The journey from Košice to Uzhhorod: between two worlds

When the journey becomes a story. The engine roars to life with a quiet growl. Outside the car windows, Košice is just waking up – the morning light reflects off the stone towers of the Cathedral of St. Elizabeth and it seems as if someone has poured liquid gold on the tip of the Gothic tower. The first people are walking down Hlavná Street to work, the faint clatter of shoes mingling with the silence of the city. Most cafes and shops are still closed, but the smell of freshly ground coffee and pastries is already spreading from one corner. And you, instead of getting lost in the city’s pulsating pulse, are heading east – towards the border, where time is changing.

Out of Košice – where the city ends and the countryside begins

Behind the last apartment buildings, the city quietly melts into the fields. Green strips of arable land, nestled between forests, undulate as if they want to caress everyone who leaves. The road turns onto the highway, the speedometer takes a deep breath, and only at Bidovce – the village where the D1 motorway ends – the real countryside begins. North of there lies the Herlian geyser. Instead of lava, the earth here spews water. Every thirty-six hours, it sends a twenty-two-meter-high stream into the sky, as if to remind us that an ancient power still lives in the depths below us.

Dargovský Pass – the gateway between the lowlands

The asphalt rises gently and we enter Slanské vrchy mountains. Dargovsky Pass is not just a traffic junction – it is a piece of history. The three-lane road runs past the monument to the fallen soldiers of the Red Army. The gold on the star sparkles in the sun, but the stone base still breathes the cold of December 1944, when heavy fighting took place here. The air is clean, saturated with the scent of pine needles and moss. From the car window you can see old forest roads disappearing into the shade of trees – roads that have their own memory.

The East Slovak Lowland – a region where the horizon does not move

Beyond the pass, the landscape opens up in width. Sečovce we will just fly by – a quiet town that has grown over the centuries at the crossroads of east-west and south-north roads. A few kilometers further on, the metropolis of Zemplín begins to loom over the gentle hills – Michalovce. Here the road to Uzhhorod turns ninety degrees and passes Zemplínska širava – a huge mirror of water in which the sky mixes with the reflection of the hills. In summer, songs from the beaches, the clink of glasses and distant laughter sound here.

Sobrance, Tibava, Orechová – between wine and the border

Sobrance is the last town before the border. Quiet streets, nineteenth-century bathhouses and small Guitar Museum, where instruments of musicians from all over the world hang. Beyond the town the road branches off – one branch leads directly to Vyšné Nemecké, the second over the hills towards Ubli. We continue straight and pass Tibavu and Walnut – villages where vines climb old pergolas and wine is poured with pride. We are at the foot of a volcanic Vihorlat, from where the bottles travel throughout the country. If we were to fly over the country now, southwest – just sixty kilometers as the crow flies – we would see the world-famous area Tokaj, extending across Slovakia and Hungary.

Border – line and mirror

The border crossing is more than just concrete, barriers and uniforms. It is a gateway where language, money, mobile operators and the very rhythm of the day change. On the Slovak side, everything is neat, on the Ukrainian side, energy mixes with the air – the voices of vendors, the sound of old engines. In the small houses along the road you can find groceries, cafes and dentists. For Slovaks, this is often the “Far East”, for Ukrainians, on the contrary, it is a gateway to the West – a symbol of wealth and prosperity.

Ukraine – the first kilometers

Beyond the border, the asphalt becomes the storyteller. Mostly smooth, but with potholes in places that force you to slow down to below 20 km/h. As soon as you leave the border control, the road climbs a hill. At the top, you are greeted by yellow-blue Ukrainian flagFor many, it's a moment of joy - a feeling of being home. From here, you just drive down the hill, at idle, straight into town.

Uzhhorod – a city of stories

Uzhhorod opens like a book without a cover – everything is visible from the first page. The road leads between houses, shops and parks until we reach the historic core. Pedestrian bridge over the Uh River has hundreds of padlocks on its railings – some new and shiny, others rusty and almost forgotten. A game awaits you in the streets of the center – mini-figurines of elves. Each one has its own story: one holds a glass of beer, another a book, another a musical instrument. Along the river stretches the longest linden alley in EuropeAt its beginning stands a historic building with a facade where inscriptions from the times of Czechoslovakia have been preserved – „Reštaurácia“, „Teplé párky“. It towers over the city Uzhhorod Castle – a fortress that has seen raids, revolutions, and centuries of peace.

