Three countries meet in the fields south of Bratislava, and the Romans had a fort here long before anybody drew those borders. Gerulata was an auxiliary fort on the Danube frontier, in what is now Rusovce, a district at the southern edge of the Slovak capital. Its remains have been excavated, and a small museum displays foundations and finds, from coins to pottery and gravestones. The site is part of the Danube Limes listed by UNESCO, a frontier that ran from Germany to the Black Sea.
Rusovce is a quiet suburb with a large manor house in a park, an English-style château that once belonged to the Habsburgs. Nearby, the Danube is wide and slow, divided by islands and dams, and the water sports centre at Čunovo has white-water channels used for international canoe races. The Danubiana art museum stands on a peninsula in the river, a striking modern building surrounded by water and sculptures. The tri-border point between Slovakia, Austria and Hungary lies a few kilometres south, near the villages of Čunovo, Deutsch Jahrndorf and Rajka, and you can stand in three countries at once.
The riding here is flat and easy. The roads cross farmland and follow the Danube, with dykes, forests and wetlands. Traffic around Bratislava can be heavy, but the minor roads are quiet. The landscape is not dramatic, but it has a certain charm, with wide skies, poplar trees and the river glinting in the sun. Wind across the plain can be strong. To the south, the Neusiedler See, a large shallow lake on the border between Austria and Hungary, is a short ride away, with vineyards and villages.
For fuel, Bratislava has everything, and Kittsee, on the Austrian side, is close by. Food here mixes Slovak, Austrian and Hungarian influences: bryndzové halušky, goulash, schnitzel and fish soup. Wines from the Little Carpathians and the Burgenland are excellent. Visit the Roman fort, then ride to the tri-border point, park the bike, and walk around the monument, taking a step into Austria and another into Hungary. The Romans would have found the idea of a border without guards very strange indeed.