Family Travel

Day Trip from Budapest: Košice, Slovakia

February 2, 2023

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Bright yellow building with teal doors in Kosice, Slovakia. There is white graffiti all over the arced door. The street in front of the building is cobblestone and there is a sign that says 'BARBER' in the upper right hand corner. There is the rear portion of a dark vehicle parked on the street on the right with a street pole behind it.

If you’re in search of a singular day journey from Budapest, look no additional than Kosice, Slovakia! This charming Eastern Slovak metropolis is good if you wish to roam unknown streets and soak in international tradition. Košice is the biggest metropolis in Eastern Slovakia and was named the 2013 European Capital of Culture . A day journey from Budapest to Kosice is a singular method to spend a day in Central Europe.

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Day Trip from Budapest: Košice, Slovakia

Exploring Slovakia for greater than a day? Here’s the final Slovakia bucket record to ensure you see all of it.

Street in Kosice, Slovakia lined with cars with the sun going down and reflecting light on the buildings. There is a purple hue to the sky and yellow-golden shadows on the rooftops of the buildings. Both the street and the sidewalks are made of cobblestone. It is winter and on the few trees lining the street, there are no leaves.

Getting to Košice

There are two every day trains that journey from Budapest to Kosice. One is at 6:00 and the opposite is at 18:00. The every day trains returning to Budapest are on the identical occasions. You board a bus down the road from Budapest Keleti, which then takes you to Miskolc. At Miskolc, you get on the practice to Košice. The whole journey takes about 3.5 hours. Yes, it’s an formidable day journey from Budapest to Kosice, however didn’t really feel in any respect rushed to me.

The practice was cozy sufficient that I may go to sleep simply (with my journey neck pillow). You may see the delicate adjustments within the properties and panorama because the practice crossed over the Hungarian-Slovak border. In the background was the silhouette of hills and mountains. Further into Slovakia, you possibly can see the snow-capped High Tatras looming within the distance.

Purchase your ticket on the station. It’s manner simpler, simply go a day or two earlier than you wish to go away. If you buy worldwide practice tickets departing from Hungary on-line, you can’t print them at residence! You must print them on the Hungarian station. Especially if you wish to take the morning practice to Košice, buy tickets on the station! This is the simplest manner, and also you don’t want to fret about something promoting out.

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Interesting locations

Košice State Theatre

Košice’s State Theatre was opened in 1899 in a Neo-Baroque constructing within the historic metropolis heart. The constructing itself is a vital historic monument and landmark for town of Košice – simply have a look at it, and you may see why.

The inside is elegant and ornate. A Viennese artist, Peregrin von Gastgeb, painted the ceiling with murals of scenes from a few of Shakespeare’s finest tragedies.

The theatre nonetheless homes ballet, drama, and opera.

Front façade of the State Theatre in Kosice, Slovakia. The building is ornate with columns and detailed carvings. There are four stories and on either side of the front door is the schedule for the opera/ballet. There are street lamps flanking the front door. The reflection in the windows of the building are blue-ish purple. The sky is bright blue with very few wispy clouds. — State Theatre

Singing Fountain

Sadly, the singing fountain was not functioning after I visited! I got here to Košice in February, and the fountain is not operational within the winter.

When it is taking part in, the fountain ‘sings’ totally different songs with a mixture of twenty-two bells. It’s positioned subsequent to the State Theatre, in a small park.

The Singing Fountain in Kosice, Slovakia - not operating. It is winter and the fountain is covered with snow, puddles, and leaves. Light is flooding in through the trees. St. Elisabeth Cathedral is in the background. — The Singing Fountain – Not too spectacular when it’s not working, hah!

Slovak Technical Museum

This museum shows exhibitions on topics similar to engineering, physics, business and expertise, vitality manufacturing, and mining, amongst many others. They even have a planetarium and exhibitions on astronomy and area analysis.

The museum was closed the day I went, so I wasn’t capable of go to. But as a self-proclaimed science geek, it completely would have been on my agenda.

