The map below shows the old town, centred on the main square - Hvalne Namastie:
The apartment I'm staying in with Tomas is about 8-9km from the city centre, which is an easy (and cheap at 1 euro) bus-ride, which also gave me a chance to check out the neighbourhoods on the way in. I then went to the tourist information centre to grab whatever I could before heading to the meeting point of the free tour in Hveizdoslavovo Namestie (Square), the largest square in the city, and home to a number of very nice buildings, including the Old National Theatre (they do have a new one elsewhere). Starting at 11am, the tour lasted for about 2 1/4 hours, and went from the old town to nearby newer parts of the city - once again, an informative and enjoyable introduction to the city.
After the tour finished, I spent the rest of my day just wandering around and enjoying the city.
One of the most-photographed statues in Bratislava is known as Cumil or simply "Rubberneck" (but perhaps Peeing Tom would be more appropriate), of a man sticking his head out of a man-hole. Legend has it that during the reconstruction efforts after WWII, there was one worker who preferred to simply watch the pretty ladies going by. The statue was hit by cars so many times that they erected a "Man at Work" sign above it. They say that touching him will ensure you come back to Bratislava, and that rubbing his helmet will bring good luck. I wonder if the smile on his face is because of everyone touching him, or because of his unique vantage point and view!
Clearly, they either really liked the blue - or got a very big discount on a job-lot of the colour:
Slovak National Uprising), commonly referred to as Most SNP or the UFO Bridge (I think you can see why), and named Nový most (English: New Bridge) from 1993 to 2012, is a road bridge over the Danube. It is the 32nd-tallest (and shortest), member of the World Federation of Great Towers, and is the only bridge to be a member. It is the world's longest cable-stayed bridge to have one pylon and one cable-stayed plane.
The largest and tallest tower is the Crown Tower on the southwest corner. The 47 m (154 ft) tower dates from the 13th century and for approximately 200 years beginning in the mid-1500s housed the crown jewels of Hungary, during which period all Hungarian monarch's were crowned in the nearby St Martin's Cathedral.
With its commanding position, the castle offers good views of the city and surroundings.
It is now home to a military arms museum, but you can also climb to the lookout station (which I did) for great views of central Bratislava: