At least once during your visit to Bratislava, you'll stroll along this tree-lined plaza, bypassing embassies, tourist-magnet bars and some of the city's grandest buildings. The square's primary meeting spot is the statue of renowned Slovak poet Hviezdoslav.

　　At Hviezdoslavovo's east end, the ornate 1886 Slovak National Theatre steals admiring glances. Just south, neo-baroque Reduta Palace houses the Slovak Philharmonic.