Spiš Castle
The castle alone takes half a day, a full day comes from adding Spišská Kapitula and Levoča; its upper courtyard is closed for restoration.
- When to go
- September 15° · 10 rainy days
- Per day
- ~25 · 42 · 59 €budget · mid · comfort, per person · checked 24 Sep 2026
- How many days
- ½days
- For you
- 6 questions →
- Nearest airport
- 38 km Poprad · 52 km Košice
- Right now
Spiš Castle takes half day; full day with Levoča: the castle alone is the shorter visit, a full day comes from adding Spišská Kapitula and Levoča. The bus from Poprad takes about 1 h.
The SAD Poprad bus, line 071208 (bus (SAD Poprad, line 071208: Poprad–Levoča–Spišské Podhradie)), runs from Poprad to Spišské Podhradie in about 1 h, ticket about €3–4.50. Poprad is the same hub used to reach the High Tatras by air and rail; Košice, the larger international airport, sits nearly twice as far. From the bus stop it's a walk to the castle, city transport none, all on foot.
Above the town rises Spišský hrad itself: the middle and lower courtyards are open, the upper one closed for restoration. Entry is €12, open May–Sep: daily 9–19 (last entry 18:00); Oct: 9–17 (last entry 16:00), closed Nov–Mar (closed or weather-dependent).
From the car park below the castle a marked trail climbs Dreveník, a travertine hill and nature reserve: trail from the car park by the castle: 1.1 km, about 20 min uphill (to the hill itself; exploring the rocks takes longer), entry free.
Five minutes further on foot is Spišská Kapitula, a walled church settlement around St Martin's Cathedral. Walking through it is free, the cathedral tour itself free (walking around); cathedral €2.50–4 (guided walk-through).
A short drive from the Chapter is the Church of the Holy Spirit in Žehra, with medieval frescoes from the 13th to the 15th century, among them the 'Tree of Life', uncovered only in 1954. Entry is €2, open main season (Jul–Aug): Mon–Sat 9:00–17:00, Sun 13:00–17:00; outside season by arrangement only (phone/email); outside season it needs notice, booking outside season yes; in season no.
Anyone staying the full day also reaches Levoča: St James's Basilica holds the tallest Gothic altar in the world, carved by Master Paul between 1507 and 1517, entry €4, open timed entry: Mon 11:30–16:00; Tue–Sat 8:30–16:00; Sun 12:00–16:00 (spring season 1 Apr–30 Jun 2026). The town of Spišské Podhradie itself, with its Mariánske and Palešovo squares, is walked for free on the way back to the bus stop.
Guides for Spiš Castle
Shorter, practical pages for one concrete question each — how many days, how much money, where to sleep, where to escape the city.
Spiš Castle in 1 day
→A bus from Poprad, the castle and Dreveník before noon, Spišská Kapitula and Levoča after, then back on the same line.
What to see in Spiš Castle
Spiš Castle
The middle and lower courtyards are open, the upper one closed for restoration. Entry €12, open May–Sep: daily 9–19 (last entry 18:00); Oct: 9–17 (last entry 16:00), closed Nov–Mar (closed or weather-dependent).
€12 · closed Nov–Mar (closed or weather-dependent)
Spišská Kapitula
A walled church settlement five minutes' walk from the castle; walking through is free, the cathedral tour free (walking around); cathedral €2.50–4 (guided walk-through).
free (walking around); cathedral €2.50–4 (guided walk-through)
Levoča
St James's Basilica holds the tallest Gothic altar in the world, carved by Master Paul in 1507–1517. Entry €4, open timed entry: Mon 11:30–16:00; Tue–Sat 8:30–16:00; Sun 12:00–16:00 (spring season 1 Apr–30 Jun 2026).
€4
Žehra
The Church of the Holy Spirit holds medieval frescoes from the 13th to the 15th century, including the 'Tree of Life', uncovered in 1954. Entry €2, open main season (Jul–Aug): Mon–Sat 9:00–17:00, Sun 13:00–17:00; outside season by arrangement only (phone/email).
€2 · 30 min · closed outside the main season — by prior arrangement only · booking: outside season yes; in season no
- D
Dreveník
A travertine hill and nature reserve by the car park below the castle, marked trail trail from the car park by the castle: 1.1 km, about 20 min uphill (to the hill itself; exploring the rocks takes longer). Entry free.
free · trail from the car park by the castle: 1.1 km, about 20 min uphill (to the hill itself; exploring the rocks takes longer)
Spišské Podhradie
The town below the castle, its core around Mariánske and Palešovo squares part of the same UNESCO listing. Walking through free.
free
Ready for Spiš Castle?
Within reach from here
Places sorted by straight-line distance from Spiš Castle — day trips or weekends.
Slovakia
→A capital on the Danube, a castle town on the road to Vienna, a UNESCO mining town, the highest peaks in the Carpathians and a medieval east — all in euros, no conversion needed
Czechia
→A capital on the Vltava, Moravia's second city, a spa town with a film festival and a small town bent around a river — one country still paying in koruna
Austria
→A country crossed by train in five hours, from a Vienna coffee house to a Tyrolean cable car — so you choose the order, not the country
Hungary
→A capital on the Danube, a hill-country wine town, a southern city near Croatia and Central Europe's biggest lake — one country, no euro
Poland
→A country where half of what looks old isn't, and that is precisely the point
All 277 places we write about sit on one page — narrow them down by continent, country, price or what you are travelling for.
Within reach from here: The High Tatras, Košice and Bardejov
See how much of that actually suits you — or pin Spiš Castle if you have been.
Front row for the next trip
Leave your email and we'll let you know when a new destination or story goes up.