Mikulov Wine Trail

Discover the wine jewels in the Mikulov crown

The Mikulov wine trail is a circular trip well suited to a single-day outing for anyone who is at least a little used to sport. The mildly hilly terrain is of medium difficulty, the first half is hilly, but from Pavlov on you will find much faster stretches on the flat terrain.

The starting point is the town of Mikulov itself, whence the trail leads along the border of the Nový Rybník lake to the village of Sedlec. Here a mild ascent in the direction of Úvaly awaits you as far as the fork in the road, from here there is a lovely view not only of the surrounding vineyards but also the largest Moravian artificial lake – Nesyt. Move onwards to Úvaly and go up the alley of cherry-trees to its highest point – the hill called Rajstna or Reisten. The view from the terrassed colonnade down to the wine capital of Valtice will create quite an impression.

Only when you stop looking can you head off down the road to Valtice. In the main square you can visit the baroque church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and then hurry off to the deep cellars of Valtice chateau where the rarest treasures are hidden. Here is the Wine Salon of the Czech Republic – Salon vín České republiky – you will have the possibility to sample 100 of the best Moravian and Czech wines. From Valtice you head off up among the vineyards of the village of Hlohovec and travel awhile around Hlohovec lake, then onto the road in the direction of Lednice. Here you should dismount and visit the Neo-Gothic chateau as well as the park with its minaret. 

The original renaissance chateau of Lednice has acquired its baroque complexion during the building extensions at the end of the 17th century, when it was given its new look by renowned architects, such as Domenico Martinelli and Jan Bernard Fischer of Erlach. And the Minaret? The romantic edifice which has no precedent hereabouts comes in all probability from the Liechtenstein era and was put up so that would simply be likeable. After a walk about step on the pedals again and set off on the tarmac-covered forest lane to the barrage on the Dyje river and on to Bulhary and its rolling terrain to Milovice and Pavlov.

You are now at the half-way point so take a good deep breath because the highest hill is just ahead. The second half of the trail commences with the descent to Dolní Věstonice and continues onwards between The Middle and Lower Reservoirs of Nové Mlýny and on to Strachotín. The trail takes you on contentedly alongside water’s edge to the confluence of the Svitava and Svratka rivers, through Ivaň as far as Pasohlávky. You will still be hugging the Nové Mlýny reservoir and cross the bridge to Brod over Dyje and continue along the quiet main road around the vineyards to Novosedly. Here you will hit the educational trail of Stará Hora, on whose panels you will spot plenty of things of interest on the wines that originate from these vineyards. Later the path will lead you in the direction of Nový Přerov and return to Mikulov. After such a trip you will surely wish divert yourself in some of the local wine cellars. You will most certainly taste varieties typical of the Mikulov area – Welschriesling, Chardonnay and Aurelius.