I guess not many of you have had the idea to visit Kosice, Slovakia. You might even want to google now what place I’m talking about.
But let me tell you – this second biggest city in Slovakia is pretty amazing, incredibly underrated and with all the great things to do in Kosice it makes a perfect city break destination in Europe.
Kosice has everything you might wish for: a beautiful old town full of interesting monuments, some cool alternative spots, lots of great cafes and restaurants and some amazing day trip options!
I’ve been to Kosice around 10 times by now and I still can’t get over how wonderful this city is, how many attractions it offers, and how perfect the place is for at least a weekend trip to Kosice.
It just keeps surprising me, how come people don’t even consider visiting Kosice?
Kosice essentials
- Where to stay in Kosice: Boutique Hotel Slávia (9.0/10) / Boutique Hotel Bristol (8.8/10)
- Get insured for your trip to Slovakia with SafetyWing
Kosice attractions
There’re so many attractions in Kosice, enough for few good days in the city!
The most important monument is St. Elizabeth’s Cathedral, preponderating the city. It’s the easternmost Gothic cathedral in Europe, works on it began in 1378.
The building is stunning both inside and outside and the view from the tower is breathtaking and definitely worth taking 160 stairs up!
St. Elizabeth’s Cathedral, together with next door Urban’s Tower and Michal’s Chapel, were proclaimed a national cultural heritage.
The whole Gothic complex is located in the heart of Hlavna ulica – Main street.
This is the biggest historical area in Slovakia and walking up and down the pedestrian street, admiring beautiful bourgeois houses, or spending time in one of the numerous cafes and restaurants around is the highlight of every trip to Kosice.
The majority of the attractions you want to see are around the Main street: next to the Gothic complex there’s the State Theatre with unique singing fountains just in front (such a cool thing!), grand palaces are built along the street, the narrow, charming lanes are hidden behind the arches on both sides and the East Slovak Museum (with the Gold Treasure hiding almost 3000 gold coins among few other things) can be found at the end of Hlavna.
You can find a comprehensive list of things to do in Kosice here.
Visit Kosice and its alternative spots
Being the European Capital of Culture 2013, Kosice has a lot to offer also on the alternative front.
The city is the best street art gallery in Slovakia, with huge murals adorning walls of blocks all over the city.
The former tobacco factory or military barracks now serve as cultural centers and the old swimming pool was transformed into a contemporary art museum!
Few steps away from the Main Street a charming lane – Hrnciarska – hides numerous craftsman stores.
-> Read more about street art in Kosice
-> Read more about culture in Kosice
Day trips from Kosice
Not only the city is extremely interesting, but it also has a lot of great day trips opportunities! Once you are done with seeing the city you should set off to see the region.
One hour drive from Kosice can take you to the Tokaj region known for its amazing wines and relaxing atmosphere.
It makes a perfect day trip but you can easily spend a good few days there, just visiting (and enjoying) the wine cellars and discovering the area.
Every fan of active holidays will be delighted with nearby Tatra mountains and Slovak Paradise National park.
And if you’re looking for picture-perfect Central European towns you’re in for a treat too!
Kosice can be a perfect base to explore eastern Slovakia! You can easily travel from Kosice to places like Bardejov or Spis Castle.
-> Read more about top places to visit in Slovakia
How to get to Kosice
Kosice is easily accessible by train, bus or plane from numerous places around. The international airport is served by low-cost airline Wizzair, there is also a daily connection with Warsaw thanks to LOT Polish airlines.
There’re direct trains to Budapest (3.5 hours), Bratislava (5 hours) or Prague (8 hours) and bus services to Cracow (6 hours).
Where to stay in Kosice
During my numerous trips to the city I could have checked numerous Kosice accommodation options. Places I can definitely recommend are:
- Boutique Hotel Bristol (9.1/10 on Booking), located a few steps away from the Cathedral, with spacious rooms and excellent service
- Hotel Ambassador (8,7/10 on Booking), located right on the main street, a very decent 4-stars hotel.
