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Guide to Kosice, Slovak Republic
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Click to go to Flight Prices for Kosice
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Kosice
Known throughout much of Eastern Europe as the home of the largest memorial park found in Slovakia, Kosice is a city we consider to be underappreciated, and wonderfully so. Bearing no capital status we're aware of, Kosice is a Gothic conglomerate of some of the best architectural unknowns on the continent, and those looking for a mob-less solution to their traveling woes in the form of a visitor-friendly destination are in luck. You'll find this Slovakian gem to be one of a kind, but hardly a niche product in its undesired category of passed-over eccentrics. The people of Kosice are friendly, but not overtly so. You can get plenty of help in the way of directions to a particular city site, but don't expect to befriend a group of locals with a charming smile or two. If you're really intent on finding a resident of Kosice to chat up current events with, it'll require quite a bit of perseverance. (And, possibly, a bit of stamina as well. Also, if luck is your life partner, you can probably disregard these assertions.) Kosice's record-setting past can indeed be traced back to the region's people, who seem to have always enjoyed limelight to a great degree. Whether you're browsing the flower patches inside the city's Botanical Garden, sauntering upon the footpaths of Slovakia's grand 288-hectare-strong memorial reservation, or basking in the intricate carvings of the Cathedral of St Elizabeth, there's homage to be shown. Kosice may enjoy relatively little attention among Eastern European locales, but deny it admiration, one cannot.
When to go:
Lying on the median line between the Polish and Hungarian capitals of Krakow and Budapest, respectively, Kosice is fair game for all but the coldest of winters and the warmest of summers. You'll be offered a good majority of sunny days throughout the year's more temperately comforting seasons; if you consider yourself a snow bunny, you'll of course like to visit the city in winter, and with prices dropping nearly accordingly with the mercury, you'll be able to enjoy budget-friendly accommodations whilst trying to keep your fingertips from freezing in a place often sporting a white coating.
Getting there and around:
Being the second largest city in Slovakia, it's only natural for Kosice to bear some responsibility for sorting out the nation's international travel. Bratislava, Slovakia's official capital, is the focal point for most European travelers, but Kosice International Airport now plays a handy role in balancing the burden. Now, just about all connections made possible through Bratislava's flight center are available through Kosice's own. Once you've claimed your baggage and are good to go, as some might say, you can hire a cab, board a bus, or journey solo to get yourself into town. Traffic is a detriment only too often present on roadways in and around Kosice. Keep with public transit if you fancy spending more time at your destination than gridlocked en route.
Attractions:
A tour of Kosice will grant you the true scope of Kosice's abundant supply of sites worthy of the tourism stamp. Being the industrial, commercial, cultural, and scientific hub of Eastern Slovakia, the city is best seen twice over if one wishes not to pass over any notable attractions. Typically the first site on travelers' itineraries is St. Elizabeth's Cathedral. Built over roughly a century-and-a-quarter's time, the cathedral is dubbed the oldest standing structure within Kosice. Statues and paintings adorn its interior, where visitors have been known to spend hours viewing the murals and sculptures. A two-story residence turned science library, the Forgach Palace is worth seeing both for its personal traits as well as its current contents.
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