For the summer holiday of 2026, I spent 17 days in Slovakia. It was supposed to be 18 days but we spent a whole day in 3 different airports (Stockholm, Warsaw, Vienna) because the first flight was delayed and we could not get on the connecting flight in Warsaw and the next available flight had a stopover in Vienna. We spent 9 days in the nature - Tatra mountains and a cave in Liptovsky Mikulas. No beach this year but we were by Danube river in Vienna to take a dip. We had clear weather during our travels but it was scorching hot in the towns - Kosice, Bratislava and Vienna. When we were in Bratislava, temperatures were between 35 and 37 degrees. We experienced a day with rain during a hike and luckily, the accommodation provided facilities to dry our hiking boots.
I was informed that Slovakia is an affordable country as there are not many tourists yet. Not really, in my opinion, on the affordability. Only the small towns are but not the capital and certainly not Vienna in Austria. We flew back from Vienna as all flights from Bratislava had a stopover in Vienna. Also, it is just a one-hour train ride from Bratislava to Vienna and it is an hourly train too. How convenient is that! It is true, though, that there are not many tourists. Most of the hikers in the mountains are locals as I heard them speaking to the restaurant staff in the local language. But in Bratislava, I can hear the English-speaking tourists asking for the bill to pay.
Here is how the travel route looked like:
Fly to Kosice (3 nghts) -- train to Poprad (1 night) -- train to Stary Smokovec (High Tatras) -- hike to accommodation at Zamkovského chalet (3 nights) -- hike to accommodation drive at Hotel Sliezsky Dom (3 nights) -- train to Liptovsky Mikulas (3 nights) -- train to Bratislava (3 nights) -- train to Vienna (1 night)
Here is a summary of what is spent on Day 1.
29/7 Day 1: Flight from Stockholm to Kosice. Taxi to accommodation.
Costs
(1) Flight ticket Stockholm to Kosice - Polish Airline SEK1133. We flew back with Austrian Airlines.
(2) Taxi (offered by the Airbnb host) from airport to accommodation - Shared EUR10 for 3 persons. EUR3.33 per person.
Accommodation
(1) Airbnb at Kosice, 3 nights - Shared room EUR243,52 for 3 persons, EUR81,17 per person
Food
(1) Dinner at Jamie Oliver restaurant in Vienna International Airport - Chicken al Mattone: Breaded chicken EUR23,50, cappucino single shot 7g EUR5,40
The Story
29072026: Our flight Polish Airlines was delayed from 10.40am to 12.30pm due to technical problem. So, we missed our connecting flight at Warsaw which departed at 1.25pm. We arrived at Warsaw at 2.15pm and went to Polish Airlines custmer service to ask for the next available flight. Next available flight is at 5.20pm and will land in Vienna at 7pm and the flight to Kosice will depart at 10.30pm and land in Kosice at 11.20pm. Goodness... a WHOLE day spent in airports. We had no choice but to accept the offer. The initial itinerary was that we will arrive in Kosice at 2.30pm.
We received a box of snacks and a bottled water from Polish Airlines customer service. Not exactly my kind of snacks. Oh well. A snack that has sort of rubbery long sausage, protein bar, dried apple chips, pretzel chips, porridge-liquid form with cheesecake flavour (weird eating this).
When we landed in Vienna, we had dinner at Jamie Oliver restaurant. Chicken al Mattone - Breaded chicken. This dish is defined as "chicken under a brick," ´which is a traditional Italian dish—originating from Tuscany—where a flattened, spatchcocked chicken is cooked under the heavy weight of a brick or cast-iron skillet. That explains the seared lines on the chicken - it comes from a cast-iron skillet.
Purpose of this method of cooking - The weight keeps the skin in firm contact with the hot cooking surface for maximum crispiness, while pressing the meat down helps it cook faster and stay extremely juicy
Had cappucino. The waiter asked me if I wanted a small or large coffee. I asked if there is medium. The waiter asked me back what do I mean by that and I said the size of the coffee cup. The waiter said the small and large refers to 7g or 14g which is single or double shot. I was confused. Maybe in German, single or double shot is referred as small or large. For me, small or large refers to the size of an object. I took a single shot. The double shot tasted more bitter. My travel companions took that.
Dinner was tasty. There is no free water provided to the meal. Bottled water is expensive on the menu. So, I skipped the drink. Plus I had a bottled water.
Finally, we see the electronic screen that shows flight to Kosice. I was happy. There were barely any passengers in the airport. I guess not many flights take the night slot.
Touched down in Kosice! Super relieved that it went well in the end. Our Airbnb host offered to pick us up for a small fee so we accepted it. We checked that taxis also offer EUR10 for the same distance.