- Penzión Dobré Časy (8,2/10 on Booking), a budget-friendly option in the Old Town, not far from the main street and the train/bus station, with a really nice pub downstairs.
Where to eat in Kosice
Again, there’re numerous options for dining out.
Some of the best restaurants include Primi, Villa Regia, Le Colonial, Camelot and Med Malina. And all of them serve some vegetarian options!
Vyprazany syr might be one of my beloved food ever!!
Kosice has some really great cafes as well, like Pogo, Nico or Salka kavy. You can read more about Kosice cafes here.
I found Foursquare to be the best source of information about places to eat and drink.
-> Read more about vegetarian food in Slovakia
Events in Kosice
Did you know that Kosice Marathon is the oldest one in Europe and the second oldest in the world, after the Boston Marathon? It takes place on the first Sunday in October every year and brings a big joy to the city.
At the end of November Main Street turns into the Christmas wonderland. For the whole list of events take a look at Visit Kosice website.
Is it worth to visit Kosice?
The second biggest city in Slovakia has everything you might look for in the perfect city break destination: beautiful monuments, interesting history, great day trips, and Central-European charm.
It isn’t even half as crowded as nearby Prague, Cracow or Budapest and you get to enjoy all the attractions in the peace and quiet atmosphere.
And the best thing – Kosice is a really good money value!
Make sure to take a look at Visit Kosice website to learn more about the city and plan your trip there!
Further reading
Since Kosice is among my favorite cities, this is one of the few articles I wrote about the place. Below you can find others:
- 30 Great Things to do in Kosice, Slovakia
- 21 Most Instagrammable Places in Kosice, Slovakia
- Best Cafes in Kosice, Slovakia
- Kosice street art – an urban gallery in Slovakia
- Culture in Kosice
- Amazing Kosice, Slovakia in pictures
- Slovak Paradise and Kosice Region by train
Travel Resources
You can find the best accommodation options at Booking. They have many discounts and excellent customer service. Click here to look for the place to stay in Kosice
Never travel without travel insurance, you never know what might happen and better safe than sorry. You can check the insurance policy for Slovakia here.
I recommend joining organized tours to get to know the place better and to visit more places during your trip. You can find a great selection of tours at Get Your Guide – click here.
Make sure to have the offline map always installed on your phone, they can save you so many troubles. I always use the free app Maps.Me.
For the end I left a few announcements that might interest you:
- Sign up to my newsletter or follow me on Bloglovin to get updates about the new posts
- Join my Facebook group about Eastern Europe, the Balkans and former USSR and connect with fellow travellers and enthusiasts of these regions – just click here!
- I’ve included a few handy links of services and products I personally like and use so you can plan your own trip to Kosice too. They are often affiliate links. This means I will get a small commission if you book/purchase anything through my links, at no extra costs for you. Thank you!
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Disclaimer: I visited Kosice in partnership with Visit Kosice however all the opinions are 100% mine, as always.
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53 Comments
Traveling Rockhopper
01/12/2015 at 15:00I’m from Poland, so I heard about Kosice, however I had no idea it’s the second biggest city in Slovakia! And I didn’t really have a chance to visit it… It really looks like a beautiful place, and surrounded by lovely mountains :) One day… ;)
kami
07/12/2015 at 23:24it’s definitely worth visiting so I hope you will go there soon, especially since it’s so close! Such an underrated city!!
