The Kosice-Zilina-Bratislava Regiojet: an unheralded and unforgettable train journey

I first visited Slovakia in the early spring of 2010, traveling eastwards from Bratislava to Poprad in order to see the Vysoke Tatry. I wasn't then interested in Kosice - I had come to see the finest mountains in this part of Europe and there wasn't a need to go further east than was necessary. The train journey was very picturesque until the rivers, forests and mountains were ineluctably mingled by the deepening dusk into an amorphous blankness relieved only by the occasional village and passing vehicle. 6 years later, Mary and I would enter Slovakia from the northeast. Kosice was our first Slovakian hub, and we would make the same journey, only in reverse.

Below: The High Tatras from Poprad train station, one of a number of beautiful mountain ranges which the Kosice-Zilina-Bratislava train journey passes. Sit on the right side of the train for the best views if headed in this direction. We didn't, so this (taken before we boarded the train) was my best picture of the ride. On the Zilina-Bratislava leg of the journey we were so snug in our roomy seats and with out take-away McDonald's that our cameras remained firmly in our bags.

Part of the Visegrad Four (a group established in 1991 to increase cooperation between the freshly-minted post-Communist Central European states of Poland, Hungary and then Czechoslovakia) which has dominated tourism in what has otherwise been popularly defined as Eastern Europe, Slovakia is the region's best-kept secret. Poland has Krakow. Hungary has Budapest. The Czechs have Prague. It might be a long shot to say the Slovaks have Bratislava, but they have mountains. Lots of it, which constitute 80% of Slovakian terrain. Even the Slovakian flag has mountains (on the coat of arms, beneath the double silver cross). To see them, those who prefer being moved to moving can turn to the country's decent railway network.

We broke our journey in three stages - Kosice to Poprad, Poprad to Zilina and finally Zilina to Bratislava. At Poprad I even managed a rare feat - by eliciting a hint of a smile from typically inscrutable railway staff when I bought our tickets in a sorry jumble of Polish, Russian and Slovakian. (Yes, I checked the phrasebook shortly after to confirm my risible lack of competency in Slovakian.)

Below (top to bottom): The creative architectural blends within the Poprad and Zilina train stations - the former looking like a park in a hangar; and the latter like a cross between a school canteen and a chapel.

Our progress took us through a roll-call of the mountain ranges within the country - first the rolling fields of the Levoca Mountains as the train left Kosice; then the formidable High Tatras as it approaches Poprad (which form the bulk, please forgive the pun, of the blockbuster views on the journey); then the wooded meandering valleys of the Low Tatras and Mala Fatra Mountains around Zilina, watched over in a few spots by abandoned keeps; and, just before the Bratislava suburbs appear, the great arc of the Western Carpathians peters out in the low hills of the Little Carpathians, dotted with frozen ponds on which amateur ice hockey outfits square off and youthful exuberance chased shadows on skates.

Below: The Mary Expressions aboard the Tatras Express. If there is one thing which appeals more than the wood and water which zip past it would be the free wifi.

We were far and away the most conspicuous foreigners in the carriages. Only outlandishly large backpacks indicated the presence of fellow travelers. There were many Czech visitors, though, with their country practically next door, not all took the train. Commuters apart, the majority of the other passengers aboard the train were locals off to hit the slopes with their unwieldy bundles of ski equipment.

Below (top to bottom): Slices of Slovakia - late afternoon walkers in the Tatras foothills; and the stump Strecno Hrad above the Vah River (Slovakia's longest) just before the train rolls into Zilina.

The Kosice-Zilina-Bratislava train journey passes through some unforgettable scenery yet remains unheralded. Perhaps the route needs an uplifting name, one such as the Trans-Siberian Railway which lends such weighty significance to a single steel filament running the oft frostbitten length of the northern Eurasian wastes. Possible names could include the Western Carpathian Express, the Trans-Slovakian Railway, or simply the Tatras Express. It would go some way in attracting travelers, for many of whom train journeys retain a modicum of the romantic. Yet in our impatient, abbreviated and faddish world today, we may be glad this train ride is yet to find itself on one of those Top 10 Train Journeys lists.

Good luck trying to get that Glacier Express reservation.

Logistics

Taking slightly over 6 hours, this is a manageable journey even if one chooses not to stop in between. There is something for everybody. Kosice and Bratislava are the two largest cities in Slovakia, their old towns stroll-worthy historical landmarks in their own right. Poprad, Liptovsky Mikulas and Zilina are adventure bases from where respectively the High Tatras, Low Tatras and the Mala Fatra Mountains can be visited. One could ski, hike or scramble up narrow gorges on metal ladders set vertiginously next to waterfalls (at Slovensky Raj National Park, best visited from Poprad). And then as mentioned - the castles. Oravsky Zamok, to where buses from Zilina run, was where the 1922 horror classic Nosferatu was filmed. Trencin, its castle built on a ridge overlooking the old town, can be visited en route between Zilina and Bratislava and right next to the train station.

Go for the RegioJet 600 series trains, some trains take the slower route through Central Slovakia. Seat reservations aren't necessary, but would prevent having to uproot when somebody with one comes along. In Zilina and Bratislava, Student Agency handles ticket sales on this route. You won't miss their red and yellow banner within the train station. We bought Relaxed Class, which affordably offers spacious seats and ample leg room. For Tatras views, sit on the right if starting from Kosice and on the left if from Bratislava.