The hills north of Purwokerto are an easy half-day or full day out. Baturraden is the closest and most popular — 45 minutes by angkot, with hot springs and waterfalls on the slopes of Mount Slamet. The much wider Dieng Plateau to the north-east, three hours by road, is one of the most spectacular places in Central Java with its ancient Hindu temples, sulphur lakes and coloured volcanic terrain; it can just about be done as a long day trip but is better done as an overnight from Wonosobo.
Down on the south coast (about 90 minutes by train or car) the beach at Cilacap is more interesting for its grim history than its sand — the offshore island of Nusa Kambangan still houses Indonesia's maximum-security prison, and visitors can take ferries to the southern beach of Pasir Putih. Closer to home, the old colonial town of Banyumas itself (15 km east) has a small but well-curated museum of regional history in the former bupati's residence.