Łukasz | Kartka z Podróży
01/12/2015 at 16:04Do tej pory Koszyce kojarzyłm ze względu o walkę braci Jana I i Władysława II o wpływy na Węgrzech. Dzięki za wiele innych ciekawostek.
kami
07/12/2015 at 23:27polecam się :)
Hanging around in Asia
01/12/2015 at 17:43I usually stop there on the way to Romania or to The Balkans. If you travel by car from Warsaw it’s a good place to have a break and chill out for a while :) I know the hostel you mentioned! I’m quite curious though about the veggie food – will read the article – ‘cos to get some it’s been a kind of challenge. ;)
kami
07/12/2015 at 23:31you’re right, it’s a perfect stop on the way to the south of Europe, and it makes such a great chill out spot! As for the veggie food – you never can go wrong with fried cheese! :)
Mark
14/04/2019 at 13:12Hoe do you get around without a car to the nat park and unique towns Every guide book recommends driving we wish to use bus or trains Thanks
kami
27/04/2019 at 09:48Some of the sights require a car indeed (my local friends took me there) but you can get to many by public transport too (Bardejov, Spissky Hrad, Levoca, Slovak Paradise). These places are really worth a visit!
Julius from Traveltipy
01/12/2015 at 19:43I am from Kosice, it is the most beautiful city in Slovakia! There is so much to do and visit here. You should also mention ZOO which is the largest zoo in central Europe (by area).
kami
07/12/2015 at 23:32I was in the ZOO as well but to be honest didn’t find it so special and I’m not sure it’s worth the trip all the way there. But Kosice is amazing and has so much to offer! I really enjoyed it there!
Spa
01/12/2015 at 20:00I love Kosice! I fell in love with architecture and small cosy cafes :) and those murals… are amazing!
kami
07/12/2015 at 23:33indeed! I really like it too, for the same reasons!
Amanda Williams
01/12/2015 at 19:09I have family in Kosice!
Kami and the rest of the world
04/12/2015 at 19:06that’s a lovely place! have you been there? can’t remember
Amanda Williams
04/12/2015 at 19:14Nope haven’t been yet!
Alex Uher
01/12/2015 at 19:12I really liked Kosice when we went last year, totally underrated and beautiful city! I was taken aback by several instances of hyper-violent Roma fights occurring in broad daylight and at night. Anyone else encountered this there? It was just incredibly sad as these people had to be really on some serious drugs to do what they were doing.
Ivetka Tonhauserova
01/12/2015 at 22:28Oh you probably had bad luck :( I actually live in Kosice and yes there are some places where this situation is totally possible (train/bus station, specific quarters in town, etc.) but it doesn’t happen normally in city center. Oh well, it’s such a shame you had this bad experience :(
Alex Uher
01/12/2015 at 22:30No need for you to apologize! It’s a beautiful city and my visit wasn’t ruined by this, it was just sad to see.
Kami and the rest of the world
04/12/2015 at 19:04no, it didn’t happen to me, not even once and I’ve bene to Kosice couple of times. So sorry you had to encounter this Alex!
Kinga
01/12/2015 at 20:48Charming! That’s the word I can think of when watching pictures you took in Kosice. :-)
kami
07/12/2015 at 23:33Kosice is charming indeed :) perfect word to describe the city!
Cinderellas Travel Shoes
01/12/2015 at 22:00Perfect post! Kosice is definitely a nice place to visit! Thank you for sharing this nice post about my country! :)
Kami and the rest of the world
04/12/2015 at 19:06thank you :)
Kristina
01/12/2015 at 23:00Beautiful photos & perfect guide about Kosice! You must love my country! :)
kami
07/12/2015 at 23:34Thank you! And yes, Slovakia is pretty high on my list of favourite countries :)
Karolina Wudniak
02/12/2015 at 04:01byłam i bardzo lubię! :)
Kami and the rest of the world
04/12/2015 at 19:06doskonale rozumiem dlaczego :)
Kinga Bielejec
02/12/2015 at 07:00Byłam tylko przejazdem z tego co pamiętam. A są tak blisko…
Kami and the rest of the world
04/12/2015 at 19:06to zdecydowanie musisz wrócić na dłużej!