Gastronomic faces of the city

In Uzhhorod, it's worth slowing down and sitting down. Not because you're tired, but to taste what this city means on a plate. The smell of fresh borscht with dill, steamed dumplings stuffed with potatoes or cottage cheese, or soft pelmeni in butter sauce. Accompany it with a glass of local wine or black coffee, which has the power to keep the conversation going until the night. In summer, you can buy coffee or ice cream from mobile stands that stand on almost every corner by the river.

Uzhhorod and the northern road through the mountains

Sometimes it pays to take a different route – whether because of long waits at the border or because you prefer forests to concrete. The northern route runs through a valley alongside the railway between Uzhhorod and Velky Berezny and the Uh River. The villages are small, but each has a grocery store open 24/7. Resorts are popping up on the slopes, and a luxurious five-star complex is visible right from the road. Verkhovyna. The road then passes through the town Perenčín. Signs on buildings like "Kantína" remind us that Transcarpathia was once part of Czechoslovakia. The monorail tracks wind along the road - connecting this region with the rest of the world since the 1920s. If you are interested in post-war history, we recommend the film Tom (2018).

Border crossing in the forest

In Little Berezny we turn into a narrow valley between the hills. Here it is quiet, fresh air and forests all around. It is a completely different feeling than standing in the heat among the concrete near Uzhhorod. The process is the same – passport and customs control is carried out 24/7 – but the atmosphere is friendlier. And what is unique, you can also pass through this crossing on footOn the Slovak side, we are welcomed by Ubla – a picturesque village with a roadside rest stop. Locals say that in the 1990s, most people here knew someone who made a living by smuggling. This is reminiscent of the movie The Line (2017)After Ubľa, the road continues through picturesque mountain scenery - a village, a forest, another village, another forest. These mountains are home to wooden churches, some of which are UNESCO treasures.

Stories from the road with the LUXI CrossBorder

"It feels like home here." – a compliment from a client from Switzerland when the road turned through Vihorlat.
Oleg of Rivne flew to Prague: left for lunch, empty road, smooth transition. Had a steak and beer in Košice – satisfaction.
Spouses from Australia They wanted to see the house where their grandfather once lived. For them, the trip had more than just practical significance – it was a journey back to their roots. ...and there are many such stories.

Beyond the story – Tokaj and its surroundings

If you have time, the trip doesn't have to end in Uzhhorod. Tokaj region is a fairy tale for wine lovers – cellars carved into the rocks, cruise on the Bodrog, the village of Tokaj at the confluence with the Tisa. In Russian Bystrus There is a wooden church from the 18th century, listed in UNESCO. In Berehove Thermal baths await you - warm water from a depth of more than a thousand meters, outdoor and indoor pools. And Interlaboratory They open the door to the world of Andy Warhol – a museum that reminds us that even the world icon had roots in a small eastern Slovak town.

Why book this trip in advance?

On this route, time is of the essence – and so is attention. Time that you can spend in a line at the border, or having a coffee in Uzhhorod. Time that will allow you to catch a flight, a doctor's appointment, or signing a contract. LUXI CrossBorder will give you certainty – guaranteed arrival, real-time border monitoring, a comfortable vehicle and a driver who knows this route like the back of his hand.

Conclusion – two worlds within reach

The journey from Košice to Uzhhorod is more than a journey. It is the story of a landscape that changes with every kilometer. Sometimes it is the view from the Bridge of Love in Uzhhorod, sometimes the smell of the forest in Dargov. It can be a glass of Tokaj wine or the quiet sound of wheels on the way home. And maybe you too will discover that between two worlds lies only one afternoon and the determination to discover it.

Want to see more right now?

Watch the video where I personally guide you through the entire journey.