Day Trips from Košice, Slovakia - The Top 25 Destinations

Eastern Slovakia has an astonishing number of attractions packed into a very small geographical area, with towering mountains, rustic red-roofed towns, castles, caves and wooden churches all waiting to be explored. Košice is by far the largest city in the eastern half of Slovakia and it has a range of impressive sights to see in and around its well-preserved central square and the Cathedral of Saint Elisabeth. For those visitors who would like to base themselves in the city for a few days to use it as a base for day trips into the surrounding countryside, I have put together a list of the best places that can be visited in a single day. I have given each destination a star rating out of five to provide an idea of how worthwhile they are to visit, and the destinations are organized by distance into three categories - within one hour of travel from Košice by public transport, within two hours, and within three hours. The pictures in this article show, from top to bottom, The High Tatra Mountains, Betliar Chateau, Bardejov old town square, Markušovce Chateau, and Spiš Castle.

Destinations Within One Hour of Travel from Košice:

** Jasov Monastery and cave - (40 minutes) By bus from Košice main station to the town of Jasov; the cave is at the base of the hillside near the southern end of the town

** Herľany Geyser - (45 minutes) By bus from Košice to the village of Herľany

** Prešov - (35 minutes) By train from Košice main station

** Veľký Šariš castle and Šariš brewery - (50 minutes to 1 hour) By train or bus from Košice main station, sometimes changing to another bus or train in Prešov is required

* Slanec Castle - (35 minutes) By bus or train from Košice main station

Destinations Within Two Hours of Travel from Košice:

***** Spiš Castle - (1 hour 30 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes) By bus from Košice main station to Prešov, then change to a second bus to the town of Spišské Podhradie. You can't miss the castle on the hill, it dominates the landscape for miles around

***** The High Tatra Mountains - (1 hour 50 minutes) By train from Košice main station to Poprad, then change to the mountain railway to reach Starý Smokovec. From there you can take the funicular up to Hrebienok which is the starting point for many possible day hikes in the Tatras. Start early if you are going to travel to and from Košice in a day

**** Levoča - (1 hour 45 minutes) By bus from Košice main station to Prešov, then change to a second bus to reach Levoča

**** Bardejov - (1 hour 50 minutes) By bus from Košice main station

**** Krásna Hôrka Castle - (1 hour 15 minutes) By bus from Košice main station to the village of Krásnohorské Podhradie, the castle is clearly visible on the hill above the town

**** Slovak Paradise National Park - (1 hour 25 minutes to 1 hour 50 minutes) By train from Košice main station to Spišská Nová Ves, then by bus to the village of Čingov which is the starting point for many hikes into the park

*** Kežmarok - (1 hour 40 minutes to 2 hours) By train from Košice main station to Poprad, then change to a bus or train to reach Kežmarok. The bus and train stations are next to each other in Poprad

*** Gombasek Cave in the Slovak Karst National Park - (1 hour 40 minutes to 2 hours) By bus from Košice main station to Rožňava, then change to a second bus to the village of Slavec and get out at the stop along the highway after the village at the turning point for the road to Silica village. From the bus stop take the trail to Gombasecka cave, it's about 1 kilometre

*** Betliar Chateau - (1 hour 20 minutes to 1 hour 40 minutes) By bus from Košice main station to Rožňava, then change to a second bus to reach Betliar village

*** Spišská Sobota - (1 hour 15 minutes) By train from Košice main station to Poprad; Spišská Sobota is a historic village on the edge of Poprad, about a 20-minute walk east from the train station

** Markušovce Chateau - (1 hour 15 minutes) By regional train from Košice main station to the village of Markušovce

** Tročany wooden church (1 hour 20 minutes) By bus from Košice main station to the village of Janovce, then it's a 1.5 kilometre walk along the local road to reach Tročany village

** Brežany wooden church - (1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 40 minutes) By bus or train from Košice main station to Prešov, then change to a bus to reach Brežany

Destinations Within Three Hours of Travel from Košice:

**** Dobšinská Ice Cave - (2 hours 30 minutes) By train from Košice main station, changing to a second train in Margecany

*** Bardejovské Kúpele spa and outdoor folk architecture museum - (2 hours 5 minutes) By bus from Košice main station

*** Stará Ľubovňa Castle and outdoor architecture museum - (2 hours 15 minutes) By bus from Košice main station; the castle and outdoor museum are 1.5 kilometres north of the bus station in Stará Ľubovňa

*** Domica Cave in the Slovak Karst National Park - (2 hours 15 minutes to 2 hours 40 minutes) - By bus from Košice main station to the village of Plešivec, then change to a second bus to the village of Kečovo and get out at the stop next to the cave (before the village) called Kečovo Domica. From the Domica cave it's a 2 kilometre walk across the border into Hungary to Aggtelek village and the Aggtelek Karst caves, which are equally impressive