Iza Turaj
02/12/2015 at 07:08Byłam tylko w Bratysławie i jakoś przez to odsunęłam Słowację na dalszy plan, ale przy następnej okazji na pewno wpadnę do Kosic. :D
Kami and the rest of the world
04/12/2015 at 19:03koniecznie! Koszyce biją Bratysławę na głowę, przynajmniej dla mnie :)
Marcin Wesołowski
02/12/2015 at 07:30Pojadę w przyszłym roku, mam blisko! :)
Kami and the rest of the world
04/12/2015 at 19:05koniecznie!!
Marta Gawrychowska
02/12/2015 at 07:41Może w przyszłym roku
Kami and the rest of the world
04/12/2015 at 19:06trzymam kciuki!
Anna Brusewicz
02/12/2015 at 07:58Nie byłam, a szkoda, super klimaty. Na Słowacji na razie mam zjeżdżony Spisz i ośrodki narciarskie, Donovaly, Chopok, Štrbské Pleso :)
Kami and the rest of the world
04/12/2015 at 19:03to zdecydowanie warto szybko nadrobić, tym bardziej, że to całkiem blisko! Spisz też fajny, i Strbske Pleso piękne!!
Olka Zagórska-Chabros
02/12/2015 at 08:05Byłam w Koszycach sto lat temu, bodajże w trakcie jakiejś koloni. Nie za wiele z tego czasu pamiętam, oprócz dużej fontanny oczywiście.
Kami and the rest of the world
04/12/2015 at 19:02fontanna fajna! ale całe Koszyce naprawdę dają radę!
Igor Banaszczyk
02/12/2015 at 08:18Nie błem ale z chęcią sie wybiorę :)
Kami and the rest of the world
04/12/2015 at 19:06polecam!
Travels and Tipples
02/12/2015 at 19:22Have been only to Bratislava in Slovakia and would like to see more of the country.
Kami and the rest of the world
04/12/2015 at 19:01you definitely should! Slovakia is so underrated and hides many gems!
Marcin W
03/12/2015 at 09:50Niesamowicie zadbane i przyjemne miejsce! Kolejne z tych, które człowiek ma pod nosem, a jeszcze nie widział. Przekonały mnie zdjęcia z wersji letniej, z chęcią posiedziałbym w jednej z tych kawiarni. Bardzo przekonywująca relacja Kamila, naprawdę!
kami
07/12/2015 at 23:34Cieszę się! W przyszłym roku obowiązkowo jedź tam na jakiś weekend, nie pożałujesz! A tym bardziej, że to nie tak daleko z Krakowa! Ile byście jechali, ze 4-5h?
Monica
04/12/2015 at 00:24Well, the most convincing bit was when you wrote it’s close to the Tokaj region :D – for that I could go there, for the rest… I’m not sure.
It looks like a pretty pleasant town to wander around – if I go to Slovakia I might visit it :)
kami
07/12/2015 at 23:35Tokaj was pretty cool, and challenging ;) As for the rest – why are you not sure? What I really liked about Kosice was that it felt really authentic and not overcrowded with tourists like other beautiful cities around!
Agnieszka
10/12/2015 at 12:12Nie byłam, ale dużo słyszałam i wygląda naprawdę pięknie!
kami
13/12/2015 at 09:23Zdecydowanie polecam! Tak bardzo urocze i niedocenione miejsce! I tak blisko z Polski!
Joubran
26/09/2017 at 11:13Thanks, what a great informative article. Any public transportation to Tokaj? where to stay there?
kami
11/10/2017 at 11:53I honestly have no idea as I just went there by car for a day from Kosice. But I think you can find more information here: https://kosiceregion.com/en
Judy
09/09/2022 at 15:57Hi Kami, all the comments on this page seem to be from 5 or more years ago. When was the last time you visited as I’m considering going to Kosice in a couple of weeks time but am unsure of the situation with it being only 50 miles from the Ukrainian border?
kami
12/09/2022 at 06:23There is nothing to worry about. The last time I was in Kosice was just before covid but a friend of mine is traveling in Slovakia right now, next to the border with Poland and Ukraine and he says there is nothing to worry about.