Bratislava banishes iconic tourist train from old town

Yet, some foreign embassies have expressed support for the Prešporáčik tours

The Bratislava Stare Mesto (Old District) has decided to go properly pedestrian and as part of this move, it has announced that it will not allow the popular Prešporáčik tourist train on wheels to circulate on its narrow streets anymore.

The thing is the sightseeing vehicles have endeared many residents and visitors to the Slovak capital for its 23 years in operation so quite many people are unhappy about this decision. A large part of the train’s appeal is its design – made to look like old-timey retro cars from a hundred years ago.

The name of the train refers to an old name for Bratislava – Prešporok. It takes some 30,000 visitors every year around so they can admire the historical sights and sounds of the capital city.

Has the train become an attraction of its own?

It looks like the charming wheeled train, operated by the Tour4U family company, has managed to gain some loyal fans and followers throughout its years of existence. After the announcement came out that Prešporáčik will not be allowed in the Old Town from the month of May, an online petition was launched to protest that decision.

Furthermore, travel agencies, kindergartens and primary schools, as well as the embassies of South Korea, Indonesia, Bulgaria, Germany and the United Kingdom have voiced support for the sightseeing vehicle, thus making the matter take an almost geopolitical nuance.

Stare Mesto fully supports and cheers for all tourist attractions that bring visitors to the city centre," said the spokeswoman of the district’s mayor, as quoted by The Slovak Spectator. "However, there is only one and a small historic city centre, so we have to give preference to pedestrian movement."

The district’s town hall also accuses the business as responsible for destroying some of the pavement. Tour4U, however, have denied these allegations saying that they’ve even made the effort to repair some of the road cover in the old town.