MORAVSKY KRUMLOV - Prague and the Czech Republic - page 259

ORIENTATION
The “Lednice-Valtice Area” (Lednicko-Valtický Areál) is made up
of two small towns, about four miles apart: Lednice (LEHD-neet-
seh, pop. 2,400) and Valtice (VAHLT-eet-seh, pop. 3,600).
Tourist Information
Lednice's TI, by the main parking lot in front of the entrance to
the Lednice Castle, has free Internet access and sells an inexpen-
sive info brochure and maps of the garden complex (June-Aug
daily 8:00-17:00, shorter hours April-May and Sept-Oct, closed
Nov-March; tel. [phone], www.lednice.cz). For information
on Valtice, see www.radnice-valtice.cz.
SIGHTS
In Lednice
Lednice Castle (Zámek Lednice) —his castle is the Moravian
answer to England's Windsor Castle, an immense structure built
in the English Neo-Gothic style. Today, the castle houses the uni-
versity for winemakers; anyone is welcome to sign up for a short
summer course.
To tour the palace, choose between two routes: Route A (80
Kč) goes through the halls, and Route B (100 Kč) through the
apartments (May-Aug Tue-Sun 9:00-12:00 & 13:00-17:15, closed
Mon; Sept Tue-Sun 9:00-12:00 & 13:00-16:15, closed Mon; April
and Oct Sat-Sun only 9:00-12:00 & 13:00-15:15, closed Mon-Fri;
closed Nov-March; tel. [phone], www.zamek-lednice.info).
Castle Parks —From Lednice Castle, parks extend both north
and south. The 19th-century nobles loved everything Romantic,
peppering these woods with a quirky architectural hodgepodge:
a Neo-Roman aqueduct, a Neo-Gothic castle ruin, a Neo-Greek
temple, a victory column, a rendezvous pavilion, and so on.
Navigate between these perfect dating spots with the help of the
map from the TI (see “Tourist Information,” above).
Cost: Depending on how many of the recommended park
attractions you visit, plan on spending about 190-230 Kč per
person.
Getting There: To reach the minaret from Lednice Castle,
you can walk (1 mile), hire a horse carriage (60 Kč/person, 30 min),
or take a boat. Boats and carriages depart from the little dam just
behind the castle; prices depend on the number of riders. Although
most horse-carriage rides throughout Europe are tourist traps,
here it feels appropriate to ride through the alleys like the nobles
once did—even the school groups do it. A good plan is to ride to
the minaret and walk back.