The blog is about my experiences in Slovak Republic (“Slovakia”), in October 2025, as a part of the intense “Eastern Europe Trip” which spanned 12 new countries.
Loved my 2 days in Kosice, away from the rush of Bratislava, especially the Inn I stayed in. The room was cozy and the staff were very helpful.
Loved the breakfast items in the Cafe inside the Bratislava Train Station.
What I did not like …
Hmmm … Cannot think of anything.
Location in the World map …
Some interesting tidbits about Slovakia …
Slovakia has a high density of castles and chateaux, the world’s highest number per capita.
Artist Andy Warhol’s parents were from Slovakia.
Slovakia has World’s 1st Ice Cave (In Tatras Mountains).
Slovakia produces the most cars per capita!
Slovak folk costumes, called “kroje,” are known for their intricate embroidery and regional variation.
Slovakia has a high density of caves, including the World’s largest Sinter Column at 32 meters (A sintered column in a cave, also known as a cave column or stalagnate, is a geological formation where a stalactite (hanging from the cave ceiling) and a stalagmite (rising from the cave floor) have merged together, creating a continuous, pillar-like structure that reaches from the ceiling to the floor).
Carpathian Mountains: From Czech Republic to Romania, Central and Eastern Europe. 1500km long.
Tatras Mountains: Part of Carpathian Mountains, providing a natural border between Slovakia and Poland.
Andy Warhol (Artist), Job Bon Jovi (Musician), Angelina Jolie (Actress), Paul Newman (Actor), Audrey Hepburn (Actress) Etc. have Slovakian roots.
The closest neighboring capitals of Europe (a double dose of culture and entertainment) are Bratislava and Vienna, only 60 km apart – an hour by bus.
After Austria, Slovakia has the largest natural freshwater supplies. It’s mainly the underground reserves of Žitný ostrov. High-quality drinking water is easily available from taps.
Almost 50 amazingly well-preserved wooden churches stand all over Slovakia. They are part of the cultural heritage of UNESCO, all-wood and without a single nail. The oldest of them is the church of St. Francis of Assisi in Hervatov (near Bardejov). It was built in 1500.
Capital: Bratislava
Largest City: Bratislava
Population: 5.5 Million (Bratislava: 0.475M)
Language: Slovak (60% speak English)
Religion: Christianity (60% Roman Catholic)
Currency: Euro (1E == 101.51 INR)
GDP (Nominal): 133 Billion USD
National Animal: Tetra Chamois (A type of Antelope)
Timeline:
Habsburg Empire collapses after defeat in WW I (1918) > German occupation and independent Slovak Republic (1939) > Soviets reestablish Czechoslovakia (1945) > Communist Rule (1948-1989) > Czechoslovakia splits (1993) > NATO & EU membership (2004) > Adopts Euro (2009).
My 1st impressions:
Way warmer than the places so far … 😁🕺
A quite rainy Bratislava greeted me when I disembarked from the train … 🙁 Got drenched on my 1st day in Slovakia.
My Experiences
On the way to Slavin … One has to climb up several flights of stairs. (Of course, you can drive up as well 🙂 ). Bratislava, Slovakia.Slavin: Memorial and Military Cemetery for Soviet Soldiers who died fighting the Nazis in WWII, in this part of the World. Only I was there at 8am. Bratislava, Slovakia.“Blue Church” (Church of St. Elizabeth). I tried multiple doors, but the Church was closed. From 1908. Bratislava, Slovakia.“Shitcoins Club” 🙂 A spoof, I am guessing … Bratislava, Slovakia.Michael’s Gate. Of the original 4 entry towers to Old Town Bratislava, this is the only remaining one. From 14th Century. Bratislava, Slovakia.Town Hall Square, Old Town. Bratislava has way more tourists than Tallinn/Riga/Vilnius/Etc. at this time of the year. Bratislava, Slovakia.Town Hall Square, Old Town. Bratislava has way more tourists than Tallinn/Riga/Vilnius/Etc. at this time of the year. Bratislava, Slovakia.The Town Hall, Old Town. Bratislava, Slovakia.Inside St. Martin’s Cathedral … Bratislava, Slovakia.The stained-glass work inside St. Martin’s Cathedral … Bratislava, Slovakia.St. Martin’s Cathedral. Gothic Cathedral from 15th Century. Between 1563 and 1830 St. Martin’s served as the coronation church for Hungarian kings. Bratislava, Slovakia.The Slovakian flag in its full glory … Bratislava, Slovakia.Bratislava Castle. 