*** Ochtinská Argonite Cave - (2 hours 5 minutes to 2 hours 20 minutes) By bus from Košice main station to the village of Gočaltovo and get off past the village at the stop called Gočaltovo Hradok. From there it's a two-kilometre walk up into the hills to the cave entrance

** Svidník folk architecture museum - (2 hours 10 minutes) By bus from Košice main station

** Humenné folk architecture museum - (2 hours to 2 hours 15 minutes) By bus from Košice main station

Day Trips from Brno, Czech Republic - The Top 25 Destinations

Brno is an increasingly popular city break destination and starting point for travel in Central Europe due to the budget airlines which now frequent its airport. While it lacks the world-class sights and attractions of the Czech capital Prague, Brno has enough to amuse the average visitor for a day or two, and the surrounding region of South Moravia contains a veritable smorgasbord of tasty attractions to sample. Gothic castles, folk architecture, limestone caves and UNESCO heritage sites are all within reach and still receive far fewer international visitors than they deserve. I have listed some of the best of these destinations here and given them a star rating out of five to suggest how worthwhile they are to visit. The destinations are also organized into three categories - destinations which are less than one hour by public transport from Brno, less than two hours, and less than three hours. Three hours is quite a long distance for a day trip, but if time is short, it can be worth making a longer excursion to see one of the region's best attractions such as Telč. It is also possible to visit destinations across the border in Slovakia and Austria, including the capitals Bratislava and Vienna. The photos included in this article show, from top to bottom, Telč, Mikulov, Kromeříž, Lednice, and Pernštejn castle.

Destinations Within One Hour of Travel from Brno:

**** Moravian Karst - (45 minutes) By train from Brno main station to Blansko, then change to a bus from Blansko main bus station to the stop called Skalní Mlyn which is the access point for the caves and hikes in the surrounding region

**** Lednice - (50 minutes to 1 hour) By train from Brno main station to Břeclav, than change to a bus from Břeclav main bus station to reach Lednice

*** Pernštejn Castle - (1 hour) By train from Brno main station to Tišnov, change to a local train to reach Nedvědice, then follow the yellow-marked trail through the forest for 2 kilomtres to reach the castle

*** Moravský Krumlov - (50 minutes) By train from Brno main station

** Boskovice - (40 minutes to 50 minutes) By train from Brno main station

** Veveří Castle - (40 to 50 minutes) Take tram #1 from outside Brno main train station to the stop called Přístaviště, then change to a bus to reach the castle

** Slavkov u Brna (Battle of Austerlitz site) - (25 minutes) By train from Brno main station, or by bus from Brno Zvonařka station

* Dolní Kounice - (40 minutes to 55 minutes) By bus from Brno Zvonařka station, change to a second bus in Modřice to reach Dolní Kounice

Destinations Within Two Hours of Travel from Brno:

***** Vienna, Austria - (2 hours) By train from Brno main station

**** Bratislava, Slovakia - (1 hour 30 minutes) By EC train from Brno main station

**** Olomouc - (1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours) By train from Brno main station

**** Mikulov - (1 hour 5 minutes to 1 hour 40 minutes) By direct bus from Zvonařka station, or by train from Brno main station to Břeclav and then change to a local train to Mikulov

*** Litomyšl - (1 hour 40 minutes to 2 hours) By bus from Brno Zvonařka station

*** Kroměříž - (1 hour 30 minutes) By train from Brno main station to Kojetín, then change to a local train to Kroměříž

*** Valtice - (1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes) By train to Břeclav, then change to a local train to reach Valtice

*** Znojmo - (1 hour 10 minutes) By bus from Zvonařka station

** Ždar nad Sazavou - (1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes) By train from Brno main station

** Stražnice - (1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours) By train from Brno main station, change trains in Hodonín or Veselí nad Moravou to reach Stražnice

** Třebič - (1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 35 minutes) By train from Brno main station

Destinations Within Three Hours of Travel from Brno:

**** Telč - (2 hours to 2 hours 25 minutes) By bus from Brno Zvonařka station

*** Vranov nad Dyjí Castle - (2 hours to 2 hours 15 minutes) By bus from Brno Zvonařka station to Znojmo, then change to another bus to reach Vranov nad Dyjí village

** Velké Losiny - (2 hours 45 minutes) By train from Brno main station to Šumperk, then change to a local train to reach Velké Losiny

** Skalica, Slovakia - (2 hours to 2 hours 10 minutes) By train from Brno main station to Kúty, then change to a local train to reach Skalica

** Jaroměřice nad Rokytnou - (2 hours 20 minutes) By train from Brno main station to Okříšky, then change to a local train to reach Jaroměřice nad Rokytnou

* Zlín - (2 hours 5 minutes) By bus from Brno Zvonařka station