe is!

  • Please share more travel posts :) I’m heading to Berlin real soon and your travel post made me secretly giggle. And yeah I’m sitting infront of my work desk in the office! Thank you for sharing!

    RLN

    Real Life Nerd // http://www.vivienekok.blogspot.com

    • rae

      Don’t worry, Viviene, I will be sharing many more! Make sure to follow along via Bloglovin’ if you aren’t doing so already so you do not miss any posts! And that is awesome that you are heading to Berlin! If you need and tips or suggestions, you should definitely shoot me an email! – contact@lovefromberlin.net

      • Awww thanks Rae :) I’ll shoot you an email if I can’t figure out what to do!

  • M + K

    Licing in Australia, the idea of being able to drive from country to country is so strange! We love all your photos by the way! Makes us want to visit all the places you’ve benn

    M + K / http://www.mkstyleramblings.blogspot.com

    • rae

      I bet! And thank you so much. I really hope that you are able to visit Europe and travel around to all these amazing different countries too.

  • Katie

    This looks so cute! I love the whole vibe of the place!

    http://www.theaisleofstyle.com/

    • rae

      Thanks, Katie!

  • Li

    This coffee shops looks amazing and I love your photos of it. I really like your photography style. The book swapping shelf is such a great concept too. Li :)

    • rae

      Thanks so much, Li! And yes a swapping shelf is an awesome idea, isn’t it?

  • wow this place looks incredible

    xo

    http://www.laurajaneatelier.com

    • rae

      Doesn’t it? Definitely fell in love with the place!

  • Dressed With Soul

    Honestly I didn’t think that Bratislava is such a stylish town and I love this huge book wall so much! I think really Bratislava is a visit worth … thanks for sharig! So sorry for your friend she lost her purse.
    xx from Bavaria/Germany, Rena
    http://www.dressedwithsoul.com

    • rae

      No worries Rena and thank you – it was definitely unfortunate but we still had an incredible time.

  • This place totally rocks, and what a fact about the two capitals being the closest. I’m going to wow people with that. Also….colour coded books!

    Buckets & Spades

    • rae

      Do it! Makes for a great small talk conversation opener.

  • my bubbly zone

    Such a cool place :)
    xxx
    http://www.mybubblyzone.com/

  • This looks so dreamy. Look at that tiled counter! Actually this looks scarily like a coffee house I just drafted a post about. Love supporting independent places like these.

    • rae

      I know, I am just completely in love with this place and cannot wait to spend a few hours here hanging out with a tea and my laptop next time I visit Bratislava! And yes, I am all for supporting local businesses!

  • Lou Castaneda

    This looks stunning. I wish there is a place like this near the place where I live in. Guess I can just stay there for hours :)

    Lou | wander-soul.net

    • rae

      Thanks Lou!

  • Sam

    You’ve taken some beautiful photos – it looks like such an interesting and cool place :) I love the books picture as well, you could stay somewhere like that for ages! xx

    Sam // Samantha Betteridge

    • rae

      Thanks so much Sam! And yes, I could def. stay here for ages too.

  • Danielle Beautyblog

    The coffee shop looks amazing! I try to avoid massive chains like Starbucks and Costa Coffee so this looks right up my street!

    Danielle’s Beauty Blog

    • rae

      I totally agree with you, which is why I love Berlin so much – we have so many cafes here, it’s crazy!

  • Ellie Adams

    I absolutely love travel posts and this is no exception lovely, stunning photo’s that immediately makes me want to go to this place!

    Elle

    http://www.theellenextdoor.com
    xx

    • rae

      Thanks so much Ellie, and so glad that you enjoyed this post!

  • Danielle

    Love these pictures and your post! Sounds like an amazing time! Hope you have an amazing day!!
    Danielle
    http://www.blushblossom.com

    • rae

      Thanks so much Danielle. We really did have an amazing time. Wishing you a lovely day as well.

  • lady, let me tell you, your photography is so on point! the best places & outfits ever, so happy to stumble upon your blog ! xxx

    http://www.kotrynabass.com

    • rae

      Thank so you much, Kotryna that really means a lot to me! So glad you like LFB!

  • It’s so hard for me to stop and read this post because I am completely enthralled by the photography. It’s freaking stunning and I feel like I was in the cafe with you. Damn girl, you got some serious skills.

    Shireen | Reflection of Sanity

    • rae

      So glad you liked the photos, Shireen! And thank you so much, it really means a lot to me!

  • I haven’t done a lot of traveling, I actually can’t wait… I wish I was traveling now :)… I can imagine what a difference it is traveling in Europe compared to North America… I want to go to Europe so I can visit lots of countries in less time xox (thank you for commenting on my blog, have a lovely weekend )

    • rae

      I really hope that you are able to do some more traveling, Launna! Europe is really amazing so I really hope you make it over here! If you need any tips about where to go and what to see, just shoot me an email!

