Bratislava is the capital and largest city of Slovakia and the fourth largest of all cities on the river Danube. Officially, the population of the city proper is about 479,000, with the wider Bratislava Region exceeding 732,000 inhabitants. The metropolitan area has a population of approximately 1.3 million.

Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia at the foot of the Little Carpathians, occupying both banks of the Danube and the left bank of the River Morava. The city is situated on the border of three countries - Slovakia, Austria, and Hungary - and is the only national capital to have land borders with two other sovereign states. Its geographic position places it exceptionally close to the Austrian capital Vienna, making them the closest pair of capital cities in Europe at just 50 kilometres (31 mi) apart.

The city's history has been influenced by people of many nations and religions, including Austrians, Bulgarians, Croats, Czechs, Germans, Hungarians, Jews, and Slovaks. It was the coronation site and legislative centre and capital of the Kingdom of Hungary from 1536 to 1783. Today, Bratislava is the political, cultural, and economic centre of Slovakia. The city welcomes over one million tourists every year, primarily arriving from the Czech Republic, Germany, Austria and the United Kingdom.