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Košice · Slovakia
The second city of Slovakia: St. Elizabeth Cathedral, the easternmost of the great Gothic cathedrals in Europe, Hlavná Street with the Fountain that Sings, and a historic center protected from end to end.
In the photo: Košice’s historic center at sunset.
Illustrative images. The pictures in this guide are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs, and may differ from it.
Get to know the place
Košice is the second largest city in Slovakia, with about 230,000 inhabitants, and the main city of the country’s east. It lies in the valley of the Hornád River, about 20 km from the Hungarian border, and for centuries was a royal merchant town on the route between the Hungarian plain, Poland and Russia. The historic center is the largest urban heritage reserve in Slovakia.
The axis of the old town is Hlavná Street, an elongated square shaped like a lens, about 1 km long, pedestrianized for almost its entire length. In its middle rise St. Elizabeth Cathedral, the Urban Tower and the Chapel of St. Michael, a rare Gothic ensemble in the country, and just to the north the State Theatre, with the Fountain that Sings in the garden in front. Baroque palaces and merchants’ houses line both sides.
The city was European Capital of Culture in 2013, and some cultural spaces date from that time, such as the old municipal swimming pool converted into an arts center. Košice also hosts the oldest marathon in Europe, the Peace Marathon, first run in 1924 and held in early October.
Košice functions as a gateway to the east: it has an international airport and is just over an hour by car from Spiš Castle and Levoča, and a little more than an hour by train from Poprad and the High Tatras. To the south and west lie the caves of the Slovak Karst and the Slovak Tokaj wine region.
This destination brings together 1 city: Košice.
One destination, many paths
Start with one city or combine several in your itinerary.
Boundaries: geoBoundaries (dados do OpenStreetMap, licença ODbL). Adapted by Cidade Turismo.
✈ Letisko Košice (KSC), in Košice · 6 km to Košice
Košice Airport is about 6 km from the center, with flights from Vienna, Warsaw, Prague and Bratislava, among others. By train, Košice is about 5 hours from Bratislava and just over an hour from Poprad. The station is a few minutes’ walk from Hlavná Street.
The local experience
The largest church in Slovakia and the western-type Gothic cathedral farthest to the east in Europe, begun in 1380, with a 48-panel Gothic main altarpiece, the crypt of Francis II Rákóczi and a tower with a viewpoint.
The late 19th-century neo-Baroque theatre in the middle of Hlavná Street, home to opera, ballet and drama, with the singing fountain and carillon in the garden between the theatre and the cathedral.
One of the country’s oldest museums, in a neo-Renaissance building from 1896–1899, at the north end of Hlavná Street. Houses the Košice gold treasure, with more than 2,900 coins, displayed in a vault.
Before you go
A little planning leaves more time to enjoy the journey.
Between May and September the days are long and warm, sometimes above 30 °C in July and August; it’s the season for outdoor tables on Hlavná and the Fountain that Sings performances. September and October are pleasant, and the Peace Marathon takes place in early October. December has a Christmas market; winter is cold.
The seasons shown are the most usual ones; nature doesn't always follow the calendar.
One day covers Hlavná Street, the cathedral, the Urban Tower and the State Theatre. With two days you can add the East Slovak Museum, with its gold treasure, and the neighborhoods around the center. Košice also serves as a base for a day trip to Spiš Castle.
The historic center around Hlavná Street makes everything walkable and has guesthouses in old houses. Parallel streets, such as Mlynská and Kováčska, are a bit quieter. Near the train station is convenient for those arriving or departing by train.
Take your trash with you, follow the signs and support local businesses. In natural areas, follow the visiting guidelines.
Get your questions answered
One day is enough for the historic center and the cathedral. With two days you can visit the museums at a relaxed pace and make a day trip to Spiš Castle.
Stroll along Hlavná Street, visit St. Elizabeth Cathedral and climb the north tower, see the Fountain that Sings in front of the State Theatre and the gold treasure at the East Slovak Museum.
Not for the city: the center is pedestrianized, and trams and buses connect the station and the airport. A car helps for day trips to Spiš and the Slovak Karst.
Yes. The castle is about 65 km away, a little over an hour by car via the D1 highway. It can be combined with Levoča on the same day.
