Levoča map

Levoča is rightfully considered one of the most beautiful cities in Slovakia, with a well-preserved historical city center included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Levoca is located in the east of Slovakia, right on the highway leading from Kosice to Poprad. Most tourists traveling along this road to the ski resorts in High Tatras pay attention to the high stone fortress walls surrounding the historical center cities. After this, as a rule, all tourists go to the Internet to find information about this city. We, too, were no exception, and this is how we learned about the city of Levoca.

Town Hall – the main attraction of Levoč

Levoča diagram in 3D

It turns out that this small town with a population of only 14 thousand people was once the center of the region (Spiš province). Written information about Levoca first appeared in 1249, although the city already existed in the 11th century.

Levoca reached its greatest prosperity in the 15-16th century, when the merchants of the city achieved a number of privileges from the Hungarian authorities. However, in the 19th century the city gradually fell into decay. The built railway passed it by and it, like another ancient town located near Poprad Spisska Sobota lost its significance .

View of the Levoca Town Hall building from the back.

How to get to Levoča?
Today Levoča is the main historical attraction of eastern Slovakia, which attracts the attention of many tourists vacationing in the area of the largest cities in eastern Slovakia, Kosice and Poprad. You can only get to Levoca by bus or car; there is no railway here. The nearest big city with a train station is Spisska Nova Ves. That is, the easiest way is to take a train from Kosice or Poprad to the city of Spisska Nova Ves, and from there go to Levoca by bus.

Bus station of the city of Levoca. You can come here from Poprad and Spisska Nova Ves

The bus station in Spisska Nova Ves is a five-minute walk from the train station. As you exit the train station onto the street, turn right and after 5 minutes you will see the city bus station. See the schedule there. Buses run approximately every half hour. Travel time is about 25 minutes. Ticket price 0.9 euros (data for 2015).

We are walking from the bus station to the city center.

The bus schedule can also be viewed online at cp.atlas.sk
Also from the bus station in Poprad there is a direct bus Poprad – Levoča, which takes about 35 minutes. But he runs very rarely and we didn’t dare ride him.

We are on the central square of Levoča – Nāměstie Maistra Pavla

Having arrived in Levoca at the bus station, you will need to walk another 10 minutes through the new microdistricts of the city towards the historical center. It is advisable to have a map with you, or focus on the high spiers of the city’s cathedrals.

During the day there is a small market on the square

Sights of Levoca
All the main attractions of Levoč are located in the central square, which is called Namestie Majstra Pavla.

Main facade of Levoča Town Hall

First of all, the building of the city’s Town Hall, built in 1615, captures your attention. This unusual building, built during the Renaissance, has many columns and galleries. And the bright white walls and bright red roof give the Town Hall a fabulous look. There is a museum inside the Town Hall; the entrance ticket costs 3.5 euros.

Cathedral of St. Jacob in Levoča

Another attraction located in the central square of Levoca is the Cathedral of St. Jacob. It was built between 1290 and 1400. Outwardly, it is not as elegant as the Town Hall, but all its treasures are hidden inside. The main attraction of the cathedral is the Gothic altar, over 18 meters high – the highest Gothic altar in the world.

Gothic altar of Jacob’s Cathedral

To get inside (the cathedral is now also a museum), you need to buy a ticket at the ticket office located opposite its entrance. However, the cathedral works interestingly. It and the ticket offices are usually closed during the day. Only at a certain moment does a guide come, open the ticket office, sell tickets and take people inside the cathedral. This happens once an hour from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The museum may not be open on Sunday. During the season, the museum may be open more often and groups are allowed inside every half hour.

Inside, Jacob’s Cathedral looks like a Gothic cathedral

In addition to these two main attractions of Levoč, standing in the center of the Maistra Pavlo square, the square itself is surrounded by many beautiful old houses built from the 15th to the 17th centuries.

A small square on the central square of Levoca

Also, if you walk a little away from the central square of the city in the direction of the Košice Gate (gate), you can see the Church of the Holy Spirit in the Baroque style built in the mid-18th century. It looks very elegant both outside and inside.

Košice Gate (gate) and the Church of the Holy Spirit

Near the Polish Gate (gate) at the end of Klyashtorska Street you can see the Minorite Monastery with the Church of St. Ladislaus built in the 14th century.

Fortress walls of Levoča

The ancient fortress walls of the city themselves are also of interest, from where a beautiful view of modern Levoca opens, and there are also several good cafes (one is even built directly into the fortress wall).

The Evangelical Church is also located in the central square of the city

Our video from the trip to Levoca can be seen here:

What else can you see nearby?
In the vicinity of Levoč, on a high hill next to the highway to Presov, there is the dilapidated Spišský Hrad, one of the most beautiful castles in Slovakia. There is no public transport here, so you can only visit Spissky Castle with a tour or by car. Also, in the area Poprad you can see the ancient city Spishska Sobota.