Exploring Eastern Slovakia | Slovak Adventure 2025 (3/5)

It was Tuesday morning as I boarded the train in Liptovský Mikuláš. My Slovak Adventure had taken me from Bratislava to the northern part of Slovakia. It was now finally time to head to the eastern part of the country. We never went further east than Žilina when we lived in Bratislava. So it was about time to see both Košice and Prešov. They are the second and the third largest cities in Slovakia.

A Rainy Day in Košice

It had been raining in Liptovský Mikuláš and it was still raining when I arrived at the train station in Košice. Due to the rain my first target was set on the Aupark Shopping Center. I was hoping that the rain would subside a little before heading out to explore. Well, maybe the amount of rain was slightly less once I had walked through the shopping center, but I doubt that was the case.

Either way, I was finally in Košice so I walked through the center along the Hlavná Street, the main street. Along the way I got to see the St. Michael’s Chapel, the impressive St. Elisabeth’s Cathedral, and the National Theater. There were also many decorative buildings framing the sides of the street. I followed the street until its end before turning back to find something to eat for lunch.

I actually walked the whole street back before I found an Indian restaurant down in a basement. After a few days of heavy meals, I was happy to find something else to eat than Slovak food. Instead I got the curry of the day and enjoyed drying for a few minutes.

The rest of the afternoon was spent walking around in the old part of the city. I was enjoying the small narrow streets and the few monuments that I could find.It was mostly about being in the city than to actually see something specific.

An Evening at the Hotel Spa

After checking in at the hotel and enjoying a smaller dinner at a nearby restaurant it was time to see what the hotel had to offer. Actually, I had bought some swimwear during my walk in the city. In the basement of the hotel was a wellness center that was opened for guests in the evenings. Once I was back, it was time to enjoy some time in the bubble pool and in the sauna.

It turned out that I was completely alone at the wellness center. There were no other guests, so I had the chance enjoy everything without being disturbed. I spent a long time in the bubble pool before relaxing in the sauna. I actually didn’t try the steam sauna, but did enjoy some quiet time alone.

Finally Sunshine in Košice

After a rainy day, I woke up to sunshine the next morning. After breakfast I checked out and headed out to see the city in a different perspective. It is quite interesting how different a city can look depending on the weather. With the sun shining, all buildings came in a different glow. It was a pleasure to re-walk all the streets once more before heading back to the train station.

Taking the Train to Prešov

The train from Košice to Prešov takes around an hour. But as I tried to book my tickets online while walking to the station the website crashed. Instead I opted for buying a ticket onboard, costing around 3 Euros extra. Well, it was either that or waiting an hour for the next train.

The train station in Prešov is outside of the city center. Luckily it’s not a long walk and it was quite interesting to see how the building styles changed as I got closer to the old town. I began my exploration by trying to find a place for lunch before checking in. As it was a sunny day, I wanted to sit outdoors. Along Hlavná Street, the main street, it was only the coffee shops that offered this option. I eventually found a nice small place on a side street and ordered something I hadn’t tried before. Hermelín is a Czech cheese that is similar to Camembert. I ordered a dish with a grilled hermelín covered in prosciutto. The prosciutto really created that crispy cover for the cheese and I was very positively surprised.

After the lunch I checked in at the hotel and continued exploring Prešov. I had a few hours before I needed to get to my evening activity. In addition to enjoying the atmosphere along the main street I also headed up to the top of the water tower to get a panorama view of the city. Maybe it was the weather, but Prešov impressed me a lot more than Košice. I had expected a worn industrial town but were met by a beautiful and clean historical town. It was smaller than Košice, but that also made it possible to easier enjoy the sights.

Ice Hockey at Prešov Zimný Štadión

Once the evening was approaching I got ready for my plans. An old friend from the time living in Bratislava had provided a lot of insight into Prešov, her current home town. One of her tips was an ice hockey game. The final series in the Slovak second-tier league, the Slovenská Hokejová Liga, was about to start. It was time for HC Prešov to play their first game in the series against HK Skalica.

I had been to a few games while living in Bratislava. At that time Slovan Bratislava played in the KHL and we even went to see a KHL playoff game for Donbass Donetsk when their games were moved to Bratislava due to the conflict. The game in Prešov was the first for me in terms of domestic games in Slovakia. It was an interesting game and the Zimný Štadión was almost full with 3550 spectators. The atmosphere in the area was very good, especially with the home team taking the lead early on. The game eventually ended 4-0 to HC Prešov and the crowd was more than pleased. It was a nice end to my trip to the eastern part of Slovakia. It was now only a night’s sleep left before my early train back in the morning to return to the west of Slovakia.