Activities in Znojmo and surroundings

The town of Znojmo

A few steps from the palace

Eight centuries of history on a rocky spur above the Dyje — Gothic arcades, Baroque façades and lanes that open without warning onto the canyon. Step out of the palace and you are already in the middle of it, on Horní náměstí. In 2026 the town marks its eight-hundredth anniversary.

The Znojmo Catacombs

In the old town — a few minutes on foot

Some twenty-seven kilometres of passages run beneath the town, dug out by burghers over centuries — cellars, escape routes, ingenious traps. It stays around ten degrees down there, which makes it as good a refuge in the rain as in high summer. Adrenaline routes can be booked for anyone wanting more than the standard tour.

The Town Hall Tower

Obroková street — ≈ 5 minutes on foot

Eighty metres of late Gothic raised between 1445 and 1448, now fully restored. The gallery at the top gives you the whole of Znojmo — roofs, town walls and beyond them the green cut of the Dyje. You can see the tower from the palace over the rooftops, which makes the climb rather compulsory.

Pudelek (Marcin Szala), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Rotunda of St. Catherine

The castle spur — ≈ 10 minutes on foot

A small Romanesque rotunda on the castle spur holding Přemyslid frescoes from 1134 — one of the most precious painting cycles of its age in Central Europe. To protect them, entry is strictly regulated: small groups, short time slots only. Plan this one ahead rather than on a whim.

Entry is governed by the climate conditions inside the rotunda — usually open roughly May–September and only in limited time slots. Book ahead.

Znojmo Castle

The castle spur — ≈ 10 minutes on foot

What remains of the Přemyslid castle on the spur above the river is now in the care of the Znojmo museum. The displays tell the story of castle and town, but the site itself earns the visit — the canyon opens below the windows and the town brewery stands right next door.

The town brewery and brewing exhibition

By the castle — ≈ 10 minutes on foot

Znojmo is not only about wine. The brewing exhibition by the castle recalls a long municipal brewing tradition, and next door they pour what is being brewed here today. A fair counterweight to an afternoon in a wine cellar.

The Znojmo Wine Enotheque

In the old town — a few minutes on foot

The whole Znojmo sub-region in one room — a self-service tasting where you pour your own samples from dozens of local growers. The ideal first evening: find out what you like, then go looking for that particular cellar.

Hradiště — St. Hippolytus

≈ 2 km — a walk of under half an hour

The best view of Znojmo is not from Znojmo but from the spur opposite. Under two kilometres on foot and the town lies open in front of you — walls, towers and the rock it stands on. Late afternoon is best, when the last light hits the façades.

The Znojmo viewpoints

Kraví hora on foot from the centre — Sealsfield's Stone along trail C1

A handful of rock terraces are scattered above the canyon — Kraví hora just above the town, Sealsfield's Stone further into Podyjí on marked trail C1. The reward is always the same: the river far below, forest on both sides, not a fence in sight. They string together nicely into one afternoon.

The Blue Cellars of Nový Šaldorf

≈ 3 km — on foot, by bike or by car

A whole lane of cellar façades cut into the sandstone slope and painted the traditional Šaldorf blue — one of the most photogenic spots in the Znojmo area. Three kilometres from the palace, so you can walk there and (rather more carefully) back.