Tourism in Slovakia
"Tá žena z Tahonoviec"
It's summer 2010. The weather in spring 2010 was not kind to eastern Slovakia with flooding in many parts of Košice, including Ťahanovce and Zdane. But the cafes on Košice's Hlavná have put out their outdoor chairs and tables. Imagine sitting on Hlavná along which the stunningly beautiful girls
for which Slovakia is famous stroll. Sadly, you can no longer get a CSA
flight from Edinburgh to Prague and Prague to Kosice for around 200 GBP
but there are other ways to get to Košice. Manchester to Košice was one
route but it seems that's gone the way of all good things.
It's worth the effort to sit in a cafe with a cold pivo and just watch the girls go by. Astrud Gilberto should have come here, not Ipanema. And the song would have been “Tá caja z Tahonoviec“.
Tours in Slovakia
We can help you to put together a tour in Slovakia. Until recently, Slovakia was relatively rarely visited by tourists from Western Europe, but this is changing. If it’s castles, or museums, or restaurants, or spas, or mountains – we have a wide knowledge of what to see and what to miss.
Car Rental in Košice
All the obvious companies are represented but for something exclusive and discrete, such as an Audi A8 or a BMW 745 without or without a driver try Loffler's. Prices are negotiable, especially if you mention our name! They'll do runs to airports in Bratislava, Budapest, Vienna - or a run to a city for a day's business. Why not hire them for a golfing tour covering Tale, Black Stork and the Black River/White Valley courses?
Tokay Wine
Slovakia has had to fight hard to be allowed to market their Tokay wine.
For a long time Tokay has been seen as a particularly Hungarian wine
but the region from whence Tokay comes straddles the border between the
two countries.
After years of negotiations, the European Commission in 2002 agreed that both Slovakia and Hungary could produce Tokya, but left Hungary with the exclusive rights to international sales. Then, some two years later even that restriction went and now both countries can produce and sell Tokay worldwide.
The importance of Tokay is not simply in sales, but also in income from tourism. There are several vineries open to tourists; among them there’s one Velka Trna and another in Mala Trna. You usually get a very good deal there; a talk on how Tokay is made and a sample of each of the grades.
See links
Restaurants and bars in Košice
There are hundreds, probably thousands, of cafes, bars and
restaurants in Košice, ranging from palatial places to krčmas, which
are somewhat more down to earth.
There's a link to a great site in our links page. An d many of the restaurants listed below have their own websites which you can Google. If you are of a nervous and cautious disposition, stick to the upmarket places. They'll be quiet and the customers much the same as you'd see anywhere. But for a glimpse of life in Slovakia head towards the less expensive, less grand restaurants which are busier and noisier. And a lot cheaper. The term "krčma" means a gin mill, pot house, saloon, hostelry and is often a very simple restaurant with no pretensions. On the other hand there are the Krčma Letná and Keltská Krčma in Košice which are excellent places for a meal and a drink. You get a printed bill in every restaurant so you can see what the till says.
Le Colonial. In a sidestreet off Hlavná, at Hlavná 8. Stylish restaurant. Good service. Popular with expats. Menu is the right length, not so many choices that you can't believe they can cook them all well. International and national dishes. Expect to pay €35 for lunch for two. Soup can sometimes be a little cold, but that is often a national characterisitic. +421 55 729 61 26.
Camelot Restaurant. The address is Kováčska ulica 19 but the entrance is actually on ulice Pri Miklušovej väznici. Good website, where youy can see the daily menu and prices - nice idea. Food is traditional and international, with a very good spice venison goulash. Very fair prices - around €4 for a main course. It's almost opposite the Miklus Prison, and the U Polovnika bar - the Hunters' Bar. Perhaps that's where the venison comes from. Sometimes gets parties of politicians from Bratislava and elsewhere - spot the security guards as they walk through the doors sideways. 055/685 40 39
Keltská Krčma or The Kelt Bar as it is known to most people is on Košice’s Hlavná. Not the easiest place to find as it's down one of the many archways and the sign isn't large. Beer, food and prices are excellent, so it’s a very popular place for customers of all ages. The decor is rustic, with heavy wooden tables and solid floors. It’s fun in the toilets which have motion sensitive lights – so too much beer and too long standing might mean the lights go out in mid-flow so to speak. Food is good – take the Bravčové Koleno (pork knuckle) with peppers – excellent. 3kg for 3 people will keep you going for a day or two. 5 people, beers, slivovic and the aforesaid Bravčové Koleno, about €120 but it depends on how many beers, how many slivovicas.