Exterior of the Slovak Technical Museum. The building is a coral-orange color with the Slovak and the European Union flags hanging above the sign. The sign is written in Slovak and reads 'Slovenske Technicke Muzeum

Plague Column

This monument commemorates the tip of the plague epidemic that overtook Košice from 1709-1710. The column was accomplished in 1723, partially destroyed throughout WWII, and has been constantly renovated ever since.

Local legend has it that hidden beneath the monument are relics of St. Valentine. I didn’t learn about this earlier than I went however, as luck would have it, I used to be in Košice on Valentine’s Day!

The plague column in Kosice Slovakia. The column (statue) is in an enclosed area on the street medium, which is very wide. Both the streets and the median are made of cobblestone. The roofs of the Slovak buildings are colorful - blue, red, purple, lilac. There is a man walking in the foreground carrying a bright blue bag, heading to the left of the photo. There are a few trees near the column that have no leaves.

Med Malina

I can’t categorical how excited I used to be to attempt conventional Slovak meals! I did some analysis earlier than my go to and located this place, Med Malina. The restaurant is small, serving Slovak-Polish delicacies. They deal with gradual meals, native merchandise, and ancestral recipes.

I used to be not dissatisfied. I had potato dumplings with sauerkraut and roasted bacon, which was to-die-for. And it was so low cost! 6,50€ for the meals and an area beer for 1,60€.

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If you have a look at the image beneath, you’ll see how empty the restaurant was. That was after I’d initially sat down. By the time I’d gotten my meals, the restaurant was bustling. Five of the tables have been solo females (myself included). I couldn’t recover from it! Plus, it was Valentine’s Day. Maybe I’d found some Slovak custom?

Interior of a restaurant (Med Malina) in Kosice, Slovakia. There are wmall wooden tabls and chairs, with decorations in shades of red, orange and cream colors. Each table has a vase with a single rose in it, and is pre-set with a placemat, silverware, and an empty water glass. There is a beamed ceiling with hanging lights. There are no diners in the restaurant at this time. The dividers between sections are made of panels of lace, but do not reach all the way up to the ceiling.

Close-up picture of a tall pale-colored beer with an inch and a half of head in a pilsner glass. Also on the table is an empty water glass and a small vase with a single red rose in it. Blurred in the background is the bar of the restaurant, empty.

Eastern Slovak Museum

The Eastern Slovak Museum is within the historic metropolis heart (as are the entire websites listed on this article) of Košice. The museum homes a lot of everlasting displays. It additionally maintains an excessive amount of exhibition areas for transient displays associated to historical past, archaeology, high-quality arts, historic images, biology and nature, and different associated subjects.

Much of the museum is devoted to the back-and-forth nature of the territory and the id politics prevalent within the area. From the institution of the primary Czechoslovak Republic, heavy Hungarian and Ottoman affect, to the independence of Slovakia, guests can retrace the oftentimes turbulent historical past of the area. If you solely go to one museum in your day journey from Budapest to Kosice, let this be it!

Czech flag in the background and a few statues in the foreground at the Eastern Slovak Museum. There is a bust of a former (unknown) general.

Replication of an Eastern Slovak School in the beginning of the 19th century. There are maps and charts adorning the walls, as well as long desks with built in pew-like benches.

Table displaying a number of different medals that the Eastern Slovak and Czech armies had over the rise and fall of the republic.

Košice Golden Treasure

Found in the identical constructing because the Eastern Slovak Museum, the Golden Treasure of Košice is the primary vacationer attraction within the metropolis. Discovered in 1935 throughout routine development, the gathering is the biggest (and richest) discovering of golden cash within the nation. It is without doubt one of the most important on a European and world scale.

The assortment consists of 2920 gold cash, ducats, three gold medals, and a Renaissance gold chain. It was discovered, intact, in a copper-plated field adorned with etched animal motifs. The assortment was hidden someday after 1679, possible from Imrich Thököly, who occupied Košice in 1682 as a part of the anti-Habsburg uprisings.

