Mikulov

Mikulov sits where the Palava limestone ridge drops towards the border, and its layout follows the rock: a chateau on the high point, a sloping square of pastel arcaded houses below it, and a second hill opposite carrying a line of white chapels up to a pilgrimage church at the top. Between them lies the former Jewish quarter, once one of the most important in Moravia, of which a synagogue in the Polish style and a large terraced cemetery survive along with a run of low houses on Husova street. The chateau holds a wine museum with an enormous 17th-century barrel in its cellars, and vineyards begin immediately outside the town.

What you actually see

• The chateau rock - the white chateau standing on its limestone outcrop above the square.
• The Holy Hill chapel walk - stations climbing the bare limestone hill to the pilgrimage church.
• The synagogue and cemetery - the restored synagogue and the terraced burial ground on the slope.
• The giant wine barrel - the 17th-century cask kept in the chateau cellars.

When to go

May to October, with September and early October best if you want the vineyards working and the cellars open. Summer weekends fill the square and the chateau tours. The Holy Hill walk crosses exposed limestone with no shade, so early morning or evening is far more comfortable in July and August.

Honest expectations

The town is small and can be walked in two hours, so the reason to stay is the wine and the hills rather than the sights. Chateau interiors are guided and mostly in Czech. The Holy Hill path is steep, loose underfoot and hot. Accommodation prices rise sharply during the September harvest festivals.

Nearby

The Palava ridge and its reservoir are on the doorstep, and Lednice is half an hour east.