The Krčma Letna Reštaurácia is a short walk from the centre of Košice. One of those restaurants where you have to ring the bell to be let in. Don't be put off by the name – it used to be a krčma but now it is a very sophisticated restaurant. There’s a terrace which comes into its own on a hot summer’s day. Their vyvar slepacia soup has more meat in it than anywhere else and the venison is superb - but all the food is good. Dinner for three with aperitifs, wine, beer and three courses would be about €80. Tel 055/63 334 05
The Majster Bar has two entrances, the main one being on Kovačska 11. It's had a couple of name changes from Majster Bar to Monte Bianco and back again to Majster Bar .... and in Spring 2009 it was closed for reconstruction. At least the monogrammed cutlery doesn't have to change. Food is a mixture - best to call it European rather than specifically Slovak. Service is good. Expect to pay €35 and upwards for dinner for two without wine.
Do not miss the Stodola Reštaurácia which is out by "Big Tesco" in the Dopravna district. More tradionally Slovak with very rustic decor. Try the steak while being overlooked by two large stuffed cows' heads. About €35 for two, but of course it all depends on how many courses and how much pivo or vino. Tel number is 055/62 593 40.
The Villa Regia restaurácia and krčma is in the Dominikánske square. (There's a micro brewery near there.) Good food, good beer - decor very similar to the Keltská Krčma. There are some amusing carved wooden statues around. Polievka slepačia s mäsom is excellent, a meal in itself. somewhere in the heart of Slovakia is a factory which produces the slepačia vyvar for the entire nation and the better restaurants then add even more meat and noodles. For five people, dinner with beer and soft drinks will be around 2,300 skk.Tel.: 055/ 62 565 10.
Caffé Bel Tempo is on Hrnčiarska ulica, about 2 minutes from one of our flats. Try it for high quality teas and coffees.
Reštaurácia pod Bastou on Ulica Hrnčuarskia in the old city, where Skotslov has a flat is a place where a bowl of Kapustova s klobásou (cabbage soup with sausage - but it usually also has potatoes and some other meat which might or might not be beef), with bread and a big glass of beer will cost you 46 skk. Today, that's less than 1GBP. Interesting clientele - some hard looking men and some obvious students. Tel 0903/629 190.
In Košice, for breakfast or early lunch away from a hotel, try the Veverička Reštauracia on Hlavná. Modern. Under the starters there are choices of eggs, fried or omelettes. Doesn't look like a dinner menu. Expect to pay 5€, perhaps a bit more
For a more traditional restaurant which actually advertises breakfast, try the Med Malina on Hlavná. Eggs, cheese, ham, salad (you can call it a very small salad or a large garnish - don't expect a meal in itself), coffee, water, bread butter, honey will cost less than 4€
About a year ago, the Karczma Mlyn opened, in an alley off Hlavná. It's another subterranean restaurant with interesting decor. Some of the waitresses can be less than cheerful but the food's not bad. About 15€ for a a quick lunch for two with two beers.
For a cocktail, try the Cosmopolitan Bar on Kováčska. Sit outside or inside, at a table or at the bar. Can get crowded and you can have a shoving match. A typical night of, say, 10 drinks will cost about 40€. Long Island Tea can get addictive.
A small restauranrt, looks newish, is the Restauracia Teatro on Hlavná, nr 50. Smoking and non-smoking areas. If you didn't want to be spotted, probably a good place to go - when our tester went there in April 2009, on a Sunday afternoon, it was deserted. Standard menu, normal prices, mushroom omelette, chips and a 0.3L beer came to €3.75.