Though it was threatened by the tragic destiny of treasures – a non-repayable loss – the whole assortment was found intact. Since 2013 it has been displayed for the general public in an underground protected within the East Slovak Museum in Košice.

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Vault to the Kosice golden treasure in Eastern Slovakia. The walls are a pale teal color with black images of houses, people working in fields, riding horses, and building houses. There are steps going further beneath the ground that you can see inside the doorway of the vault. The vault door is open. — Underground vault holding the Košice Golden Treasure

A display of the golden treasure of Kosice, Slovakia. There are between 2 and hundreds of golden coins displayed that were minted in different countries.

Exterior of a red building in Kosice, Slovakia. The building has cream colored trim and a black roof. There are cream colored awnings in the front of the building. The street in front of the building is made of cobblestone. There are a few people immediately in front of the building.

St. Elisabeth’s Cathedral

Welcome to the biggest church in Slovakia! St. Elisabeth’s Cathedral can maintain over 5,000 folks and measures 1,200 sq. meters (13,000 sq. toes)! It is the eastern-most gothic cathedral in Europe and is referred to within the oldest city information, which date again to 1230.

The main alter in the cathedral of St. Elisabeth in Kosice, Slovakia. It is ornate with gold leaf, marble, and deep, rich colors.

Religious carving at Saint Elisabeth's cathedral in Kosice, Slovakia. There is gold leaf with shades of red and teal. The carving is of one seated woman with someone crying in her lap and two people in the background

Halmi Place

Halmi Place is a superb little café in a historic previous constructing with classic décor. They are self-labeled ‘multi-genre’ – they host occasions, concert events, and even have shared workspaces obtainable. All of this along with the café, serving up vegetarian and vegan meals sourced from Slovak producers.

If like me, you’re exploring Košice by yourself, this can be a excellent spot to cease and skim, write, or people-watch for some time.

Entrance to Halmi Place, a coffee shop/co-op in Kosice, Slovakia. There are two double doors that offer a wide entrance. On top of the doors it says 'Halmi Place' written in cursive.

Coworking space at Halmi place in Kosice, Slovakia. Red velvet wooden chairs in an old room with big windows.

Jakab’s Palace

This neo-Gothic palace on the nook of Mlynska Street and Štefanikova Street was the residence of a well-known builder. Peter Jakab, who constructed the State Theatre and the Eastern Slovak Museum, lived within the palace till 1908.

Jakab Palace now belongs to National Cultural Monuments.

Jakab's Palace in Kosice, Slovakia. It is rather small for a 'palace,' but it is beautiful cream colored building with an emerald green roof and large spires.

Košice Back to Budapest

Initially, I had booked an Airbnb in Košice however wound up returning to Budapest that very same night. It didn’t really feel overly rushed or too tiring, and I used to be glad to not must rise up so early to catch the morning practice once more.

There are two every day trains from Kosice to Budapest for the return journey, departing at 6:00 and 18:00. Both trains are direct and take roughly 3.5 hours. The practice ticket prices about $15-20 USD.

Looking down the street in Kosice Slovakia. There are cars lining the cobblestone road with three buildings visible. The farthest is cream colored, then deep mustard yellow, and then a red building.

Exterior of a large, pale yellow building in Kosice, Slovakia. There are two women walking away from the building and towards the camera. The skies in the background are blue with a few whispy clouds.

Košice is a vibrant, bustling metropolis with loads to do for an entertaining day journey (or longer!). A day journey from Budapest to Kosice is ideal, particularly for those who sleep simply on trains! If you’re staying longer than a day or two, look right into a day journey to Spis Castle. I’ve heard it’s much more lovely in individual! Think Košice is gorgeous? Then try these photographs that may encourage you to go to Slovakia!

Pale blue church in Kosice Slovakia. The building has white trim, and two circular windows above the main entrance. There are red buildings on either side of the church. The sky is also a pale blue with a few clouds in the background.

View across a park in Kosice, Slovakia to the other side of the street. The bare branches of the trees in the park hinder your view of the bright colored houses lining the opposite side of the street.

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