Explore the possibilities of water adventures in Košice and its surroundings
Read on to find out which bodies of water suit your summer fantasies, and plan your hot days in the city with cool refreshments and a good swimming workout or super water adventures for your naughty kids! Where to go this summer for the best swimming spots?
For city centre swimming pools
Take a dip in the pools during the summer heat or relax surrounded by urban greenery. If you don't want to stray too far from the centre of the action during your holiday, discover water areas where you can enjoy a well-deserved break with friends or the whole family close to the city.
Swimming pool Red Star
Be surprised by all the possibilities Red Star Swimming Pool right next to the Košice Railway and Bus Station, just a 10-minute walk from St. Elisabeth Cathedral. Admire the exquisite and elaborate design of the building by the Košice architect Ludovít Oelschläger, who left a distinctive architectural mark on various, often pink buildings in the city.
It is the Red Star, one of the iconic swimming pools in Košice, which has up to four pools, namely swimming, children's, non-swimming and water polo pools with a capacity of up to 1,200 people. There is also a fitness area, four buffets, a bistro and a sandpit for children.
Opening hours (July - August)
Monday - Sunday, 9:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m
Ticket prices: adult €9.50, child €7.20
More information about the Red Star Swimming Pool
Swimming pool Ryba Anička
Wondering which swimming pool in Košice you should definitely not miss on your next visit to the city? Head to the northern part of the city, where you have the opportunity to get up close and personal with the green parts of Košice in the beautiful Anička Park, with a variety of attractions for all types of visitors.
The eponymous Anička Fish Swimming Pool is for those who crave water fun in the immediate vicinity of the Hornád River and peaceful nature. Here you can enjoy up to three heated swimming pools (swimming, recreational, children's) with crystal water from the Gajda spring, two water slides, a great buffet with summer delicacies, free table football and the super possibility of boating on the surface of the Hornád directly in the swimming pool area (5 € for 0.5 hours). Try your luck with fishing for a pleasant price of 10 € per day.
Opening hours
Monday - Sunday, 9:00 - 19:00
Ticket prices: adult 8 €, child 7 €
Parking: yes
National Olympic Swimming Centre Košice
The legendary swimming pool can be found in the immediate vicinity of the Aupark shopping centre and Hlavná Street. Go for endurance swimming training at the newest National Olympic Swimming Centre Košice, whose original face - the Municipal Indoor Swimming Pool - has been familiar to every local resident since early childhood. From September 2025, after 20 months of intensive reconstruction, the original indoor swimming pool will be transformed into an epicentre of swimming sports of European calibre. New modern design NOC Košice Promises Košice residents and visitors a new experience in the world of swimming sports at a modern and professional level.
For example, did you know that the Slovak record holder in crossing the English Channel, Zuzana Jusková, regularly trains here? Maybe she will inspire you with valuable tips on how to swim as efficiently as possible (and not only at the swimming pools in Košice). If you like to stay up late, this swimming pool is available from 6.00 am, when you'll probably enjoy a leisurely swim workout with fewer visitors.
After renovations, you'll find a wellness and fitness centre offering a Kneipp bath, Finnish, steam and infrared saunas, an icefall and a modern restaurant. The Hall of Fame with a depiction of the history of the swimming pool and a presentation of the achievements of the local clubs will also attract attention.
Opening hours
Monday 6:00 - 21:00
Tuesday 6:00 - 21:00
Wednesday 6:00 - 21:00
Thursday 6:00 - 21:00
Friday 6:00 - 21:00
Saturday 10:00 - 20:00
Sunday 10:00 - 20:00
Ticket prices: adult from 4 €, child 3,10 €
Parking: yes
More information about the National Olympic Swimming Centre
For the beauty of nature near the city
Set out for oases of tranquillity in the green areas near Košice that will win your heart at first sight. Stay in Košice and after exploring the city, cool off at the nearby water bodies a stone's throw from the city centre. There are several options right now - plan a weekend or an afternoon of relaxation around the city's many popular water recreation options.
Water reservoir Bukovec
Every local resident of Košice knows that a must-stop during every summer (and even every season) is the magical Bukovec reservoir, a pleasant 5 kilometres from the city, which can be reached comfortably by your own car, by bus service line 802430 from Námestie Liberatorii or the Košice Bus Station in the direction of Baška; by taxi, by bicycle, and, for hardy tourists, by hiking trails through the forest.
Bukovec is the traditional choice of all those who like to come here to practice their endurance swimming across the entire width of the reservoir, to sit down with langos and fries, or to let themselves drift on the gentle waves with an inflatable at a short distance from the shore. The hidden little private beach spots a few people away from the main road are definitely an interesting feature, known only to locals and those who happen to wander in.
When visiting Bukovec, you will most certainly enjoy a slow and muscle-stretching ride on the water surface, for example with a paddleboard, which will take you safely to the middle of the reservoir, from where you will be able to see all the angles of Bukovec from a different perspective. You will also find a large parking lot, the Bukovec Salas, windsurfing, the unpaid Bukovec Beach and many other secret spots in the surrounding nature.
No entrance fee and no opening hours
Parking: yes
More information about the Bukovec reservoir
Above the lake housing estate
Experience urban relaxation just a short journey by public transport, bicycle or car to the city's Nad Jezero district. A local favourite for decades, the area has enjoyed great popularity for its romantic lake strategically placed between apartment blocks, giving you the opportunity to watch stunning sunsets against a backdrop of concrete apartment blocks almost every summer day.
Although this area of Košice is especially popular in the summer months, it can be enjoyed in all seasons - spring and autumn walks, winter hardening and ice skating on the frozen surface, and in the summer the incomparable wakeboarding within the Trixen: Wake & Ski Park. Come and conquer water obstacles, manoeuvre on the choppy lake surface and meet new friends with whom you will enjoy water sports in Košice to the max! Enjoy refreshments after the sport in the U Dad, Great Burger, Splav Pub or Kebab Zone.
Explore all the other water areas for relaxation during the warm months in Košice. In the following articles, we will bring you a continuation of the thermal and natural swimming pools beyond Košice's borders. More on www.visitkosice.org.