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Voykit pocket guide · Slovakia
Košice
Give Košice 2 nights: the old town fits in a day, and the second day is for the mountains or a slow café morning before you move on.
Košice is Slovakia's second city and the eastern end of most rail routes, with the country's largest protected old town wrapped around St. Elisabeth Cathedral. Almost everything worth seeing sits inside a 15-minute walk, so it works as a two-night stop between the High Tatras and the Hungarian or Ukrainian border, not as a week-long base.
- Country
- Slovakia
- Best months
- Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Jan–Feb (cold, grey), July–August heat spells
- Stay
- 2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- EUR
- Money
- Currency is the euro (EUR). Cards are widely accepted in towns.
- Daily spend
- Budget €45–70 excl. bed · Mid €70–120 excl. bed · High €120+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Orange, Telekom, O2 and 4ka sell prepaid SIMs; EU roaming covers EU SIMs.
- Emergency
- All emergencies 112 · Ambulance 155 · Police 158 · Fire 150
- Plugs
- Types C, E, F · 230 V · 50 Hz · Same as Czechia and Poland: type E sockets.
- Tipping
- Restaurant: Round up or about 10%.; Café or pub: Round up.; Mountain guide: €10–20 per person for a day.
- Water
- Tap water is safe. Ask for 'voda z vodovodu'.
- Toilets
- Paid toilets at stations (€0.30–0.50); restaurants for customers.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee in the old town | €2–3.50 |
| Lunch menu (daily special) | €6–10 |
| Dinner with a drink | €12–25 |
| Local beer, 0.5 l | €2–4 |
| Public transport single ticket | €1–1.20 |
| Taxi across the centre | €5–8 |
| Cathedral tower or museum entry | €3–8 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- KSC · Košice International Airport
- 6 km (3.7 mi) south of the centre; bus 23 runs to the city, check times for your arrival.3.7 mi (6 km) south of the centre; bus 23 runs to the city, check times for your arrival.
Typical fares
- Airport → centre, bus 23
- about €1.20, about 20–25 min (check)
- Train Košice → Bratislava
- from about €20, 5–6 h (check)
- Train Košice → Budapest
- about 3.5 h, promotional fares exist (check)
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
The centre is walkable end to end in about 20 minutes. Trams and buses (DPMK) cover the rest, roughly 05:00–23:00, with a few night buses. Buy a 30- or 60-minute ticket from a machine, an app or the driver, and validate it on board the first time you ride.The centre is walkable end to end in about 20 minutes. Trams and buses (DPMK) cover the rest, roughly 5:00 AM–11:00 PM, with a few night buses. Buy a 30- or 60-minute ticket from a machine, an app or the driver, and validate it on board the first time you ride.
See and do
Known for
- St. Elisabeth Cathedral
- Hlavná ulica and the singing fountain
- European Capital of Culture 2013
- Eastern Slovak food and wine bars
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Jahodná and Kavečany hills | City bus from the centre to the trailheads, then marked forest paths | About 1 h |
| Spiš Castle and Levoča | Train or bus towards Poprad, then a local connection | 2–3 h |
| Prešov | Train or bus, frequent services | About 45 min |
| High Tatras (Poprad) | InterCity train east, then the TEŽ or bus up to the resorts | 2–2.5 h |
Sleep
- Old town (Hlavná and side streets)
- Walk to every sight, restaurant and bar; the only area most visitors need.
- Around the railway station
- 10 minutes on foot to Hlavná; useful for a late arrival or an early train.
- Suburbs (Terasa, Sídlisko)
- Cheaper beds and free parking, but you rely on trams and buses.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | Dobrý deňDOB-ree dyen |
| Thank you | ĎakujemJAH-koo-yem |
| Please | ProsímPRO-seem |
| How much is it? | Kôľko to stojí?KOL-ko to STO-yee |
| Can I pay by card? | Môžem platiť kartou?MO-zhem PLA-tit KAR-toh |
| Where is the toilet? | Kde je toaleta?gde ye TOA-le-ta |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Dobrý deň and a handshake; avoid: First names with elders until invited
- Home visit: Shoes off; flowers or wine; avoid: Refusing all food and drink
- Trails: Greet other hikers with 'Ahoj' or 'Dobrý deň'; avoid: Leaving the marked trail
- History: Listen; avoid: Calling Slovaks 'Czechs' or Slovakia part of Czechoslovakia
Scams and watch-outs
- Validate your ticket in the machine on board; an unvalidated ticket counts as no ticket.
- Buying from the driver costs more than a machine or app ticket.
- Parking in the centre zone is expensive per 24 hours; check the zone signs before you leave the car.
- Some regional trains take a slower route through central Slovakia; check the journey time, not just the departure.
Košice is calm by day and the centre is well lit at night. Watch your bag on trams and around the station, and avoid unlit side streets and the area around the main station after dark.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Košice yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- St. Elisabeth Cathedral
- Hlavná ulica and the singing fountain
- European Capital of Culture 2013
- Eastern Slovak food and wine bars
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- City of Košice official site: www.kosice.sk/
- Visit Košice tourism: www.visitkosice.org/en
- Košice International Airport: www.airportkosice.sk/en
- DPMK public transport: www.dpmk.sk/
- ŽSSK rail timetables: www.zssk.sk/en/
- Wikivoyage: Košice, revision 5294169 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5294169
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Košice
Na túto adresu, prosím
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
Slovakia has few embassies outside Bratislava; most countries cover Košice from their Bratislava embassy or a consulate (check).
Tip about 10% or round up in restaurants and bars.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/kosice). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.