Mikulov

A beautiful little town in the heart of the South Moravian wine country, under a hilltop château and the white limestone hills of the Pálava. Its old Jewish quarter, with a synagogue and an atmospheric cemetery, recalls a once-large Jewish community. Climb the Holy Hill (Svatý kopeček), with its pilgrimage chapel, for views over the town, the vineyards and the lakes.

Mikulov is a great base for wine tasting in the village cellars and for cycling the many wine trails. It's about 50 km from Brno and close to the Austrian border, so you can easily take a day trip to Vienna (about 1.5 hours).