Thinking of some sporty and fun activity while in Bratislava? Here is a tip for you: one of the best things you can do in our capital in the winter season is definitely ice-skating. There are some really nice outdoor rinks with fairy lights and Christmas trees set to their backdrop, and you might just want to walk around to feel the winter wonderland-ish vibe. Check this list and get your skates on! :)
HVIEZDOSLAV’S SQUARE
One artificial ice rink gets built each year near our Slovak National Theater at our biggest square – Hviezdoslav’s Square – when the Christmas markets are kicked off. That means it operates from the end of November but lasts longer than the markets, i.e. until the end of January. You can usually see a crowd of people all the time around the rink, just watching those on the ice and enjoying some mulled wine or food. It is beautiful especially at night with the lit square :)
OPEN: Daily 10:00-22:00, end of Nov – end of January
ADDRESS: Hviezdoslav’s Square
TICKETS: free of charge
Skates rental available (1,5 hour rental for 4 €)
RIVER PARK
(source)
This ice rink situated near the Danube embankment is built with real ice and offers ice skating for free. You get to spend some fun time in a very nice area where on one side you see the big modern buildings and on the other side you see the river and our UFO tower.
OPEN: Daily 10:00-21:00, from 4th December 2019
ADDRESS: Dvořákovo nábrežie
TICKETS: free
Skates rental available (3 € fee for 2 hours rental + a returnable deposit of 36 €)
More info
ICE SKATING RINK AT EUROVEA
A popular shopping mall Eurovea has its own ice skating rink open since mid December. If you do not have your own skates, you can rent them at the sports store Decathlon.
OPEN: MON-FRI 13:00-21:00, SAT-SUN 10:00-21:00, from 13th December 2019 until beg March 2019
ADDRESS: Pribinova 8
TICKETS: free
Skates rental available free of charge!
More info
WINTER STADIUM OF ONDREJ NEPELA
(source)
In Slovak, “Zimný štadión Ondreja Nepelu,” is the oldest hockey hall in Slovakia. It rents its ice rinks to professional hockey players as well as general public. The stadium was built in 1871 and modernized more times, last time in 2011. It now provides 10 000 seats and is one of the most popular rinks for locals. It gets pretty busy so we recommend to pick off-peak hours if you want to have the rink for yourself :)
OPEN: thorough the year – check the precise dates
ADDRESS: Odbojárov 9
TICKETS: 2,20 € for 1,5 hours; 2,50 € for 2 hours
Skates rental available
More info
WINTER STADIUM OF VLADIMIR DZURILLA
Vladimír Dzurilla was a Slovak ice hockey goaltender playing for Czechoslovakia and a popular stadium in Ružinov municipality is named after him. The ice rink is available for the public skating each Sunday free of charge.
OPEN: available for public on Sundays 15:00 – 16:45 (hall 2)
ADDRESS: Ružinovská 4
TICKETS: free
More info
WINTER STADIUM IN DUBRAVKA NEIGHBORHOOD
(source)
A winter stadium located out of the center, in the Dubravka neighborhood, offers a big ice skating rink for public as well.
OPEN: SAT 16:15 – 17:45, 18:30 – 20:00, SUN 9:45 – 11:15,17:30 – 19:00 (check the official webpage)
ADDRESS: Harmincova 2
TICKETS: 2 € entrance fee
Skates rental closed in the season 2019 due to reconstruction (should be reopen in December 2019)
More info
WINTER STADIUM PETRZALKA
(source)
This hockey stadium is open all year long and is primarily used by the hockey club HC Petrzalka 2010, but it is also open for public in specific times.
OPEN: always check their updates on their webpage
ADDRESS: Marie Curie-Sklodowskej 1/A
TICKETS: 3 € entrance fee for 105 min
Skates rental available
More info
AVION ICE RINK
(source)
AVION ice rink is rather a rarity in Slovak shopping malls. This ice rink is open all year round for public so you can play hockey with your family, friends or business partners. For children they offer a variety of attractions throughout the year e.g. Halloween on ice, karaoke etc. The visitors can borrow skates or they can attend an ice skating school. Spacious locker rooms with bathrooms and showers are free of charge.
OPEN: MON-TUE 17:00-19:00, WED 10:00-12:00, 17:00-19:00, THU-FRI 17:00-19:00, SAT-SUN 10:00-19:00
ADDRESS: Ivanská cesta 5740/16
TICKETS: 1,50 € entrance fee for 2 hours
Skates rental available (3 € for 2 hours rental + a returnable deposit of 30 €)
More info
BORY MALL ICE RINK
You will find the ice skating rink for public in front of the northern entrance of the Bory shopping mall. Its size is 30x15m and includes the skates and helmet rental service.
OPEN: MON-FRI 10:00-21:00, SAT-SUN 09:00-21:00, from 30th November 2019 till 3rd March 2020
ADDRESS: Lamač 6780
TICKETS: free
Skates rental available (2 € for 1 hour rental + a returnable deposit of 30 €)
More info
ICE ARENA IN LAMAČ
The ice arena in Lamač offers individual as well as group classes of skating and figure skating to different age groups. The skates rental service is available as well. Open for public skating during limited time slots.
OPEN: always check their webpage for available slots for public ( stated as “verejnosť” in the timetable)
ADDRESS: Borinská 23
TICKETS: 1,00 € entrance fee
More info
ICE RINK IN RUŽINOV
Enjoy the artificial ice rink built with Swiss technology GLICE. The ice rink is environmentally friendly and does not need water or temperatures below zero to operate. It is open from 22nd November 2019 almost to the end of February – 22nd, 2020.
OPEN: MON-FRI 14:00-21:00, SAT-SUN 10:00-21:00
ADDRESS: DK Ružinov, Ružinovská 28
TICKETS: free entry
More info
ICE RINK IN VAJNORY
The ice rink in Vajnory neighbourhood is planned to be open as of mid December 2019. It is possible to rent the whole ice rink in case of interest – via email/an official online form. More info available here.
Whatever your age or ability is, ice-skating is a lot of fun and if you give it a go, you will also do some great service to your body – did you know that recreational ice skating burns more than 250 calories per hour? :) Enjoy!
Author: Maria Kecsoova, Zuzana Mytna
