11 Best things to do in Kosice: welcome to Slovakia!

Wondering what to do in Košice? Is Kosice worth visiting? Here are the best things to do in Kosice Slovakia that you need to include in your Slovakian itinerary.

After the days we spent in Budapest, it was time to hit the road. We were heading to a different country: Slovakia lay ahead. Precisely, the city of Kosice (or Košice). We had found very little information about things to see or do in Kosice, but we were certain that spending a few days there would be a good option.

Košice was a particularly good place to start our Slovakian itinerary, as it is some 4 hours away from Budapest and has good train connectivity.

It’s the second biggest city in Slovakia, and we were enthusiastic about its eastern location. We also must admit that, when googling the name of the city, we were impressed by the picture of a church that seemed to be right in the middle of everything.

In conclusion, Košice would be our welcome to Slovakia.

In addition to the things to do in Kosice, at the end of the article I will share with you some travel tips to organize your trip to Kosice.

Train trip from Budapest to Košice, Slovakia

It was indicated on the train fare we had bought one day before that the journey would take less than four hours. We left our lodgings in Budapest really early in the morning to walk up to Budapest Keleti train station, some 3 km away.

The sky was still dark; the train would leave at 6.30 a. m.

The train was comfortable and made few stopovers.

The landscape was plain all through the journey and, honestly, rather boring, in this season at least. But writing and the autumnal view through the window made time go by.

When we arrived in Kosice, it was raining. Murphy’s Law always being in effect, it started pouring rain exactly 14 minutes before we arrived at the station.

We covered our backpacks with the rain-protectors, popped our hoods over our heads, and began walking with no umbrellas at all up to the hotel we had reserved, all through Mestský Park (or city park).

Had it been another season of the year, it wouldn’t have been a problem to be all wet, but the weather beginning December is freezing in this area (Luckily, the weather made it up to us with wonderful autumnal sunshine the following day).

Half an hour later, and rather wet, we arrived. To be honest, it wasn’t the most glamorous entrance, and the worst part is that this hotel was as glamorous.

We placed our belongings in our nice room with a view, waited a while for the drizzle to stop, and went out for our favorite activity: walking around the new city.

🏩 I recommend the hotel where we stayed, the room was spacious, comfortable and with views over the city. Check rates and book it here.

Best things to do in Kosice, Slovakia: walking around the city

All you can see and do in Kosice is located within the historical core and you get to do everything by walking.

The city has a Hungarian influence, as it was part of that empire until it became part of the old Czechoslovakia in 1918. Then it was re-seized by Hungary from 1938 to 1945. After that, communists left an important part of this city: the Steelworks.

Although population in the city is over 200,000 inhabitants, the historical core is rather small and just one day would be enough to visit it.

Let’s get into the most interesting places to visit in Košice.

🔝 Kosice is a good starting point to visit the east of Slovakia. This tour will show you the best of the area for a week, with transfers, guide and accommodation included. See rates here.

1. The Main Park or Hlavná, center of Kosice attractions

To favor your location, we recommend that you start out by the main park, which is the city center and life axis. Besides, most places to visit in Košice surround this walking park.

If we surround it, we’ll see the best of Košice: a mixture of 12th-century Gothic buildings with some art nouveau from the beginning of the 20th century.

Your picturing of the city will certainly change depending on the season you are in.

During spring and summer, the park is full with colors, many bars and cafés take their tables outdoors and there’re plenty of little terraces where to drink nice beer at good prices. However, if you visit the city during fall or winter, the urban view will be a bit different due to the cold weather (though nice inexpensive beer is available all through the year).

In the same park is the imposing Kosice cathedral and the theater.

💯 As soon as you arrive in the city, it’s a great idea to take this free walking tour with an English speaking guide through the historical center to learn more about Kosice.

2. St. Elizabeth Cathedral, the must-see in Kosice

Located in the middle of the park, it’s the most important monument to see in Kosice, Slovakia, and the picture that convinced us to visit this city. It’s the largest one in the country.

It was built at the end of the 1300s, though it underwent numerous restorations since then. One curiosity is that it’s the most eastern Gothic cathedral in Europe.

It’s the first time we see a color-roof church, which is so picturesque and looks even better underneath sunlight. It’s also worth a ride at night, to see it enlightened.

You can go up to the dome to enjoy city views for some 2 euros, one of the best things to do in Kosice. On Sundays, masses are held with choirs in Latin.

Next to the cathedral is Saint Michael’s Chapel, which also has a curious roof.

3. State Theater

The State Theater is imposing in the central park, next to the cathedral.

If you’re visiting the city on a weekend or in the summertime, going to see the billboard would be a great idea, as opera and dancing shows are usual and they say the acoustics are really good.

4. The Plague Column

As we have already seen in front of Matthias Church in Budapest, and like most Slovakian cities, there’s also a Plague Column here from 1723 in front of the city theater (for the epidemic ended in 1710).

We always gaze at them astonished, trying to imagine that old time of illnesses that diverted the course of history. Now, after all that the world has gone through in 2020, it doesn’t seem to be so old. Maybe we too will build columns in a few years?

5. Discovering underground Košice

Honestly, we happened to discover it by chance, strolling through the main park.

In 1996, when trying to reconstruct a street, they discovered these medieval fortification remains: the old Košice.

If you like archeological places, it may be a good idea. Otherwise, you can skip it, as it’s not well run and it can turn out boring. The ticket is some 2 euros.

