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Day Journey from Budapest: Košice, Slovakia


Should you’re on the lookout for a singular day journey from Budapest, look no additional than Kosice, Slovakia! This charming Jap Slovak metropolis is good if you wish to roam unknown streets and soak in international tradition. Košice is the most important metropolis in Jap Slovakia and was named the 2013 European Capital of Tradition. A day journey from Budapest to Kosice is a singular option to spend a day in Central Europe.In Kosice, Slovakia: Round yellow building with a conical roof adjacent to a red building with tan trim. In front of the building there is a street sign and a large tree with no leaves. The sky is bleak and dreary looking and the street in front of the buildings are cobblestone.

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Day Trip from Budapest: Košice, Slovakia

Exploring Slovakia for greater than a day? Right here’s the final Slovakia bucket checklist 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.

Attending to Košice

There are two day by day trains that journey from Budapest to Kosice. One is at 6:00 and the opposite is at 18:00. The day by 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. Your entire journey takes about 3.5 hours. Sure, it’s an bold day journey from Budapest to Kosice, however didn’t really feel in any respect rushed to me.Decaying building in Kosice Slovakia. The building is cream colored stone, and there is a window wiith red vertical bars. In the space beneath the window, the stone is crumbling off of the building revealing bricks underneath.

The practice was comfortable sufficient that I may go to sleep simply (with my journey neck pillow). You may see the refined adjustments within the houses and panorama because the practice crossed over the Hungarian-Slovak border. Within the background was the silhouette of hills and mountains. Additional into Slovakia, you may see the snow-capped Excessive Tatras looming within the distance.

Buy your ticket on the station. It’s means simpler, simply go a day or two earlier than you wish to depart. If you buy worldwide practice tickets departing from Hungary on-line, you can’t print them at dwelling! That you must print them on the Hungarian station. Particularly if you wish to take the morning practice to Košice, buy tickets on the station! That is the simplest means, and also you don’t want to fret about something promoting out.Street in Kosice, Slovakia made of cobblestone. The street winds to the right. The buildings on either side are old, yet preserved, in shades of yellow, ochre, pale orange. There are stores and restaurants lining the streets. In the distance you can see a group of people walking in the street.

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Attention-grabbing 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 the town of Košice – simply take 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 once 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 mix of twenty-two bells. It’s situated 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 resembling engineering, physics, business and know-how, power manufacturing, and mining, amongst many others. In addition they 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. However 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"  There is a small shrub next to a sign on the outside of the building, the text is not legible in the photo.

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 repeatedly renovated ever since.

Native legend has it that hidden beneath the monument are relics of St. Valentine. I didn’t find out 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 give attention to gradual meals, native merchandise, and ancestral recipes.

I used to be not disenchanted. 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 a neighborhood beer for 1,60€.

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Should you take a look at the image under, you’ll see how empty the restaurant was. That was once I’d initially sat down. By the point 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. Possibly I’d discovered 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.

Jap Slovak Museum

The Jap Slovak Museum is within the historic metropolis heart (as are the entire websites listed on this article) of Košice. The museum homes quite a few everlasting reveals. It additionally maintains an excessive amount of exhibition areas for transient reveals associated to historical past, archaeology, fantastic arts, historic pictures, biology and nature, and different associated subjects.

A lot 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. Should you solely go to one museum in your day journey from Budapest to Kosice, let this be it!

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

Present in the identical constructing because the Jap Slovak Museum, the Golden Treasure of Košice is the principle vacationer attraction within the metropolis.  Found in 1935 throughout routine building, the gathering is the most important (and richest) discovering of golden cash within the nation.  It is without doubt one of the most vital on a European and international scale.

The gathering 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 gathering was hidden someday after 1679, doubtless from Imrich Thököly, who occupied Košice in 1682 as a part of the anti-Habsburg uprisings.

Although 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 secure 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

St. Elisabeth’s Cathedral

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

Exterior of St. Elisabeth's Cathedral in Kosice, Slovakia with birds flying overhead and no clouds in the sky.  The building is extremely ornate with detailed spires and carvings everywhere.  The outside of the windows are adorned with iron carvings.  There is a small shrub in the foreground.  The roof of the cathedral is a reddish color with detailed tile work.

Halmi Place

Halmi Place is a superb little café in a historic previous constructing with classic décor. They’re self-labeled ‘multi-genre’ – they host occasions, concert events, and even have shared workspaces accessible. 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, it is a excellent spot to cease and browse, write, or people-watch for some time.

Jakab’s Palace

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

Jakab Palace now belongs to Nationwide Cultural Monuments.

Košice Again 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 need to rise up so early to catch the morning practice once more.

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

Košice is a vibrant, bustling metropolis with a lot to do for an entertaining day journey (or longer!). A day journey from Budapest to Kosice is ideal, particularly in the event you sleep simply on trains! If you’re staying longer than a day or two, look right into a day journey to Spis Fortress. I’ve heard it’s much more stunning in individual! Suppose Košice is gorgeous? Then take a look at these pictures that can encourage you to go to Slovakia!



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