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Practical advice for the Moravian Karsts visitor
The Moravian Karsts belongs to the most important karst areas in central Europe. It consists of strongly karsted Devon limestone's. Superficial and underground karsts phenomenon's can be found in this area of 100 square kilometers. There are more than 1000 known caves. Four of them are open to the public. To preserve this unique phenomena, the Moravian Karsts was proclaimed a protected area in 1965. The Moravian Karst is the most important tourist locality of our region. Thousands of tourist are visiting this area every year. They are fascinated by a magnificent nature of the Moravian Karsts, they are admiring a dizzying depth of the Macocha Abyss and they are looking forward to visiting the caves. Unfortunately, some of them are leaving disappointed, unknowing local conditions, e.g. they have missed their bus, they have not withdrawn their tickets to the Punkva Caves in time or it has been sold out for several days ahead. On this page, we would like to give you several practical advice how to spend your vacation in the Moravian Karsts the most pleasant way.

Access to the Moravian Karsts and transport
The Moravian Karsts area is literally interwoven by a web of tourist routes. Green tourist route that begins near the bus station in Blansko will guide you to the Skalní mlýn ("heart" of the Karsts with the information center and parking lot). Yellow tourist route from Sloup and the Sloup-Šošůvka Caves will guide you here too. Upper Bridge of the Macocha Abyss is another important point of the Moravian Karsts, where above mentioned yellow route from Sloup meets red route leading from Rudice. Considering the immense attendance of the Karsts, automobile traffic was limited and compensated for the ecological transport. Pustý žleb (Desert Gully - connecting line between the Punkva Caves and village of Sloup) is complete closed for cars as well as the part of the Suchý žleb (Dry Gully - from the Katherine's Cave to the turning leading to the Upper Bridge of the Macocha Abyss). You must leave your car on the parking lot near the Hotel Skalní mlýn. You will be taken from Skalní mlýn to the Punkva Caves by a road train, from the Punkva Caves to the Upper Bridge by a cableway. Road train and cableway are running in the connection with the entries to the caves (road train every 20 minutes, cableway continuously). Buy the tickets at the information center Skalní mlýn. We recommend you to buy the Combi ticket - price advantaged two-way ticket for the road train and cableway. You can reach Skalní mlýn by bus too. There is regular bus line running from Blansko.

Ticket bookings
All ticket bookings for the caves are provided by Central Information Service Skalní mlýn. For customers who made reservation through Zinger Travel can order their tickets there. Group of 15 and more people needs written reservation. It is indispensably necessary to book your tickets to the Punkva caves at least one week in advance during the summer tourist season!!! The capacity of the cave is limited by the number of people that boat can seat. You must withdraw your bookings at least 40 minutes in advance, otherwise your booking expire. Those who haven't booked the tickets in advance can make use of this fact. Every day, especially early in the morning, all the tickets that haven't been withdrawn, are available. This situation can happen in the course of the day too, so you can ask for the tickets at the information center from time to time. Tickets for the Balcarka Cave, Katherine's Cave and the Sloup-Šošůvka Caves are usually available, you don't need any bookings for these caves. Each cave offers its own guide and it is possible to arrange the interpretation in different languages.

Practical advice for visiting the caves
A) Katherine's Cave, the Punkva Caves and Macocha Abyss - Starting point is Skalní mlýn. You can buy tickets for each cave here and also the tickets for the ecological transport. Katherine's Cave is 5 minutes' walk from here - it is known especially for its stalactite formation "The Witch" and the legend of Katherine and her lost sheep. This cave is very popular among the children, tour lasts 30 minutes. Go back to Skalní mlýn, take the road train that will guide you to the Punkva Caves. The tour is divided into two parts - the foot walk and the boat ride and lasts 60 minutes. Important warning - children under age of 3 are not admitted to the cave. Not far away from the caves, there is a lower station of the cableway that is running to the Upper Bridge of the Macocha Abyss. You can take the same way (or tourist route) back to Skalní mlýn. If you are interested of making reservation in Hotel Skalní mlýn click here for info.
B) Balcarka Cave and the Sloup-Šošůvka Caves - Reach the village of Ostrov u Macochy through the village of Vilémovice - Balcarka Cave is located outside the village. It is known especially for its rich and colorful stalactite decorations and you don't need reservation of the tickets for this cave. Move off to Sloup - Village of the Year 2000. The Sloup-Šošůvka Caves underwent reconstruction recently. Kůlna Cave - famous archaeological site is also part of the cave. You can experience two routes - short and long. Short route lasts 60 minutes, we recommend the long route for the competent ones, it lasts 100 minutes and you walk 1670 meters. Good advice in conclusion: don't forget to dress yourself warmly, as the permanent cave temperature is about 7-8 degrees Celsius!!!

The Macocha Abyss
The world-famous Macocha Abyss, 138.7 meters deep, with opened riverbed of the underground river Punkva in the bottom. There are two observation platforms that enable visitors to look into the deeps of the abyss.

The Punkva Caves
Visitors walk through the labyrinth of mighty underground spaces and corridors as far as the bottom of the world-famous Macocha (= Stepmother) Abyss. The foot walk is followed by a motorboat ride along the Punkva underground river. The ride includes the visit to the Masaryk Dome, one of the most beautiful caves of the Moravian Karsts. Guided tours are organized every 20 minutes within the period of April 1st till October 31st and every 40 minutes within November 1st till March 31st (of the following year). Maximal number of the visitors in one group is 54 persons (because of the 3 boat capacity). Children under the age of 3 are not admitted into the cave.
Opening times: January till March: Tue-Sun 8:40 - 14:00, April till September: Tue-Sun 8:20 - 15:50, October: Tue-Fri 8:40 - 14:00 and Sat-Sun 8:20 - 15:40, November till December: Tue-Sun 8:40 - 14:00 and closed: December 24th till 26th and January 1st.
Entrance fees: Adults / Children / Pensioners - Complete boat ride: CZK 100,- CZK 50,-  CZK 80,-. Shortened boat ride: CZK 80,- CZK40,- CZK60,-. Without boat ride: CZK 60,- CZK 30,- CZK 40,-
Surcharge for photography CZK 10,-, for camcorder CZK 50,-. Tour length: 60 minutes, Route length: 720 meters. Boat ride length: 450 meters. It is recommended to make reservation of the tickets in advance. You have to withdraw your tickets at least 40 minutes in advance.

