Kosice (pron. Ko-Shit-Se) is Slovakia's second largest city and is situated around 450km away from Bratislava. It has a population of no more than 250,000 and has a small-town feel about the place. Unlike Bratislava, it is pretty laid-back, relatively quiet and friendly.
One of the nicest things about Kosice is that it is so compact that you don't need to take any buses or trams anywhere. Just hop off the train and the old town is 5 minutes away. What's more, it's old town is a lot better kept than Bratislava. There is less graffiti than in Bratislava and its buildings in the old town are well-preserved.
One of the nicest things about Kosice is that it is so compact that you don't need to take any buses or trams anywhere. Just hop off the train and the old town is 5 minutes away. What's more, it's old town is a lot better kept than Bratislava. There is less graffiti than in Bratislava and its buildings in the old town are well-preserved.
It also has its fair share of quality pubs such as the Kelt pub on the main street. The Kelt pub is a medieval theme pub that looks like something out of Lord of the Rings and sells traditional Slovak cuisine and fine white beer.
For a cheap, nostalgic pint, check out the Communist pub, close to the centre. Only 10sk for 0,3l and 15sk for a 0,5l pint. It's a bit smoky, but is a fave with older-generation proletariat.
Despite Kosice's beauty, some may find it too compact as everything is centred around one long street. There is not much to see outside the city apart from the natural geyser in a place called Her'lany. Her'lany is supposed to be Europe's only natural geyser that sprouts water up to 30metres in the air every 32 hours. I never made it to Her'lany because buses are infrequent and it takes 45 minutes to see a sprout of water.
By train, it takes about 6 hours to get there. I travelled on the painfully uncomfortable, dirty and slow night train from Bratislava, which cost me about 600sk.
By train, it takes about 6 hours to get there. I travelled on the painfully uncomfortable, dirty and slow night train from Bratislava, which cost me about 600sk.
1 comment:
The long street is actually a long square, although called Hlavna ulica (Main street).
As for the train - do not vouch for the night train ;-), always take IC train for about SKK 600 that takes about 5 hours and 20 minutes. SkyEurope flights are also cheap if booked in advance (about SKK 500).
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