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Košice is little known among British travellers. Yet it offers showstopping architecture, art and uncrowded streets. Around 400km east of Bratislava, the city is well connected by air, rail and road. There are flights from Liverpool, Luton and Stansted or a train journey from the capital takes around five hours.
As a guidebook-updater (yes, it’s a thing), I stopped in the city while criss-crossing Slovakia, but Košice is worthy of a longer stay. It can be a base for visits to nearby attractions, too.
Day trips from the city could include Spiš Castle (Photo: Jean-Philippe Tournut/Getty)
Within an hour’s drive are several Unesco World Heritage sites: Spiš Castle; the preserved towns of Bardejov and Levoča; and the remarkable Karst scenery and caves of Slovak Paradise National Park. More than 2.2 million foreign tourists visited Slovakia last year, an increase of around 300,0000 on 2024. Most foreign visitors are from Czechia (the Czech Republic), Poland or Germany.
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Bratislava is a popular destination and Slovakia’s high Tatras mountains are well-known to hikers and skiers, but the east of the country is less well-travelled.
There are 800 years of history layered in Košice’s medieval heart. Indeed, for several hundred years, it was an important part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Nowadays, it is a laid-back university city of around 250,000 people. Its perfectly restored old town (Staré mesto) is packed with palaces, merchants’ houses and churches. The buildings, in shades of yellow, apricot and rose, are decorated with carved flourishes and arched windows.
The leafy pedestrianised zone is almond-shaped and at 1.2km, it is Slovakia’s longest pedestrian promenade. Cafés spill onto cobbled streets and there are several small parks in which to rest on a bench.
I started my walk on Main Square (Hlávne námestie) at the 14th-century Cathedral of St Elizabeth (Dom Sv Alžbety). Its roof shimmers under a coat of zigzag-patterned tiles in deep reds and greens. The north portal is richly carved. Above the doors, a large panel depicts the Last Judgement, complete with angels and apostles. It is rich in spouting gargoyles, tall buttresses and Gothic pinnacles. Above the main entrance is the drunken face of the master builder’s wife, captured forever as a gargoyle to celebrate years of unhappy marriage.
Inside, the star of the show is the huge, winged altar of St Elizabeth. With 48 painted panels, it is the largest in the country and one of Slovakia’s most-valuable artworks. Also of note is the unique double spiral staircase and fragments of Gothic frescoes. I climbed 160 steps to the octagonal top of the Sigismund Tower for eagle’s-eye views across the Old Town as well as a close look at the roof tiles.
Back on the ground, I followed the crowds across the square to the singing fountain (Spievajúca fontána). On the hour, loudspeakers play Slovak folk songs and pop anthems while fountains dance in time. It is mesmerising and jolly and, after dark, the water changes colour, too.
The fountain is accompanied by folk and pop songs (Photo: Thomas Roche/Getty)
In complete contrast, behind the fountain is the stately Neo-Baroque National Theatre (Národné divadlo), home to a thriving programme of opera and dance. Beyond the theatre is the plague column (Immaculata). There are lots of these in Slovakia. Erected in town squares to give thanks for deliverance from plague, Košice’s dates from 1709 and is splendidly knobbly.
I wandered east to the Medieval Alley of Crafts (Hrnčiarska ulica), a quiet, cobbled street of low-rise shops and galleries where ceramicists, metalsmiths and herbalists work in their tiny studios. It’s a great place to pick up a souvenir or enjoy coffee. I bought a rožok (crescent-shaped pastry crammed with poppy seeds) too, for sightseeing fuel.
St Elisabeth Cathedral should feature on a city break itinerary (Photo: Arpad Benedek 2019/Twilightcolors.com/Getty)
Fortified, I went in search of gold. Košice’s medieval hoard of coins and medals was discovered in the 1930s by builders renovating the old town. The sparkling haul is displayed in the East Slovak Museum, where there is also an exhibition of Carpathian wildlife dioramas. Just outside stands one of Slovakia’s incredible folk art wooden churches. Built between the 16th and 18th centuries, there are about 60 examples preserved in the country. This one was dismantled in its mountain village and reconstructed in the museum’s courtyard.
Thirsty again, it was time for Slovak beer and the Golem pub and microbrewery, a five-minute walk from the centre, was a good choice for lunch. It serves its own brewed unfiltered and unpasteurized light (svetlé) and dark (tmavé) beers – both excellent paired with the local fried cheese and a few pickles.
There are plenty of options for excursions away from the Old Town, too. A stroll through residential districts will reveal more than 30 huge urban murals, part of the Open Mural Gallery. Alternatively, it’s a short bus ride (route 14) from the centre to the Košice Children’s Historical Railway. Built in 1955 to train young soviet rail workers, its 4km of track runs along the forested Čermeľ Valley. It is still operated by school-aged children, who volunteer for the roles. Under adult supervision, they act as conductors, shunters, switchmen, announcers and ticket sellers.
Exploring further afield, I headed 40 minutes north-west to the Lajoška Mountain Chalet, which is a traditional Slovak chata or refuge. It sits at 908m with 11 hiking trails radiating from it and offers hearty hikers’ fare (soups are a speciality) in its restaurant (open Tuesday–Friday) and simple chalet stays.
As I returned through the cosy city centre, dusk light was turning the buildings to gold. Košice’s peaceful heart may be its greatest treasure.
The writer is updating the Bradt Guide to Slovakia, to be published at the end of the year.
Getting there
Košice has regular flights from Luton (Wizz Air), Stansted (Ryanair) from around £30 return and less frequent connections from Liverpool (Ryanair) from around £90 return. See skyscanner.net for more information.
Staying there
Hotel Dali is in the city centre and has rooms from €55 (£48) per night, hoteldalia.sk
Lajoška Mountain Chalet offers from €25 (£22) per night, lajoska.sk/
Camp-Košice has newly-updated chalets from €65 (£56) per night (sleeps five), camp-kosice.sk
See booking.com or hotels.com for more.
More information
Wanders of Košice offers custom tours, potulka.sk
visitkosice.org/en