The best attractions in South Moravia

South Moravia, or Jižní Moravy, is an area located in the south of the Czech Republic on the border with Austria. The places we will describe below are great places to stop on your way south or for a long weekend or even longer vacation.

There are many attractions on the list, but only two campsites. The first one, Vranovská pláž Holiday Park, is a campsite with lots of attractions and amenities. There are various forms of accommodation here. The second Merlin's Camp is a place with only holiday cottages. There are no pitches or facilities for campers here, but we write about this in another article: Interesting campsites in Moravia , where you will also find an interactive map of campsites.

Czech Adrtiatic

Campsite: Vranovská pláž Holiday Park

The Czechs have well-developed tourism in all their water reservoirs. One of the most popular reservoirs both in Moravia and perhaps even in the entire Czech Republic is undoubtedly the Vranov reservoir above Dyji, called the Czech Adriatic. It is called so because of the long sandy descent into the water, the cleanliness and warmth of the water.

There is no water in the reservoir, so you can only sail, SUP and electric motorboats. On the shore of this reservoir there are many small, interesting houses that can be admired from the water or from the shore, as well as several castles. Cruise ships sail on the reservoir, which can take you (like taxis) to various corners of the reservoir and the Dyja River.

There are plenty of bicycle paths around the reservoir, but we write about them a little below.

There is a rope park at the campsite, and animations take place during the season. There is also a slide and a small swimming pool.

Castles in the Dyja river valley

Campsite: Vranovská pláž Holiday Park

Vranov nad Dyji Castle and Bitov Castle - both castles can be visited and are beautifully restored. Interestingly, from the Vranovská pláž campsite you can reach these places without moving your camper! In high season, an electric train runs to Vranov nad Dyji Castle and a ship runs to Bitov Castle.

Vranov nad Dyji Castle can only be visited with a guide and only at certain times. Guided entries take place every several minutes. The guide only speaks Czech, but you get a printed description in English. If you don't want to enter the castle, it's still worth coming here, just for the amazing view from the castle terrace. You can also get there by bike from the Vranovská pláž campsite. The route is approximately 3 km long and has two elevation gains.

The next castle is Bitov Castle. If you sleep at the Vranovská pláž campsite and want to reach the castle without moving the camper, a ship arrives there and the cruise starts right next to the campsite and takes place only in the high season.

The interior of this castle can also be visited only with a guide, but the gardens and small zoo can be visited on your own.

Bicycle tours in South Moravia

Campsite: Vranovská pláž Holiday Park

There are many interesting bicycle paths with elevation gain in the area of the Vranov reservoir. One of the most interesting is the "Pivovarská 12" route, which ends and starts at the Hasič brewery in Bitov. Some places offer free charging connections for electric bikes.

On bikes from Vranovská pláž you can go to the town of Lesná to the motorcycle museum .

At Znojmo you can go on a short 3.5 km trip along the river. This route is called the Znovín scooter loop.

An amusement park and the world's largest interactive pinball museum

Campsite with cottages: Merlin's Camp

On the Czech-Austrian border there is a unique place that was created in a former duty-free zone. One duty-free shop has developed into a small town called Excalibur City, where there is a campsite, a hotel, several shops, restaurants and what I mainly want to write about: an amusement park for children and a technology museum.

Merlin's Kinder Welt is an amusement park consisting of three parts. You can enter its area free of charge and you only pay for using the attractions. Most attractions are available for children over 120 cm tall and most attractions will appeal to older children. Teenagers are probably more likely to choose a ride on the go-kart track and the technology museum.

The technology museum may sound too serious... because it is the world's largest interactive collection of pinball machines and jukeboxes. Most of them work and are playable! The entire museum is divided into "time zones" and at the end, in the '90s, you can also play old computer games on slot machines or old computers. You can book a guided tour here (which we highly recommend) or even organize a birthday party.

Znojmo – campsite on the border with Austria

Campsite with cottages: Merlin's Camp

About 10 km from Merlin's Camp there is Znojmo. It is a very interesting town with a long history. On hot days, we especially recommend taking a trip to the underground. There are as many as 27 kilometers of tunnels under the city and they are divided into routes of varying degrees of difficulty. The most popular is the tourist route, which does not require any additional clothing or skills. Children can also walk along it. You just have to remember to take some outerwear, because it's 12 degrees Celsius underground. In addition to the gentle tourist route, there are also three routes called Adrenaline Tours, which require special clothing and headlamps, which you receive at the entrance. In Adrenaline Tours, the tunnel passages are narrower and lower.

In Znojmo, it is worth going to the town hall tower and taking a walk down to the Dyja river, passing through the streets of the old town. The previously mentioned "scooter route" runs along the river.

Vineyards in Moravia

Remember that there are plenty of vineyards in the Znojmo area. If you don't have time to visit them, it's always worth buying a few bottles in one of the many wine shops that can also be found in the old town square.

Map of attractions in Moravia