Bike trip among the vineyards to Dolní Kounice and Ivančice

Hop on your bike in Silůvky

Start the 22-kilometre bike trip in Silůvky. Starting from Brno? We count on it. Take the S41 train from Brno main train station to Silůvky station. And if you're driving, drive to Silůvky and park at the station, get your bikes and go.

Follow the bike sign 5171 Brněnská and leave it after 3 kilometres - Turn sharp left across the track uphill. If you have children with you and they are grumbling, boost morale by (truthfully) assuring them that this is the only hill of the trip. The climb is about a kilometre long. The reward for the calories expended is beautiful bodies and lovely views across the vineyards.

Dolní Kounice, Rosa Coeli and the best Blaufränkisch

You will have a cultural interlude - A tour of the picturesque town of Dolní Kounice. It could easily be called Krokovy Vary - It is so strongly reminiscent of Vančura's Whimsical Summer with its small-town charm and grace. The wine-growing town is also known for its Blaufränkisch from Dolní Kounice. It even has its own festival here - Blaufränkisch from Dolní Kounice Tour (Kounice TIC will tell you about it). Taste the local wines, for example, in the wine cellar U Dvořáků (children can enjoy the pastry shop). Around the corner, you can buy farm goodies at a shop with the inexplicable name of Schůzka 7.13. (Appointment 7.13).

And the sights of Dolní Kounice...  Which do we recommend the most? The famous Rosa Coeli Convent is probably a must. And because it's a mysterious ruin, even kids will enjoy crawling through it (especially the well-preserved staircase). The building has such a charm that people come here from far away. You won't take such romantic photos anywhere else. You can explore the convent on your own or with a guided tour. (Before visiting, check the website for opening hours in the current season so that you won't find a chain on the closed gates!) 

A fort and a castle in one

Rosa Coeli is watched over from above by a fort and a castle in one. If you have enough time, taking a tour is worth it. You'll see such delights as the Green Room, where squires were prepared for knighting, or an exhibition of castle hygiene. There are weekend tours, local food festivals and wine tastings.

And then there's the local synagogue. It's one of the oldest in Moravia. But that's not the most interesting thing about it. This synagogue is not oriented to the cardinal points - as used to be usual - instead, it is in line with the Christian churches of Kounice. After it was returned to the Jewish religious community in Brno, it was carefully restored. 

In Dolní Kounice for delicious Blaufränkisch

After the tour of Dolní Kounice, continue along the river upstream along Skalní street. If you will see the 5171 Brněnská bike route sign again, you are on the right track. Continue to Nové Branice. 

Here we recommend wine and quality lovers a small right turn over the bridge. The Jan Plaček winery in Moravské Bránice makes great wines in a cosy tasting cellar. And just on the other side of the block Mr. Rathouzský has a winery, too.

You didn't overdo it with the tasting and you still have energy left? You can continue on to Ivančice. Go back across the bridge to Nové Branice - Here you will find the continuation of the trip with the finish in Ivančice. If you get tired, continue to the station in Moravské Bránice and take the S41 line back to Brno.

Extension of the trip to Ivančice

You have energy to spare, the summer evenings are long and you don't feel like going home yet? Follow the red tourist trail along the river (also marked as bike path 403). Stay on it until you reach the railway bridge high above you. Ignore the signs for bike path 403, it will lead you onto an unpleasantly busy road. Continue on the red tourist one for about 100 metres and then just past the water. The trail is easily passable. There has been beautiful scenery the whole way, but now it will be especially worth it! 

The holiday atmosphere of Stříbský Mill

You just have to take a break at Stříbský Mill. And preferably a swimming one. Here you will experience the true whimsical summer, here you can still bathe in the river at the raft. The owners of the meadow by the river do everything they can to make you feel like the swimming master Antonín Důra in Vladislav Vančura's Whimsical Summer. In the main season, you can satisfy hunger and thirst at a stylish buffet and grill. And if you're lucky and the owners of the café and gallery in the mill are open on the weekend, you'll experience romance non plus ultra. 

And one quick stop in Ivančice

After the swim, continue on to Ivančice, past the Bird Hotel (the first of Josef Zahradník's sculptures), the town asparagus factory (asparagus has had its own festival in Ivančice for many years: the May Asparagus and Wine Festival) and the Alphons Mucha Lookout Tower on Réna Hill. The turn to the lookout tower is at the bridge that takes you over the river and directs you to the Ivančice square. 

Founded in the 13th century, ancient Ivančice has retained its charm to this day. In the 16th century Ivančice was an important centre of Moravian education. The Bishop of the Unity of the Brethren, Jan Blahoslav, set up a secret printing house here and started the famous translation of the Kralice Bible. The local cultural and information centre will tell you the best tips from Ivančice (and they always have a card game ready).

Famous Ivančice natives

You definitely have to see the historic centre with its Renaissance houses and even the remains of the medieval walls and the landmark - the Church of the Assumption of our Lady with its beautiful Renaissance tower open to public. The Old Town Hall is also Renaissance, but there's probably something else about it that will catch your eye. Or rather, someone with a capital M - Go here to see the memory of its most famous natives, Alphons Mucha and Vladimír Menšík. You might see personal items from their estate. And you'll learn the juicy details of their lives. Imagine, for example, that a famous painter like Alphons Mucha was a naughty little boy... He carved his monogram on a church pew, and it's still in the church today. 

If you want a glass of good local Moravian wine at the end of the trip, Mr. Komarov's winery in the center of town is open in the afternoon.

And how to get back?

After sightseeing, it's time to go home - By train from Ivančice station on line S41.

Culinary tip

In addition to visiting local wineries, we recommend visiting the so-called RAF House in Ivančice. This charming restaurant with a museum of the army general Emil Boček, a wartime RAF pilot, serves typical British specialities in addition to original artefacts to delight the eye.