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.

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.

Louka Monastery and Znovín tastings

Znojmo-Louka — on the southern edge of town

A vast Baroque Premonstratensian complex on the southern edge of Znojmo, today the home of the Znovín winery. Guided tastings take place under the vaults of the historic cellars, and in summer the monastery hosts the Znojmo Music Festival. Stone, cool air and wine in a combination that is hard to find elsewhere.

Znojmo Music Festival concerts take place at the monastery in July; tasting dates are listed in Znovín's events calendar.

Čížov and the Iron Curtain

≈ 18 km — by car, bike or bus

At Čížov an original stretch of barbed-wire barrier and a watchtower have been left standing — a few hundred metres of the Iron Curtain exactly as they were. It is an unassuming place, and all the stronger for it. The national park's visitor centre is right beside it, and the long-distance cycle route along the old frontier passes through.

Hardegg

≈ 22 km — ≈ 35 min by car

Austria's smallest town — a few dozen houses beneath a castle set on a rock above a bend of the Thaya, right on the border. From the castle walkways you look into both national parks at once. A footbridge crosses back to the Czech side, so you can arrive on foot and leave by bike.

The castle is usually open roughly from April to November; the town itself and the footbridge are accessible year-round.

Vranov nad Dyjí Chateau

≈ 20 km — ≈ 30 min by car

A Baroque chateau perched on a rock above the river — the image on every second postcard from the Dyje valley, and still it works every time. Guided routes lead through the state interiors, and the Vranov reservoir begins directly below the cliff. Best combined into a single day.

Chateau tours normally run from April to October.

Bítov Castle

≈ 30 km — ≈ 40 min by car

One of the oldest castles in Moravia stands on a spur the reservoir wraps around on three sides. Romantically remodelled interiors, long curtain walls, and below them a bay where boats moor in summer. Only a short way upstream from Vranov.

The castle is usually open roughly from April to October.

Cornštejn ruin

≈ 28 km — ≈ 40 min by car

A sprawling ruin on a rocky ridge a short way from Bítov — walls, gates and towers you are free to wander through. Precisely because nothing has been polished back into shape, Cornštejn feels more convincing than many a restored castle. The view from the highest point is among the best in the Dyje valley.

The ruin is usually open to visitors in the summer season.

Jevišovice

≈ 15 km — ≈ 20 min by car

The Old Chateau above the town and just below it the oldest dam in Moravia, completed in 1897 — a masonry wall that looks more like a fortification than a piece of waterworks. A quiet destination for an afternoon when you would rather not go far.

Moravský Krumlov — the Slav Epic

≈ 30 km — ≈ 40 min by car

Alphonse Mucha's Slav Epic — the cycle of monumental canvases he worked on for close to twenty years — is on display at the Krumlov chateau, and by agreement it stays there until 2031. Allow a whole afternoon; anything less is not enough for work on this scale.