Accommodation near Steel Aréna Košice

Steel Aréna, home of HC Košice, is at Nerudova 12, just south of the Old Town. From our apartment it is about 1.7 km as the crow flies — roughly 2.2 km and 25–30 minutes on foot, 7–10 minutes by car or taxi, or roughly 15–25 minutes by bus and tram, depending on connections. If you want a stay that combines a game or concert with evenings in the Old Town, the centre or its edge is a better base than the streets right around the arena.

About the arena

The full official name is Steel Aréna – Košický štadión Ladislava Trojáka (Steel Arena – Ladislav Troják Stadium), honouring the first Košice player to appear for the national team at a World Championship. The steelworks that gave the arena its name became Nippon Steel Slovakia on 1 October 2026, but the arena’s own website and HC Košice still call it Steel Aréna — locals often just say “Steelka”.

• Opened: 24 February 2006, on the site of the old winter stadium.
• Capacity: more than 8,300 seats.
• Big occasions: it co-hosted the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championships in 2011 and 2019.
• What’s on: HC Košice home games, plus concerts, shows, exhibitions, other sports and congresses.

HC Košice

HC Košice have played in Slovakia’s top division continuously since 1993/94 and have ten national titles: eight Slovak championships (1995, 1996, 1999, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014 and 2015) and two Czechoslovak titles (1986 and 1988). For fixtures and tickets, check the club’s site, hckosice.sk; for concerts, check the promoter or steelarena.sk.

Getting there and back

On foot

The walking route is about 2.2 km, a comfortable 25–30 minutes through the centre — a good way to build the atmosphere before face-off, and you can stop for dinner in the Old Town on the way back.

By public transport (DPMK)

• Out: from the Pošta 2 stop, about 50 m from the apartment, take bus 17 or 19 one stop to Staničné námestie (or walk there in 6–7 minutes). Change to tram 2, 5 or 6, or bus 23 or 38, and get off at Krajský súd, a couple of minutes’ walk from the arena.
• Back: from Krajský súd, tram 2, 5 or 6 or bus 23 or 38 run back to Staničné námestie. Late in the evening, night buses N3, N4 and N6 also serve Krajský súd towards Staničné námestie. From there it is a 6–7 minute walk home.
• Tickets: a 60-minute transfer ticket is €1.40 from a machine (€1.30 in an app); tickets are not sold by the driver. SMS tickets (€1.50, text 1166) work only with a Slovak SIM.

Timetables change, especially at night — check the live times on dpmk.sk before you set off.

By car, taxi or ride-hailing

It is about 4 km by road, typically 7–10 minutes outside rush hour. Bolt and Uber both operate in Košice, and HOPIN is a local taxi app. On match and concert nights, parking around the arena is limited and city parking rules apply, so we suggest leaving your car in your free bay at the apartment.

Host tips

From our own experience of hosting guests (tips, not official figures):

• Bolt rides around Košice typically cost about €3 — handy after a late concert. The app shows the price before you confirm; prices can rise when everyone leaves at once, so walking a few minutes away from the arena first can help.
• For adventurous guests, shared e-scooters from Bolt and Antik SmartWay can take you all the way home. Only if you are sober — and follow each app’s parking zones.
• The Pošta 2 bus stop really is right by the building, which makes the bus-and-tram combination easy in daylight.