I%26#39;m planning a trip from Krakow, Poland to Vienna, Austria by car, and it appears it%26#39;s a 6 hour drive. Since I have young kids, I don%26#39;t want to spend that long in a car. So, I%26#39;m looking for a nice place to stay for one night, somewhere half-way between the two places. I have never been to Moravia, and I%26#39;ve only read briefly on towns such as Olomuoc, Kromeriz, Moravsky Krumlov, and Brno. I%26#39;m just looking for a place with an afternoon%26#39;s worth of sites to visit, a nice hotel with a good restaurant. Any recommended cities/towns/places that meet my expectations? Thanks!
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First thing I would be surprised it it took 6 hours - I would give it more than that. You will want to get as far as you can, but I know what it is like with kids :)
Of your list, Olomouc and Kroměříž are pretty much half way and you should look for somewhere around there - the centre of Olomouc is, as with a lot of cities and towns, pedestrianised, so parking can be tricky. I%26#39;m afraid I can%26#39;t help you with accommodation as I haven%26#39;t stayed in a hotel in Olomouc for several years, and it was a pretty ropey one.
You could also go to Rožnov pod Radhoštěm http://www.roznov.cz/the-town-of-roznov-p-r where there is a skansen http://www.vmp.cz/deutsch/default.htm which is always popular with the kids, but it is possibly not far enough = but you can see how it goes.
Brno is a great place where you could spend a few days exploring the city and its surroundings, but no good if you are just there for a day and have a car - it is very car-unfriendly, even once the major road works are completed, and parking is virtually non-existent in the centre. It would be too far to drive anyway.
On your second leg be sure to stop off in Mikulov http://www.mikulov.cz/tourism/ just to the south of Brno on the Austrian border and have lunch at the Hotel Tanzberg …ubytovani-hotel.eu/Unterkunft-Mikulov.htm - your kids will love the castle. Unfortunately that one is just too far - it would be perfect in all other circumstances.
What you could possibly do is break up the day - go to the skansen in Rožnov first, let the kids have a run about, then continue to Mikulov later and stay the night.
It is only a short journey the next day then to Vienna.
Or just play it by ear - everything depends on the traffic, but once you get out of Krakow it should be plain sailing. You will need a motorway vignette (dálniční známka) which you can get at the petrol stations at the border, or even in Poland - almost the entire route from the Polish border to the Austrian border is subject to this and the on-the-spot fines are severe if they catch you without one.
Moravsky Krumlov itself is nothing to write home about and is possibly a bit off your route - what it does have, however, is one of the wonders of the world in the form of Alfons Mucha%26#39;s epic series of paintings charting the history of the Slav people - the Slovanská epopej - which is housed within the crumbling chateau. I don%26#39;t know whether young children would find that much fun, though.
Here%26#39;s something more about South Moravia http://www.jizni-morava.cz/en/
and central Moravia http://www.ok-tourism.cz/strednimorava/
Hope this has been of help!
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Thanks for the detailed answer GCEK. I looked at your links, did a little more research on hotels in the area. No disrespect to Moravia, but I%26#39;m leaning towards a long driving day with a good break in the middle for a late lunch. Having state that - any recommended places to eat between Olomuoc and Brno?
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To be honest, unless you are REALLY fussy, you can%26#39;t really go wrong with eating in restaurants in the Czech Republic, unless in Prague. I have yet to have something that I have found really objectionable since about 1992 - nowadays you are pretty much guaranteed a good hearty meal with salad, etc, and on that route it should cost about 100 Crowns per person (about €4)
Actually, I know just the place - http://www.bolek.cz/farma/restaurace.php3 it belongs to Bolek Polívka, one of Moravia%26#39;s favourite funnymen, and is easy to park and good for the kids as there is a farm attached with horses.
It is in a little village called Olšany - you go past Olomouc, Prostějov and Vyškov and turn off at the Rousínov exit. Follow the signs to Habrovany, and then keep going up to Olšany a couple of km up the hill - there should be signs to the %26#39;Farma%26#39; as it is a famous place, but you can%26#39;t really miss it as it is by the side of the road before you get to the village.
Have fun, and DO stop off at Mikulov as well - you won%26#39;t regret it!
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This looks like the perfect place for lunch. Thanks GCEK! I%26#39;m going to have to play Mikulov by ear. I haven%26#39;t decided on when/where in Vienna we will stay. I%26#39;m planning two nights in Vienna, and then one night near Melk on the way back to Germany. Are you saying a night in Mikulov is worth cutting back on my already short Vienna time?
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You will have no choice but to go through (or past) Mikulov as that is where the border crossing is - I am sure that your curiosity will get the most of you as it is quite prominent. Just stop off for an hour or so and stretch your legs - go into the main square and maybe walk up to the castle and get a bit of the atmosphere.
I have being going there for many years and still never tire of it, despite the fact that it is very small. There is no real need to stay the night as you will have only an hour to go to Vienna, but saying that if you are there in September it is wine season and it would be a shame to pass it by without going to one of the several wine cellars or trying some burčák (sturm) ... :) (it is one of the centres of the wine industry)
Maybe one day you will come back and explore some more - the journey from Brno to the Austrian border is beautiful and has been partially designated a UNESCO biosphere zone - the surrounding villages are worth visiting as well, especially at this time of the year, as many have retained their traditions and costumes - the wine harvest is a good excuse to show them off!
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