  • You’re not alone in coming home from trips/travels with a ton of photos – I’m consistently overwhelmed by my mass of photos after travelling haha. This café looks like a fantastic place to sit and do some writing/blogging – the interior design is so welcoming! :)

    Gabrielle | A Glass Of Ice x

    • rae

      I think having too many photos is definitely better than not having enough! ;) And right? I agree entirely. I could spend hours there just sipping a tea and doing work!

  • This place looks soo amazing! I love your pictures ♥ and I definitely need to go there when I visit Bratislava :-)
    Thank you for this great post!
    Selina | Selinas Inspiration

    • rae

      It really was. And thank you so much. Hope you make it to Bratislava one day yourself!

  • These are beautiful interior shots of their space. And the closeness is definitely the beauty of traveling in Europe!

    JennifHsieh

    • rae

      Thanks so much, and yes! That is one of the best parts about living in Europe. You can be anywhere in basically a few hours via plane too.

  • I know nothing about Slovakia either. It’s looks cool though, I’d def have made that trip
    Lauren
    livinginaboxx | bloglovin

    • rae

      The amazing thing about living in Europe is getting to learn all about these different countries!

  • This cafe looks amazing…I love the book wall! I wish we had something like that here in Austin!

    http://roadesque.com
    http://ourruins.com

    • rae

      Thanks, Valerie! It definitely is one of those special finds! And I am sure that Austin is full of amazing cafes. I have always wanted to visit. From the look and sound of it, Austin is a pretty amazing place.

  • Love the style of this cafe, looks like a nice place to do some work, chat or study.

    http://www.mintnotion.com

    • rae

      Agree so much! It is one of those cafes that lends itself to every kind of cafe hang out if you ask me – meeting friends, working/studing, etc.

  • The cafe looks so artsy and beautiful! Definitely would go there just to hang out with friends or do some reading, LOL.
    Junniku.blogspot.com

    • rae

      Totally agree with you, June! Thanks for your comment!

  • idu

    I want to be in this cafe right now. Beautiful. Leave one take one sounds like a perfect idea.

    http://fashionablyidu.blogspot.com/

    • rae

      I love the take one leave one idea as well!

  • Looks like such a cool café, one of those places you absolutely can sit in for hours haha

    N- Naomi in Wonderland

    • rae

      Oh I agree entirely. If I ever come back to Bratislava, you can bet that I will be spending a good few hours there!

  • I love the grunge like interiors – definitely a place I would go!

    Pop over to my blog!

    Sarah
    https://everydayconcepts.wordpress.com

    • rae

      So glad you liked the post, Sarah!

  • lovely pics and interiors ;)

    • rae

      Thanks, Marta! Glad you liked them!

  • This is a GORGEOUS cafe-my jaw just dropped a little. Wish I had seen this in Bratislava (but thanks for sharing!)

    • rae

      I know, when I first saw it my jaw dropped too!

  • That’s awesome for a chain store – I have noticed the trend of chain stores in more recent years to try and put different spins on each store. I guess I just approve of places with kick arse design and doing something a little different! Bummer about the first part experiences but glad the journey improved!

    • rae

      I think that is a great idea for chain stores to try and make each store something more unique. And yes, the first part was unfortunate, but at least everything ended well!

  • styleflaw

    Love the photography xx

    http://styleflaw.blogspot.co.uk

  • Great place and photos! <3

  • highway391north

    Star !

  • Samantha Mariko

    what a cozy looking cafe!! I wanna go here!
    http://www.samanthamariko.com

    • rae

      I know i just fell in love with the place when I walked through the door!

  • Seems like such a nice cafe, I can see myself sitting there for hours writing with my laptop!

    Kinkx

    • rae

      Me too! Really hope to return one day!

  • Maria Luisa

    bella selezione di immagini

    http://bellodiesseredonna.blogspot.it/

  • I can;t believe the 2 capitals can be travelled in an hour! This is so insane!
    Always wonder about Bratislava after that European Pie (an EU version of the American Pie) , that above coffee shop gave me an excuse to travel there some day.
    And put Vienna together on the list :)
    x

    • rae

      I know! It’s pretty incredible to be in another capital in just about an hour! And yes, we were totally joking about it on the drive there, as Eurotrip was the only film I ever saw that even mentioned Bratislava! And actually, our first 30 minutes in Bratislava slightly mirrored the film ironically. But we ended up having an incredible time – you just need to know where to go! hope you get to travel to both Bratislava and Vienna one day!

  • Fred Feinberg

    Hi Rae,

    I wanted to contact you regarding using one of your photos for a business case several of us are writing for university use, but didn’t see a link to do that. It’s about coffeehouses, and one of your photos above, which appears on many pages (especially on Instagram), was the nicest we saw anywhere. I wasn’t sure the best way to contact you, so am putting my address here: feinf “at” umich.edu.