Balcarka Cave
Balcarka Cave is situated in a picturesque karsts valley near Ostrov u Macochy. This cave boasts of unique, very rich, varied and colorful stalactite and stalagmite decorations. Guided tours are organized every 20 minutes for groups of 50 people at most, within the period of April 1st till October 31st. Only 3 entries per day are permitted within the period of February 1st till March 31st. The cave is closed in January, November and December
Opening times: February - March: Tue-Sun, entries at 9:00, 11:00, 13:00. April - September: Tue-Fri 7:30 - 15:30, Sat-Sun 8:30 - 15:15. October: Tue-Fri 7:30 - 13:30 Sat-Sun 8:30 - 14:30
Entrance fees: Adults CZK 40,- Children CZK 20,- and Pensioners CZK 30,-. Surcharge for photography CZK 10,- and for camcorder CZK 50. Tour length: 50 minutes, Route length: 700 meters.

Katherine's Cave
It attracts with large underground spaces which belong to the largest ones in the area of the Moravian Karsts. Later discovered areas include very rich stalagmite decorations, especially the "Bamboo Forest", a group of rare, several meters high stick-shaped stalagmites. Guided tours are organized every 20 minutes for groups of 60 people at most, within the period of  April 1st till October 31st. Only 3 entries per day are permitted within the period of February 1st till March 31st. The cave is closed in January, November and December.
Opening times: February - March: Tue-Sun - entries at 10:00, 12:00, 14:00. April - September: Tue-Sun 8:20 - 16:00 October: Tue-Sun 8:20 - 14:00.
Entrance fees: Adults CZK 40,- Children CZK 20,- and Pensioners CZK 30,-. Surcharge for photography CZK 10,- and for camcorder CZK 50. Tour length: 30 minutes, Route length: 430 meters.

The Sloup-Šošůvka Caves
A large complex of underground corridors and domes is situated in two floors. The height difference between the floors is about 70 meters. Part of the cave system is used as a therapy place for children with asthma diseases (speleotherapy). Part of the sight-seeing tour is the Kůlna Cave - a world-famous archaeological locality. Guided tours are organized every 20 minutes for groups of 55 people at most, within the period of May 1st till September 30th. In April and October, guided tours are organized every 30 minutes for groups of 55 people at most. Only 3 entries per day are permitted within the period of February 1st till March 31st. The cave is closed in January, November and December. The cave is barrier-free.
Opening times: February - March: Tue-Sun, entries at 10:00, 12:00, 13:00, April - September: Tue-Sun 8:00 - 15:30, October: Tue-Sun, 8:30 - 13:30
Entrance fees: Short route: Adults CZK 50,-, Children CZK 20,-, Pensioners: CZK 40,-. Tour length: 60 minutes, Route length: 890 meters. Long route: Adults CZK 70,-, Children CZK 30,-, Pensioners CZK 60,-. Tour length: 100 minutes, Route length: 1670 meters. Surcharge for photography CZK 10,- and for camcorder CZK 50,-.

History of the town Blansko
Blansko was established as a settlement (the Old Blansko) at the right bank of the Svitava River. The first written trace about the town dates back to 1141, when the name Blansko appears in the document of Henry Zdik, the bishop of Olomouc as the part of the Olomouc fief. From the end of 14 century, there are notes of so-called vassal court that appeared on the left side of the Svitava River, approximately where the present castle is located. Settlement New Blansko started to rising around it gradually. Both parts developed separately administratively and economically until 1526. Blansko acquired the status of a market-town in 1580. At the end of the 16th century, Blansko belonged to the Žalkovský family from Žalkovice. Matyáš Žalkovský promoted Blansko to a market-town in 1580. His son, Jan Žalkovský rebuilt the Gothic fortress into a Renaissance castle at the turn of the 16th and 17th century. At the end of the 17th century Blansko mansion was possessed by the Silesian earls of the Gellhorn family, who founded a large-scale ironworks production (1698). This tradition continued under the ownership of the Salm-Reifferscheidt family, which bought the mansion in 1766. The first half of the 19th century was notable for the flourishing ironworks and mainly the production of the artistic work in cast iron. In 1896, Breitfeld-Daněk Company bought the ironworks from the Salm family, who owned the mansion until 1945. The construction of the important railroad corridor Česká Třebová - Praha that was realized within the years 1847-1850 by Italian company Tallachini, had a great influence on the flourishing of the town. Blansko became a center of the judicial district after abolition of the patrimonial administration and launching of the land reform at the end of the 40's of the 19th century Year 1905 is very important in the history of the locality, as Blansko was raised to the status of a town on a basis of a decree issued by Emperor Francis Joseph I. In 1949, Blansko became a district town and stayed in this position even after the territory division reform in 1960. Today, Blansko has about 22000 inhabitants, it is a gateway to the Moravian Karsts - a complex of caves opened to public. The main attraction of the Moravian Karsts is the Macocha abyss with the depth of 138 m. Blansko is an industrial town that is specialized on the production of water turbines, gray cast iron, electrical measuring instruments and polygraph industry appliances.