BRNOguide
Trips, tours, sightseeing CZECH REPUBLIC
CZECH REPUBLIC
This trip represents a busy day which combines nature and architecture . You will visit the LEDNICE Chateau and its beautiful French and English park with a unique greenhouse, then the VALTICE Chateau (Both UNESCO Heritage sites, enjoy a short video), visit the National Wine Center where you can sample the best Czech wine awarded many awards, The present Valtice chateau dates to the early 18th century. The Valtice Chateau has its own wine cellars that date from to the 1430s.
Explore the wine town MIKULOV - a pretty little town with a long history. Here you can visit the castle, churches, and the Jewish Quarter. It lies on what was the main trade route between Vienna and Brno. It was also home to the largest Jewish community in the country for many years. For three centuries, from the 1500s to the 1800s, Mikulov was the seat of the Moravian regional rabbinate. World War II brought a very terrible end to Mikulov's Jewish community. Today Mikulov is Moravia's center for white wine production. where used to be the strongest Jewish community and if you still have energy, possible a hike in the nearby PALAVA HILLS - which is Biosphere Reserve thanks to its unique fauna and flora.
The full description of this busy trip is in Peggy s (American) BLOG here:
PRICE for the whole trip: EUR 130 / per person
TO BOOK THIS TRIP, PLEASE GO TO PRICE List and Contact and fill in the Form.
Duration: full day
Distance from Brno: 90 km
Travel by car or a minicoach
Fully escorted with informative commentary
Excluded: entrance fees
Testimonials
Oct 28, 2019 by Cheryl T (USA)
Incredible Day in the Moravian Wine Country
TripAdvisor review: Moravian wine trails
Helen was a fantastic source of knowledge for our day in the Moravian wine country. From the moment she picked us up to the end of our day, she provided history, context, and anecdotes about the area and the wines. This was a private tour for me and my husband and she handled all of the logistics - picked us up and dropped us off at our Airbnb in Brno and modified the activities to match our interests as we asked. There was also a nice balance between touring, driving, and tasting. Dress comfortably for walking through the parks and grounds. In addition to all the planned activities, we got an extra bonus stop in Vrbice. She knew a winemaker there and thought it would make a nice visit. We arrived a little early but she struck up a conversation with a local who generously agreed to show up his private cave. (The wine caves are all hand-dug out of sandstone and are passed down through family.) He has a day job and makes wines as a hobby. He shared how some folks don't know what to do after work but he always knows where he is going. He doesn't seel any wine to the public - just makes it for family & friends. Given the quantity in his cellar, they must drink a lot. :-) He let us try his burcak (young, first crush wine) which he pulled out with his wine thief. Then, he opened a bottle of his private wine to share with us. We also got to sample grapes direct from the vines. We also visited the small Brcko cellar. We liked the Portugal wine but loved the Frankova - new varietal for us. Moldy ceilings, old wooden barrels and coins stuck into the stone ceilings for good luck all add to the charm of these caves. We visited Lednice, Valtice, and Mikulov over the course of the day. Lednice has a beautiful castle, garden and grounds and includes fake ruins and a minaret for good measure. Valtice was home to the wine salon - one of the coolest experiences in wine tasting. For a flat (inexpensive) fee, you can taste as many or as much as you want of the top 100 vetted wines in the region. Pace yourself! Helen gave us great tips on how best to maximize our time and wine-tasting abilities here. We ended the day in the castle and old town of Mikulov relaxing over hot tea and coffee before the drive home. Overall, a wonderful (& educational) day. Not to be missed!
From Peggy s BLOG: The PALAVA HILLS - We then hiked to the Throne formation of limestone cliffs. We wandered past long rows of ripe grapes, even sampled a few as a snack. The warm, dry climate and the unique geology give rise to very unique flora. Up and up we went. The view becoming more dramatic the higher we went. The going for me in places wasn't easy -- ok, slightly terrifying in places -- but oh the climb was worth it. I am so thankful Helena took me up here and kept me going through the rough spots. I got to look out over the glowing white stacks of limestone, markers of the prehistoric inland sea, over the area between Dolni Vestonice and Pavlov and not only was taken back into my own past, as an archeologist, but also the past of all human kind. Here thousands of years ago mammoth hunters lived. Here, between 27,000 and 20,000 years ago, they made art and lots of it. And it was preserved. And we can wonder at the uses to these many artifacts that so show how complex human minds are and always have been.