6. Saint Urban’s Tower

It’s a re-built 14th-century tower located in front of the park. Currently, the wax museum is there, so we only got to see the outside.

7. Jacab’s Palace, one of the Kosice attractions

We ran into this building by chance. We were nicely surprised because we had never seen pictures of it, and it turned out one of our favorite buildings of the city, apart from the cathedral.

We discovered Jacab’s Palace on a rainy day, which made it look particularly lovely. But we went back the following day and the sunlight made its green roof shine splendidly.

8. Francis Rákóczi’s House

Francis Rákóczi II was the leader of Hungary’s independence war in the 1700s, and as Kosice was the most important center of the rebellion, his exile house in Rodosto, Turkey, was replicated here. Its style reminded us of the time we’ve been to that country.

Rakoczi is buried in St. Elizabeth Cathedral, the one we mentioned before.

9. Mikluš Prison

It’s located just a few meters from Rákóczi’s house.

Originally, it was a torture site, and some instruments that were used for that purpose are exposed in the museum, as well as the old dungeons.

There’s a combined entrance to visit Rakoczi’s house and the prison.

10. Wandering the streets of historical core, the nicest thing to do in Kosice

Apart from the important places to visit in Kosice, I recommend that you spare some time to walk beyond the main park and its surrounding buildings.

Within the historical core there are charming streets, with curves, arches and low houses painted in light colors. Some of them hide good bars or pubs where to have a beer.

11. Aupark Shopping, a great plan for a rainy day

Yes, I know, we’d never recommend a shopping center as a city attraction.

But our reason is more than valid: if the weather is awful, like our first day, Aupark Shopping is an excellent option to seek shelter, and there’re many stores and places where to eat.

What can you do on a rainy day in Kosice? Aupark!

Advice for your trip to Kosice, Slovakia

How to make it to Kosice

It’s a well communicated city. It has an international airport (KSC) and, if in advance, you can get fares at good prices for direct flights from some European cities.

For example, there’re inexpensive direct flights to Kosice from:

• London (By clicking on the link you can see the cheapest flights from each of these cities to Kosice)
• Prague,
• Vienna,
• Warsaw
• or from Spain with layovers.

If you’re planning to do more travelling around this country, it’s convenient to rent a car. The best option is comparing between different renters here to find low prices for several days.

There also are trains communicating Kosice with Budapest, Hungary (like the one we ourselves took) and with Bratislava. The train station is just 500 meters from the city center, so you can go by walking.

How to go from Bratislava to Kosice

You can take either a train or a bus.

It takes 5 to 6 hours by train and the price is some 20 or 30 euros. It’s the fastest and most comfortable option, and we especially recommend it if you’d rather not make any stopovers on the way. The train goes through the north of the country, passing by Poprad.

The bus from Bratislava to Kosice takes 6 to 7 hours, costs some 25 euros and goes all through the central area of Slovakia.

🚍 Book a train or bus to Kosice from Bratislava

How to get to Kosice from Budapest

Trains to Kosice from Budapest pull out of Keleti station in Budapest.

We bought the fares one day before directly at the station, and paid 20 euros for 2nd class, plus 3 euros for reservation. It’s a 4-hour trip, and it’s really comfortable. By purchasing bus tickets online in advance you can get bus tickets for only 14 euros.

🚆 Book a bus or train to Kosice from Budapest.

💰 Travel discount: If this is your first time using Omio, when you register you can include this promo code mariaf8h9w2g to receive a 10 euro discount when you spend a minimum of 44 euros.

Accommodation

We stayed at Yasmin Hotel, some 600 meters from the center, because we had found a way too good offer. The room was very comfortable and had a large window showing the city. It includes a great breakfast, and in the basement is Montana Steakhouse & Bar, a meat restaurant with really good reputation.

This hotel is certainly worth recommending! ➥ Book it here.

Places to eat: restaurant in Kosice, recommended!

To get a bite to eat on the way and continue walking through the city, we ate some pizza slices in Big Pizza, in front of the park, for one euro each, they were big and delicious!

At night, many restaurants were closed, and we ended up in front of the park again. It was a place full of local people, and we highly recommend it.

It’s a craft beer bar called Staromestska Pivaren. Although they don’t speak Spanish, the staff was really nice and the food (and beer) was exquisite. I had my first experience eating a typical Slovakian dish: Bryndzove Halusky, which now is one of my favorites.

Also, prices were affordable: a pint of beer cost 1.30 euros and each dish cost 4 to 6 euros.

One funny story from that night is that after drinking one and a half pint each, we attempted to tell the boy that everything was excellent. Apparently our intention didn’t work, and he thought we wanted even more beer! I swear, we were unable to drink it up. It resulted in our drinking 2 liters each!

Is Kosice worth visiting? How many days?

Even though it all depends on your itinerary in this country, I believe Kosice is worth visiting.

One day or two are enough to visit the city, as the historical core is small. If it’s Monday, remember museums are closed.

Also, it’s a good base to discover eastern Slovakia, staying in the city and then taking day trips from Kosice to the surroundings.

If it’s winter, bear in mind that days are short, which is inconvenient for tourists. If it’s spring or summer, maybe you could stay at least two days. For example, there’re several night concerts the first week of May, and I would definitely spend more nights there.

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I hope this Kosice travel guide was useful to plan your trip. Do you have other suggestions for top things to do in Kosice Slovakia that I missed? Let me know in the comments!