80m above Danube River. From the 13th Century. Destroyed by fire in 1811, it was reconstructed only in the 20th century. Bratislava, Slovakia.Statue of Svatopluk, Duke of Bohemia. Bratislava Castle. Bratislava, Slovakia.Look at the ominous clouds in the background … Luckily, it did not rain much. Bratislava Castle. Bratislava, Slovakia.Look at the ominous clouds in the background … Luckily, it did not rain much. Bratislava Castle. Bratislava, Slovakia.View of the Danube from Bratislava Castle. Bratislava, Slovakia.View of Bratislava Castle from the bridge across Danube River … Bratislava, Slovakia.Old Town Bratislava … From Most SNP (UFO Tower). Bratislava, Slovakia.Old Town Bratislava … From Most SNP (UFO Tower). Bratislava, Slovakia.The other side … Danube River at Bratislava. Bratislava, Slovakia.The 92m tall “UFO Tower” (Most SNP). Bratislava, Slovakia.View of Bratislava Castle from the bridge across Danube River … Bratislava, Slovakia.The pedestrian walkway across Danube River … Bratislava, Slovakia.Tried this pastry … Wonderful! Bratislava, Slovakia.Tried one each 🙂 That’s a lot of pastries … Bratislava, Slovakia.The lady baking away … Since the shop is in Old Town, it was getting a steady stream of customers. Bratislava, Slovakia.The pastry shop … Old Town. Bratislava, Slovakia.Restaurant Koliba Kamzik Zelena … Old Town. Bratislava, Slovakia. Got seat inside, even though I did not have a reservation. I guess the noon time helped (Not peak time, yet).Pretty rustic interiors … Koliba Kamzik Zelena. Old Town. Bratislava, Slovakia.“Bryndzové Halušky”: Slovakia’s national dish. Potato dumplings with Sheep Cheese and Bacon. At Koliba Kamzik Zelena restaurant. Rated 4.5 by Google. Old Town, Bratislava, Slovakia. Sounds good? “Must Try”, my prior research had told me. So, I tried. Well, have been very “busy” since! In the bathroom!!! 😂🤦♂️ (That the dish’s taste did not appeal to me at all, I can live with …).Saris brand is quite popular in Slovakia. Bratislava, Slovakia.Old Town Square … Bought some postcards and a painting from a souvenir shop here. Bratislava, Slovakia.Trams like these are all over … Bratislava, Slovakia.Pothole cover … Bratislava version 🙂 Bratislava, Slovakia.Tram/Bus stops have electronic boards indicating the arrival times … Bratislava, Slovakia.Parish Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary (Blumentál) … Bratislava, Slovakia.Czech Beer in Slovakia … To get the whole Czechoslovakia feel 🙂 Bratislava, Slovakia.The Bratislava Hl Train Station … Bratislava, Slovakia.Nice idea! The compartment map of the various trains. The “Ex 611” was my train … Bratislava, Slovakia.Had a quick breakfast of Chicken Pastry and strong Black Coffee … Liked it very much and had a second helping of Beef Pastry as well 🙂 Bratislava, Slovakia.Bratislava Hl Train Station … Was quite busy on a Saturday morning. I noticed a few immigrants (Refugees?) hanging around, asking people for money. Bratislava, Slovakia.The bad boy I travelled in … ZSSK train. Bratislava, Slovakia.Bratislava Hl Train Station … My train is the middle one. Bratislava, Slovakia.That is my seat, the window one … Slovakia.The 2nd class compartment of the ZSSK (Železničná spoločnosť Slovensko, a.s. is a Slovak state-owned passenger train company based in Bratislava) train … Slovakia.Which era is this goods train from!? Slovakia.Local tram … Kosice, Slovakia.While walking along, I saw this display for Burger King’s Cayenne Whopper and suddenly craved a burger 🙂 The location was inside a mall … Contrary to my expectation, the burger was mildly mild! Kosice, Slovakia.Slovakia, West to East.Slovakia, West to East.Slovakia, West to East. Ever since Tallinn (Estonia), the threat of rain has loomed large. Using the “Lemons-Lemonade” funda, chugging along … 😁 Once in a while, you will see towns with very Soviet-ish block-like buildings painted in dull colors (Did not capture