Hotels in Slovakia
We have extensive knowledge of hotels in most of the popular, and some of the not so popular, parts of Slovakia. Hotels in Slovakia vary in quality, cost, and facilities. There are many low cost and simple hotels and pensions, sometimes with facilities to match and sometimes with facilities which bely the price.
We would strongly recommend the spa hotels, which have swimming pools, massage and treatment rooms and several different kinds of saunas.
If you are of a prudish disposition, be prepared as the dress code in many of the spas is a sheet or a towel and not a costume.
Hotels in Košice
Now that the Slovan has reopened as the Doubletree some of the pressure is off accommodation. But if you're looking way ahead to the Ice Hockey Federation World Championships to be held in Košice and Bratislava in 2011, start looking for accommodation now. Check our apartments too. Below is a list of several hotels and their web sites.
Doubletree by Hilton. This is the old Slovan after a major modernisation project. Expect to pay around €140 for a double room with King size bed.
Hotel Bristol is central from around 125 E.
Hotel Zlaty Dukat is central.
Hotel Dalia is central from around 75E.
Hotel Bankov Kosice is a little way out of the city.
Hrabina is out of the city besides Bukovec and offers tennis, swimming pool, mini-golf. Prices around 37E.
Guest House Rokoko is central, with a well-known restaurant. From around 86E.
Guest House Beryl is central from around 80E.
Pension Zlaty Jelen is out towards Bankov, from around 60E
Pension Grand is central from around 47E
Hotel Teledom is central. It's a Best Western with a conference centre.
Hotel Ferum is in Saca, close to US Steel Košice, a little bit out of Košice.
Penzion Krmanova is central.
Hotel Ambassador is central, on Hlavna
Penzion Golden Royal. Is this a pension or a "boutique hotel"? Central with a well-known restaurant.
Hotel Slavia as well as being a hotel, the Slavia is a well known cafe and restaurant on Hlavna, opposite the the theatre.
Gloria Palac, near the end of Hlavna.
Centrum. Well, we're not sure. Last time we looked it needed refurbishment.
Penzion Hradbova. New, and central.
Pension Horse Inn. Central
..... and of course we have flats available in Košice for short or long-term lets. See our page.
Contact us - we can help you!
Fountains opposite Statné Divadlo Košice 
St Elizabeth Cathedral, Košice
St Elizabeth's Cathedral is the largest church in Slovakia. Don't miss the chance to visit this magnificent example of Gothic architecture.
While the earliest written record of Košice dates from 1230, leaving an unknown history of thousands of years, we know that there was a church on what is now Alžbetina sometime in the late 11th – early 12th Century. That church was dedicated to St Elizabeth when it was modernised, some years after it was built. It is surely fascinating that there is a letter dated 7th March 1283 referring to a dispute concerning St Elizabeth’s Church in Košice over which the Cathedral of St Elizabeth now stands.It is believed that St Elizabeth was born on the 7th of July 1207, possibly in Bratislava or possibly in Blatný Potok. She was the second daughter of King Andrew II of Hungary and his wife Gertrude. King Andrew, a member of the Arpad dynasty, was a very interesting character in his own right. St Elizabeth’s mother, Gertrude, was assassinated in 1214. The point surely is that Elizabeth was born into the highest of social circles but chose to dedicate her life to serving the poor and the sick, activities which did not endear her to her peers.
The High Altar in the Cathedral carries a wonderful series of 12 paintings which depict her life. When she was four years old, she was betrothed to Ludwig IV, of Thuringia and in due course they married. Ludwig joined the 6th Crusade, in 1227, but died en route to the Holy Lands. Elizabeth and her child were evicted from Wartburg Castle and in 1230 she entered the Third Order of St Francis. She died on November 17th, 1231.
St Elizabeth had a very short life by modern standards, only a few months over 24 years. However, in those 24 years she served God’s purpose so well that she has been remembered for hundreds of years, not least by the magnificent Cathedral of St Elizabeth in Košice.
Whole books have been written describing the Cathedral and there is not space here to cover everything; far better to visit the Cathedral and see for yourself. If we can help, please contact us.