11 Exciting Ways to Escape Boredom on Your Mikulovsko Adventure!
1. Holy Hill in Mikulov
Many visitors keep returning to Svatý Kopeček whenever they come to Mikulov, thanks to its stunning panoramic views of the town and its beautiful surroundings. If you’re eager to explore everything Mikulovsko has to offer, this is the place to start. Here, you’ll find the ancient Way of the Cross, which is among the oldest in the country. This pathway features fourteen chapels, including the Chapel of St. Sebastian, the bell tower, and the Chapel of the Holy Sepulchre. It’s such a picturesque spot that it’s hard to believe its origin is linked to a devastating plague. But it’s true—the Stations of the Cross were constructed by Cardinal František Dietrichstein, the estate owner, in gratitude to God for surviving the plague epidemic in 1622.
2. Mikulov Prospects
You can also enjoy views of the town’s streets and its vineyard-laden surroundings from different locations, including Goat Castle, the former artillery tower, St. Wenceslas Church’s tower, as well as the gardens and terraces of Mikulov Castle. This castle houses the Regional Museum and offers several interesting tours. You can explore the Library, a wine exhibition, delve into the history of Romans and Germans in the region below Pálava, or visit an old castle cellar that contains a massive wine barrel.
3. Portz Insel and the Lost Brick Bridge
In the late Renaissance and early Baroque period, a magical landscape was created to the south and east of Mikulov, unified by water. There were cascades of ponds and fish ponds, alongside streams, dams, mills, fishery spots, avenues, and orchards. Cardinal Dietrichstein built a summer palace atop an island in Portz Pond, surrounded by floral decorations and a forest garden—a delightful spot for leisure and social gatherings. The Portz Insel complex featured a long brick bridge, linking it to Mikulov via a two-and-a-half-kilometer tree-lined path. In the late 19th century, it was still celebrated as a remarkable landscape jewel. However, with the construction of the railway, the pond was drained, causing the bridge to become landlocked, and it, along with the summer palace, vanished for decades behind the inaccessible border zone. After a last-minute renovation, the summer palace is now the home of the Víno Cibulka family winery. The bridge, buried under layers of mud, has been restored along with the original historical trails.
4. Synagogue, Mikveh, and Jewish Quarter
If you appreciate Jewish heritage, we invite you to explore the Jewish Quarter nature trail in Mikulov. The center of what was once a ghetto is today represented by Husova, Alfonse Mucha, and Brněnská streets. Although many interesting sites have long since vanished, numerous significant landmarks remain. The Upper Synagogue is notably the last Polish-style temple still standing in the Czech Republic, while the Mikulov Jewish cemetery hosts around four thousand tombstones. A true treasure is the long-forgotten mikveh ritual bath, rediscovered decades later, dating back to the 16th or 17th century.
5. Mikulovsko and Pálava for Wine
If you’re visiting the Mikulov region for its wines, make sure to stop at one of the delightful wineries; missing out on tasting the finest offerings from Mikulov and Pálava would be a real shame. Under Pálava, the ancient Romans likely planted the first Moravian vineyard, and vines continue to thrive in this area today. Pálava boasts unique varieties such as Riesling, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Blanc, alongside Chardonnay, Sylvan Green, and, of course, the local Pálava variety that was bred here. During your wine exploration, you can also take a stroll through the Pálava vineyards and adventurous visitors can hike up to the white cliffs of Děvín, Orphan’s Castle, or Děvičky Castle.
6. Little Mikulov Croatia
Wondering where the best swimming spot in Mikulov is? Instead of going back into town from Svatý Kopeček, follow the blue trail leading to the quarry by the Marian mill on Janičův vrch. This area is a favorite among locals and tourists alike, with its natural charm and a climate that resembles rocky Croatian shores. For those less keen on natural swimming, the Riviera swimming pool is another option.
7. The Freedom Trail to an Unusual Monument
One of the paths leading to the Portz Insel Summer Palace is the Freedom Trail, which traces the same route once used by the signal path with a wire barrier until 1989. If you download the mobile app Iron Curtain Stories, you’ll be guided along this path with fascinating tales of people who either succeeded or failed in crossing the infamous Iron Curtain. The trail is 2.5 kilometers long and leads you to a unique monument called the Gateway to Freedom.
8. Na Turold Cave and the Journey to the Bottom of the Jurassic Sea
For a brief outdoor adventure, consider taking a short nature trail that leads to the Na Turold cave, featuring information panels, an old quarry, and a Geopark. The cave offers a complex and intricate system of passageways, halls, and domes, extending over 280 meters with 350 steps and a comfortable temperature of 7-9 °C. The guided tour takes less than an hour, and the cave’s unique decorations are especially captivating: instead of typical stalactites, visitors will see formations that look like white foam with numerous cavities and tiny calcite crystals. These unusual shapes were formed by the ebb and flow of the Jurassic Sea, which crafted the limestone into these distinct forms.
9. To the Border with Valtice for Scenic Views
From Mikulov, it’s easy to walk, bike, take the train, or drive through the wine-growing village of Sedlec to Valtice, where you can enjoy the enchanting Lednice-Valtice area, the largest composite landscape in the country, Europe, and perhaps the world. The colonnade on Reistna stands proudly at its highest point, with the Iron Curtain Museum nearby, which is perfect for fans of war and military history.
10. Gallows and Rare Steppe Grass
Just south of Mikulov, near the border, lies the unassuming Šibeniční vrch (238 m) or Šibeničník Nature Reserve. As the name indicates, this area once housed a town gallows on a low limestone cliff. There are no signs to guide you here, but this hill is particularly worth noticing if you have an interest in botany. It is one of the country’s oldest protected botanical sites.
Declared “partially protected areas” as early as 1927, this site has restrictions against opening new quarries, plowing pastures, or planting orchards. The year following this declaration, a Brno botanist named Josef Podpěra discovered the rare steppe oats grass here; it is the only region where it can be found in Moravia, as it is otherwise only present in the Bohemian Central Highlands, the Hainburg Hills in Austria, and regions of Russia.
A Leap Across the Border
While we’ve already crossed the border briefly, let’s explore a bit further. Across the border lies a spot with far-reaching views, namely Hangman’s Peak or Schweinbarther Berg (337 m), located near the village of Kleinschweinbarth. These hills form the boundary between the Moravian and Austrian sections of the Pavlov Hills, a nearly fifty-kilometer-long limestone escarpment stretching from Pavlov to Stockerau in the northern suburbs of Vienna. This scenic landscape was once known as the Dietrichstein Deer Park, and nearby stands the impressive Falkenstein border fortress, built around 1050 on a limestone cliff. Why should you visit? Perhaps to enjoy the most celebrated castle ruins in Weinviertel that present fantastic and rather unique views of Mikulov, along with the Pálava River flowing in the background, and you can also find the charming wine-growing village of Falkenstein, where you can sample wine from the locals.
