Czech Family Tour Itinerary
Day One: Prague - Lednice-Valtice Loop
Our guides will greet you in Prague, where you will meet your fellow travelers and then be transfered to the south of Moravia. After a welcome drink, bike fitting and safety talk on the chateau terrace of our hotel Hranicni Zamecek, we’ll set off to explore the unique Lednice-Valtice - a UNESCO Cultural Landscape. After 700 years under the care of Lichtenstein noblemen, the swampy area was transformed into a carefully conceived combination of castles and parks which combines both indigenous and exotic natural elements to create an outstanding work of human creativity. Bicycling is the preferred mode of transportation through this grand expanse since it allows easy access to this exceptional location. The highlight of the day will be a Falcon exhibition in the gardens at the Lednice Chateau, where there will be up to 70 birds of prey. You will also be treated to a special show of bird hunting, where you will be able to interaction with some of these birds!
After the show we will head to Valtice Chateau, an imposing building with beautiful interiors, which conceals a wine cellar overflowing with the best wines of the Czech Republic. Here you will have the opportunity to sample these wines from this imposing collection during a wine tasting. Another unique experience awaits you as you will be treated to an interesting demonstration of fighting techniques of old fencing masters just prior to dinner.
Meal: Dinner
Destinations visited: Prague, Lednice Chateau Falconry, Lednice-Valtice cellars
Distance cycled: 23 km / 14.25 miles
Day Two: Valtice-Mikulov via Iron Curtain Road
Today we will test another type of riding skill during horseback riding lessons at Lednice-Valtice, where we will continue to explore this exceptional UNESCO area. At Lichtenstein’s “summer house,” the Lednice Chateau, we will find out why this area is called “The Garden of Europe” or “The Garden Paradise.” This English neogothic chateau contains French gardens, a romantic minaret and the ruins of Jans Castle. As you meander through the property, you will feel as if you have been transported back to the 19th century. As a sweet farewell to the Lednice-Valtice you will be treated to a picnic on the Promenade with a wonderful view over this fairytale countryside!
We will leave the chateau on bike and commence our ride along the former Iron Curtain Road to lovely Mikulov, a hidden gem of a town located amidst the Palava Hills. While biking through this wonderful landscape it is hard to believe that less than 20 years ago this area was a “no man’s land”, a virtual dead zone. Dinner tonight will be at the very special Eat and Art Gallery, a unique place where you will eat with all your senses! The chef will reveal to us one of her secrets during a special Strudel making lesson, where you will learn your own formula and try to cook yourself your own traditional strudel!
We end our day at the unique Hotel Templ, a former synagogue that was deserted during the dramatic days of WW II. If you look carefully, you will find many details of its former use.
Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
Destinations visited: Lednice Chateau, Jans Castle, Oldest Synagogue and Cemetery in Mikulov
Distance cycled: 50 km / 31 miles
Day Three: Mikulov Vineyard Loop
We will start our day with visit to an old Jewish cemetery, a rare Polish synagogue and the second biggest European wine cask in the heart of Mikulov castle. We will then bike to Palava’s UNESCO Biosphere Reservation. This small “Czech Mediterranea” or “Czech Provence” offers a varied landscape to cycle through – including vineyards and karst rock formations. We will hike in Palava’s hills which contain countless vineyards as well as the Devin and Divci Hrady castle ruins. We will finish our hiking tour in Pavlov, a viticulture village and then visit the village of Dolni Vestonice, known for the rare archaeological discovery of a small, 23,000-year-old female statue. At the Palava water dam you will try windsurfing lessons. Upon returning to Mikulov, we will end our active day with a traditional Folklore show performed by local children demonstrating the old way of life through dance, music and song. Tonight we will dine in the formal synagogue room.
Meals: Breakfast / Dinner
Destinations visited: Dolni Vestonice, Pavlov hills and dam
Distance cycled: 50 km / 31 miles
Day Four: Mikulov – Laa an der Thaya
Today we follow the Veltliner Bike Path into Austria, the route named for the region’s most famous wine cultivar. It will take us through some slightly hilly terrain as we climb to the Falkenstein Castle ruin, which is the dominant landmark of the region. As a reward for this climb, we will have picnic lunch in the village of the same name. The vineyard-lined Veltliner is the most beautiful byway in this area and it leads us all the way to Poysdorf, the Austrian capital of wine. Along the way we will stop in Herrnbaumgarten Village, famous for its poetic museum of non-senses. You’ll appreciate the high quality of Austrian wines during a sampling in Poysdorf’s local wine market. After passing the Staatz Castle ruins, we arrive in the spa town of Laa an der Thaya. Here we admire two town halls, the remains of a castle and, most importantly, have some fun swimming and relaxing in our special hotel, Therme Laa.
Meals: Breakfast/ Lunch
Destinations visited: Veltlin Bike Path, Falkenstein Castle ruins, Poysdorf, Herrnbaumgarten Village,
Staatz Castle ruin
Distance cycled: 59 km / 37 miles
Day Five: Austria Loop – Water World
Today it is your choice to either indulge in the optional spa amenities and services of Therme Laa water world, or pedal your way into the rich mosaic of the Czech-Austrian border wine region. If you choose to ride, we will begin in Šatov with a visit to a unique painted wine cellar, well-preserved fortifications from World War II, and other curiosities. We will bike through an old Celtic sanctuary to Retz. In this old wine town, lorded over by its famed white windmill, we’ll have a chance to admire not only the interesting main square, but a 20 km-long labyrinth of wine cellars, which holds five million liters of this elixir! Afterwards you will bike through the village of Hadres, where we visit the most beautiful wine street of the entire region, 1.6 km long and lined with 400 cellars.
Meals: Breakfast / Dinner
Destinations visited: Šatov, Retz, Hadres, or Water World
Distance cycled: 62 km / 38 miles
Day Six: Vienna
In the morning you have the option to ride a bike loop to Staatz castle ruin where we will then transfer by car to the city of opera, apfelstrudel, and the famous Viennese waltz. The capital city of Austria will be our final destination of our journey. As a sweet farewell to our tour, we will celebrate with a unique chocolate tasting in a family run luxury chocolate company. We strongly recommend you extend your stay in Vienna by at least one day, because the UNESCO protected city center, the Schönbrunn Castle and many other sights are too beautiful and unique to be missed. We can arrange accommodations and tour guiding services for you to places such as the Prater fairground and famous Prater Wheel or Schonbrunn Castle’s special children tour and Park Labyrinth, as well as possible transport back to Prague.
Meal: Breakfast
Destinations visited: Vienna
Distance cycled: optional loop in morning
