Usefull information

About Košice

Košice, German: Kaschau, Hungarian: Kassa, is the biggest city in eastern Slovakia and in 2013 was the European Capital of Culture together with Marseille, France. It is situated on the river Hornád at the eastern reaches of the Slovak Ore Mountains, near the border with Hungary. With a population of approximately 240.000, Košice is the second largest city in Slovakia after the capital Bratislava.

Being the economic and cultural center of eastern Slovakia, Košice is the seat of the Košice Region and Košice Self-governing Region, the Slovak Constitutional Court, three universities, various dioceses, and many museums, galleries, and theaters. Košice is an important industrial center of Slovakia, and the U.S. Steel Košice steel mill is the largest employer in the city. The town has extensive railway connections and an international airport.

The city has a well-preserved historical center, which is the largest among Slovak towns. There are many heritage protected buildings in Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, and Art Nouveau styles with Slovakia’s largest church: the St. Elisabeth Cathedral. The long main street, rimmed with aristocratic palaces, Catholic churches, and townsfolk’s houses, is a thriving pedestrian zone with many boutiques, cafés, and restaurants. The city is well known as the first settlement in Europe to be granted its own coat-of-arms.

Transportation

By plane

  • if you want to fly to Košice, you can choose the city’s own international airport – Košice International Airport (Košice Airport – KSC), which is located approximately 8 kilometres from the city centre;
  • the airport and the city centre are connected by regular shuttle buses (www.airportkosice.sk);
  • an airport shuttle bus (no. 23) runs between Košice Airport and the main Railway and Bus stations touching major points of the city (County Court, Palace of Art, Double Tree Hotel, Downtown, Railway Station, etc.);
  • the city centre is accessible from the airport in just 10 minutes by car/taxi, as well.

By train

  • direct trains from Vienna, Bratislava and Prague will take you right to the Košice Railway Station, which is situated less than 5 minutes’ walk from the city centre;
  • Košice is also linked by rail to Budapest, Warsaw and Krakow (via Bratislava), Moscow, Kiev and Lvov;
  • further informations and trains´ schedules, please visit the following websites: www.slovakrail.sk; www.regiojet.com; visit www.le.cz;
  • With RegioJet & LeoExpress trains, it is possible to buy tickets on-line, in case of EC/IC trains, we recommend buying them directly at the railway station;
  • please note that for InterCity trains you need to buy a ticket plus seat reservation, as well.

By shuttle

  • if arriving to Budapest by plane shuttle buses are available for transfer to Košice (the tickets for the shuttle can be purchased together with flight tickets);
  • there are also available transfer to and from the Budapest/Krakow airport, for more details please visit:

By Car

  • From Bratislava – highway E571/E58, direction Košice, Slovakia (403 km);
  • From Krakow – highway DK75, direction Košice, Slovakia (245 km);
  • From Budapest – highway M3, direction Košice, Slovakia (256 km).

Transportation in Košice

  • by taxi
    • Easy Taxi / +421 919 333 333
    • American VIP taxi / +421 55 16 500
    • Eurobus BTW taxi / +421 55 17 707
    • Smile taxi / +421 918 888 081
    • (full list of taxi services can be found here)
  • Taxify – download the app
  • by public transport (provided by trams and buses)
    • Tram no. 2 runs between the Railway station (tram stop Staničné námestie) and the University Campus (the last tram stop – Havlíčková);
    • the best and most comfortable way to use public transportation is to buy 24-hour or 7-day tickets;
    • tickets are available at the newsagent’s, ticket machines and at the bus from driver (more information can be found here).