those monstrosities 😂). At 5.5M, Slovakia has double or more than double the population of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania (With same or smaller area).Local tram … Though I did see tracks through the Old Town, did not see a single tram pass through the Old Town. Kosice, Slovakia.Jakab’s Palace. The building was designed by the architect Peter Jakab for him to live in. The construction was completed in 1899. Among other materials, Peter also used unwanted stone parts from the St. Elizabeth Cathedral’s reconstruction.National Theater, Kosice, Slovakia. Smack in the middle of Old Town. There were posters of upcoming performances …Old Town … Around 8am. Had it all to myself 🙂 Kosice, Slovakia.There was a lot of renovation work going on around St. Elizabeth’s Cathedral. They had put up some vintage photos and drawings. This is a depiction of St. Elizabeth’s Cathedral and its surroundings, from back in the day … Kosice, Slovakia.The small and cute St. Michael’s Chapel … Kosice, Slovakia.Inside St. Elizabeth’s Cathedral. True Gothic style interiors … Kosice, Slovakia.During a walk through the park next to Old Town … Other than city staff cleaning the park and some locals walking their dogs, there was no one around. Kosice, Slovakia.Historic sculpture dedicated to the Virgin Mary, for ending the 1709–1710 plague epidemic. Kosice, Slovakia.St. Elizabeth’s Cathedral. From 1420. The largest Church in Slovakia. It has a capacity of 5000+ and is the Eastern-most Gothic Cathedral in Europe. It was a Sunday and there were people praying inside. Compared to Bratislava, I saw very few tourists, which is a pity for the town does have a compact and beautiful Old Town which can give the others a run for their money. One thing that has stuck me in Slovakia is that there seems to be a lot of refugees here. Syria? Palestine? Brown-skinned, tattered clothes, sometimes with kids, and they ask people for money. Other than in Vilnius and Helsingor/Hillerod, I have not had too many outright sunny days yet. It was yet another cloudy day, with no rain. Kosice, Slovakia.How to destroy the ambience around the majestic St. Elizabeth’s Cathedral? Like this! What a monstrosity 🙂 Kosice, Slovakia.A view of the Old Town … Kosice, Slovakia.A vintage Old Town … From one of the many banners around the renovation work at St. Elizabeth’s Cathedral. Kosice, Slovakia.Wolt and Bolt are the main Delivery Apps in this part of the World, it looks like … While I was waiting at an eatery to collect my takeaway, I saw one Wolt delivery person struggle to pack a huge order into his bag. Kosice, Slovakia.Went to a local supermarket to buy Slovakian Beer … Saw this sausage display. Kosice, Slovakia.“Zlaty Bazant” … A popular local Beer. Kosice, Slovakia.The wonderful stained-glass inside St. Elizabeth’s Cathedral … Kosice, Slovakia.Colors of Old Town … Kosice, Slovakia.Since 1994, Slovakia has won 42 Olympic medals, 14 of them Gold! Probably because of Sports Centers like these … Saw youngsters with workout bags go in and out. Kosice, Slovakia.Train Station … Kosice, Slovakia.Local bus … It had rained overnight. From a tourist’s perspective, all major sights are within easily walkable distance. I did not have to use public transport. Kosice, Slovakia.Had a nice Chicken Baguette and Black Coffee for BF … Kosice, Slovakia.Kosice Train Station … All those people milling about are to get the platform numbers for their trains, which are displayed 20-25 minutes before the departure time. Kosice, Slovakia.Flower shop in Train Station … Kosice, Slovakia.Baked goods … Was tempted 🙂 Kosice, Slovakia.Railway network in Slovakia … Kosice, Slovakia.ZSSK (Železničná spoločnosť Slovensko a.s), Slovak Rail, souvenir shop … Kosice, Slovakia.The train … All ready to go. Kosice, Slovakia.2nd class compartment … 1st class is not that different 😉 Since the train starts in Kosice, it was nearly empty. Kosice, Slovakia.The train I took … There were only 3 wagons (One 1st class and two 2nd class) to start off but once we entered Hungary, more wagons were attached. Kosice, Slovakia.
