Melnik Castle and Wine Tasting Day Trip from Prague

Mělník, a historic city 35 km north of Prague and easy to reach, makes it ideal for a day trip. It is a wine producing city and the centuries-old vineyards are located just below Mělník Castle. It is a typical Czech town with a central square surrounded by historic buildings,: a castle, a church, underground passages and many charming restaurants.
The castle and the nearby tower of the Peter and Paul Church determine the skyline and are true eye-catchers. Mělník Castle is located on a hill overlooking the confluence of the Danube and Elbe Rivers.

What to see and do in Melník

1. Mělník Castle
2. Church of Peter and Paul
3. Ossuary
4. Náměstí Miru
5. Wine tasting
6. Underground well and tunnels
7. Prague Gate
8. Confluence of the Vltava and Elbe Rivers

1. Mělník Castle (zamek).
The Czechs call their castles ‘hrad’, which means ‘fortress’, or ‘zamek’, which means a fortified residence, chateau or palace. Mělník Castle is a zamek.

Join the guided tour for a visit of Chateau Mělník. The halls are furnished with period furniture and decorated with valuable works of art. The exterior is also impressive with Renaissance arcades and sgraffito. Watch out for the sundial on the facade.
The castle’s history is closely linked to the prominent Lobkowicz family, who currently own the castle.

2. Church of Peter and Paul
The striking tower of the church, next to Mělník Castle, can be seen from miles away on a clear day. The climb to the top takes you to a viewpoint from which you have a panoramic view over the rooftops of the city and the Řip Hills beyond.

3. Ossuary
Mělník ossuary is one of many in the Czech Republic. It is located under the choir of the church. After a plague epidemy, the graveyard had no more burial places. The bones of the deceased were transferred to the ossuary to make place for new graves. The ossuary in Mělník contains the bones of approximately 15,000 souls.

4. Náměstí Miru
Námĕstí Miru (Peace Square) is the heart of Mělník, a wide oval square surrounded by striking medieval and Renaissance architecture, including the salmon-red and yellow Town Hall.

Next to the main entrance, two metal bars are embedded in the wall. These are old length measurements. When someone had bought a piece of fabric, they could check here whether the seller was an honest person and not a cheat.

In the middle of the square is a fountain and a circle located directly above the underground well. This was the town’s drinking water reservoir in the Middle Ages. The cellars of the houses on the square are connected to an underground tunnel network.

5. Wine Tasting
Wine tasting is in the castle’s wine cellars. In the first cellar there is a press and fermentation tanks. The second cellar is used to store the wine. The third cellar is also for storing wine. Here is also the filling machine and it is also the place where corks are placed on the bottles.

The wine barrels are impressive, one contains about 130,000 liters of wine, and each barrel is named after a saint.

Wines offered during tasting sessions include Ludmila wine, Chateau Melnik sparkling wine, Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Traminer and Lobkowicz’s St. Laurent.

6. Underground Well and Tunnels
The well is under Mělník’s main square. It has diameter of 4 meters, is 54 meters deep and used to be the city’s only drinking water supply. The tourist office provides guided tours several times a day.

It was dug in the 13th century and the water was brought up with buckets. It is part of an underground tunnel system. Documentation is lacking and it is therefore difficult to determine exactly when it was constructed. here are three levels only the first is visited during the tour.

Over the years, the tunnels served multiple purposes; storage of goods and contraband, as an air raid shelter and as a wine cellar.

7. Prague Gate
The Prague Gate is a remnant of the original medieval fortifications and now home to an art gallery. The panoramic view from the tower is breathtaking.

8. Confluence of the Vltava and Elbe Rivers
Mělník is located at the confluence of the two major Czech rivers, the Vltava and the Elbe.

The Vltava starts in South Bohemia and joins the Elbe at Mělník. From the terrace of the castle you can see the confluence and beyond it the Bohemian hills.

The Elbe (Labe in Czech) originates in the Giant Mountains in the north of the Czech Republic at Mělník it meets the Vlatva River, flows through Dresden and continues on to Hamburg and ends in the North Sea near Bremerhaven.
The Vltava River originates in Černá Hora in Šumava as as the Teplá Vltava and empties into the Elbe at Mělník. Moldau is the German name for the Vltava River

Getting there

Mělník is located 35 km north of Prague. You can reach it by bus or train. The bus is by far the most convenient way.

Bus 369 leaves every half hour from the bus station at Prague Ládvi metro station, on the Red Line C in the north of the city. Journey time is 40 to 45 minutes.

It is best to get off at the Mělník Fibichova stop, which is located at the top of the hill, and a few minutes’ walk from the historic city centre. Mělník bus station is at the bottom of the hill.

Shops in Mělník are closed on Saturdays and Sundays.

Related articles
Ossuary in Mělník
The underground well in Mělník

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photos Fred van Gansenwinkel and Marianne Crone