This site had been a thorn in my side for a few years. 3 previous attempts to visit were abandoned, and it sat there taunting me for not 'completing' all the WHS in the Czech Republic. However a trip between Olomouc and Vienna in early 2012 provided me with a great opportunity to finally 'tick it off'.

My first stop was Valtice, a rather pleasant small town with a monumental palace. Most of the things in the city centre and in the castle grounds were closed this early in the year. This fortunately spared me a tour around the palace interior. I've seen enough Central European dancing parlours, tapestries and chandeliers to last several lifetimes, so I was exceptionally happy to find a locked door to the ticket hall (it may just have been a little stiff to open, but I really didn't want to have a look around).

Instead I headed down into the cellars of the palace that now provide a home to the Czech national wine institute. And I had a lovely time walking around looking at and sampling the massive selection of wines and exploring a different part of the castle’s architecture. The surrounding landscape is actually the centre of the Czech wine industry, and whilst it is not as well developed as many other wine regions in Europe it does produce some great quality affordable wines. My recommendation would be to try some of the locally produced Veltlínské zelené (aka Grüner Veltliner) or if you are there in the late summer early autumn you could try the young wine Burčák.

After sampling the local produce, I hoped on the hourly bus that travels for 20 minutes to Lednice. The surrounding countryside wasn’t at its best in mid-winter, however I think this would be a lovely place to cycle around in warmer months. The palace at Lednice is an impressive neo-gothic pile, which has recently been restored. The intricate exterior is rather impressive and rewards closer inspection.

Again the interior was closed so I decided to head off into the grounds in search of the famous folly in the shape of a minaret. I enjoyed my walk around the grounds, but again a trip in summer would be much nicer, as there are pleasure boats and other activities going on that would make this an excellent place to while away a lazy sunny afternoon.

The palace at Lednice is the nicer of the two though I would say Valtice was the more pleasant town, and it also houses the lovely wine institute. Access is easy from the unassuming industrial town of Břeclav, which is straightforward to reach as it is on the main train route. I was happy to finally tick of this site, though if you want to get the best out of it I would recommend a visit during warmer weather.

[Site 3: Experience 4]