Košice

Košice is the largest city in eastern Slovakia, built around a wide, car-free main street lined with baroque and neoclassical buildings, cafés and theatres. The Gothic St Elisabeth Cathedral sits in the middle of the street, near the State Theatre and a musical fountain. The city feels livelier and less touristy than the capital, and prices are modest.

It makes a good base for the Slovak Karst caves to the south, Spiš Castle and Levoča to the north, and the wooden churches of the Carpathian area in the northeast. Come on foot, plan an evening in the cafés, and check the city's tourism site for current events and opening hours before you go.