Czech Republic holiday, wine regions
| country: | Czech Republic |
| departures: | 2008: 5 Jul, 30 Aug |
| price: | From Ł465 (8 days) excluding flights. Single supplement Ł75. We can arrange flights from the UK. This trip can also be tailormade for groups or individuals, with dates of your choice. |
the amazing things you'll be doing
A journey through Prague and wine growing region of Czech Republic.
Visit Prague, the magical city of bridges, cathedrals, gold-tipped towers and church domes, whose image has been mirrored in the surface of the Vltava river for more than ten centuries.
Taste the food prepared using recipes from the 15th and 16th century. Next day we will take a trip through the area, where Christianity entered Europe.
There are many small towns and villages with ancient castles and strongholds originating over the centuries on the banks of local rivers. Their slopes are filled with vineyards and fruit orchards - we will of course have a taste! Let's set out on the journey to the land of vineyards, wine cellars and gastronomical specialties.
Highlights include:Prague - Royal Route Walk & Czech medieval dinner Renaissance town Telc, UNESCO heritage site Znojmo catacombs Vranov Chateau & Podyjí National Park Dyje river valley and the wine-making villages on the Czech-Austrian border Wine cellar visit with tasting Medieval town Mikulov Valtice, Lednice area UNESCO heritage site Moravian Karst, Punkevni cave and Macocha abyss
Visit Prague, the magical city of bridges, cathedrals, gold-tipped towers and church domes, whose image has been mirrored in the surface of the Vltava river for more than ten centuries.
Taste the food prepared using recipes from the 15th and 16th century. Next day we will take a trip through the area, where Christianity entered Europe.
There are many small towns and villages with ancient castles and strongholds originating over the centuries on the banks of local rivers. Their slopes are filled with vineyards and fruit orchards - we will of course have a taste! Let's set out on the journey to the land of vineyards, wine cellars and gastronomical specialties.
Highlights include:
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Prague Royal Route Walk - Czech medieval dinner. We start our tour with the beautiful locations along the Royal Route, from the Old Town to Prague Castle, once the coronation route of the Bohemian kings. We cross the river on the unique Charles' Bridge, built in the 14th century. This walk will take between 2-3 hours. Short period of free time before an evening meal at the medieval tavern ‘U Sedmi Svabu', where the chef prepares the food using recipes from the 15th and 16th century and only ingredients authentic to central European cuisine of the time. |
| Day 2: | Telc and surroundings. Arrive in Telc around noon. We will visit a UNESCO Renaissance chateau with well-preserved interiors and will walk about the square. We can also ascend the Renaissance tower with a view of the surroundings and visit a number of galleries in the square, including the gallery of Jan Zrzavý. In the early evening we take a 5 km walk around the beautiful surroundings of Telc. |
| Day 3: | Chateau Vranov nad Dyjí - Podyjí National Park - Cizov - Hardegg (9 km). After breakfast in Telc we will transport you to town of Vranov nad Dyjí. Here, we will visit the Baroque chateau in Vranov, looming on top of an 80-meter high rock above river Dyje and Podyjí National Park. Afternoon tour takes you to the unspoiled beauty of Podyji National Park. The trail starts in the village of Cizov, continues to the Austrian village of Hardegg with its ancient castle and a sweeping view of the Dyje valley, and then leads back to Vranov nad Dyji. |
| Day 4: | Znojmo - wine cellar visit (14 km). Today we travel to Znojmo, one of the oldest Czech cities and natural centre of the Moravian winegrowing region. We visit city heritage sights, including protected late-Roman lanes in the old town. We may climb the Znojmo City Hall. We will visit the interesting system of medieval cellars and tunnels, the Znojmo Underground. We shall not miss the Znojmo castle with its natural historical site - the roman style St. Catherine Rotunda. After lunch in Znojmo (typical Moravian cuisine), we will go on a 14km trip that will "smell of wine". We will go along the Zmojmo moors, which make a part of the national park. We will climb to the romantic sightseeing point above the Dyje river and walk through the wine-making villages and colonies of wine cellars. Here we can expect wine sampling and some refreshments in a wine cellar. |
| Day 5: | Mikulov and the Pálava Hills (12 km). Today we travel to Mikulov - a mediaeval town renowned for its panoramic views of three rocky focal points: a Renaissance castle, Svaty Kopecek (the Holy Hill) and the ruins of Kozi Hradek (Goat Castle). We visit the Renaissance Castle & walk along the nature trail visiting the mediaeval Jewish ghetto. After lunch in Mikulov we set off on a walk across the protected Pálava Nature Reserve. The 12 km track with its beautiful panoramas will lead us along instructive wine-trails to the ruins of Dívci Hrad Castle. Evening walk through the mediaeval lanes of Mikulov, or just relaxing in one of the many wine-cellars there, resting and preparing for the next day. |
| Day 6: | Lednicko-Valtice UNESCO heritage site - Valtice - wine tasting. After lunch in Mikulov we travel to the nearby Lednicko-Valticky area, the largest landscaped park in Europe- a UNESCO world cultural heritage site. We walk in the gardens and take a boat which offers remarkable views of the Castle Park, as well as the well-preserved flooded forest and mysterious meanders of the old Dyje River. Near to Valtice Castle is the National Wine Salon of the Czech Republic; in the evening we have a professional commentary given by an expert including wine-tasting and refreshments. |
| Day 7: | Brno and Moravian Karst. We leave for Brno after breakfast and take a sightseeing tour of its historical centre. We will climb its view point, Špilberk Castle, visit Petrov and St. Peter and Paul's Cathedral - an inseparable Gothic view point of Brno. After lunch at the Starobrno brewery restaurant we depart to Moravian Karst. First of all, we will visit the 138m deep gorge with the river Punkva flowing through the bottom of it. After that, we will take a walk down the maze of dry limestone caves to the bottom of the Macocha gorge. From there, we will take an underground boat trip on the River Punkva to the Masaryk cave chamber decorated with the most beautiful dripstones in the Moravian karst. |
| Day 8: | Breakfast and departure for airport in Prague / Brno |
small group cultural tours
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends it's good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as experiencing new cultures.how this holiday makes a difference
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On this tour you will travel in varied small group of like-minded people. The smaller the group, the less it interferes in the everyday life of the visited place. Small groups also allow our guide to dedicate more time to making your journey more unique and special.
You will spend your holidays not only by sightseeing, but you can also pursue walking through the wine-making villages of Southern Moravia which will bring us closer to the everyday life of local people. Instead of moving through great distances and visiting many places in one day, you will get better idea of how the country feels by exploring its local attractions. We will explore many small towns and villages with ancient castles and strongholds originating over the centuries on the banks of local rivers. You will not eat only in international restaurants or fast food chains but rather in local restaurants (we will dine at the medieval tavern ‘U Sedmi Svabu' where the chef prepares the food using recipes from the 15th and 16th century and only ingredients authentic to central European cuisine of the time) where traditional food is served and where you can enjoy regional dishes (eg. smoked meat, roasted ducks, Znojmo cucumbers - pickles, wedding cakes) together with excellent beers and wines the country can offer. By visiting locally owned wine cellars we will contribute to the development of small-scale and low environmental impact viticulture. In order to maintain maximum authenticity and comfort, we provide accommodation in smaller family run hotels and guesthouses preferably, with local atmosphere and the possibility of an outdoor seating area. You will learn a lot more about the culture of the country by personal experience rather than looking at it through a coach window. This way of travelling has the lowest environmental and cultural impact to the visited country and creates a positive experience for all. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've lead the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |