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Bratislava lies within easy reach of the Small Carpathian Mountains, a beautiful area of dreamy hills and lush valleys whose picturesque southern slopes are covered by forests and vineyards. Here and there statues of St. Urban, the patron saint of winemaking, dot the area. Delicious wines can be sampled − at wineries and country inns and also in the wine cellar of the Small Carpathian Museum in the wine-making town of Pezinok, located in a typical village house with a narrow yard and wine presses. The Small Carpathians begin at the confluence of the Danube and Morava Rivers and spread out to the northeast for about fifty kilometers. The romantic ruins of Devin Castle, once a strategic medieval stronghold, rise above the point where the two rivers meet. Archaeologists have also discovered traces of ancient Roman and Slavic presence here. In 1805, Napoleonic troops destroyed the castle − we can see how it once looked thanks only to a painting by Canaletto completed in 1763. Devin is easily reachable from downtown Bratislava and, like the entire Small Carpathian region, is a favorite leisure time spot for Bratislava residents. The castle overlooks the nearby Austrian border, and it is difficult to imagine that little more than 15 years ago, that frontier marked the heavily guarded perimeter of the Iron Curtain.

One of the most typical traditional products of the Small Carpathians is pottery from the little town of Modra. Tradition has it that Anabaptist refugees from Germany and Switzerland called Habans, who settled in the region at the end of the 16th century, brought ceramic-making skills to the area. The so-called Haban pattern is still used in Modra pottery today. A visit to a pottery workshop in Modra provides a fascinating glimpse of an authentic living tradition, and visitors can then purchase pottery right at the factory. Cerveny Kamen [Red Stone] Castle, is one of the architectural highlights of the region. A mighty fortress reconstructed by the noble Palffy family during the 16th century wars against invading Turks, it was the most heavily defended castle in the Carpathians. Even today a visit to its massive gun bastions is a powerful experience.