Roudnice nad Labem Czechia
Czech Rep
Frequently Asked Questions
On the Elbe, at the foot of the Lobkowicz chateau, whose vast Baroque bulk dominates the bank from the moment you arrive. Roudnice is a town of about 14,000 people, some thirty kilometres north of Prague. The centre is walkable.
Yes for the chateau, the main square, the old church and the landscaped riverbanks. Mount Říp, however, needs a vehicle: excursions drive to the base of the hill, from where a shaded path reaches the summit in half an hour of steady walking.
Morning at the Lobkowicz estate: historic rooms, then a tasting of the estate wines in the vaulted cellars. Midday, a classic Czech table in town — roast duck, cabbage and knedliky, or a simple garlic soup. Afternoon, the Mount Říp excursion or a free walk along the Elbe.
One of the largest residences in the country, raised in the 17th century on medieval foundations for the great aristocratic house of Lobkowicz. Ochre facades, a courtyard of honour and vaulted cellars are open through exhibitions on the estate's history.
Yes, in the estate's own cellars. The Lobkowiczes have been winegrowers for generations and the Roudnice vineyard is among the oldest in the country: whites and reds, a rarity at this latitude, said to descend from vines brought in the Middle Ages.
Because legend has the forefather Čech halt here with his people and declare this land would be theirs. Climbing Říp at least once in a lifetime is close to a national duty. The 455-metre hill carries at its summit a Romanesque rotunda dedicated to Saint George, consecrated in the 12th century.
Half an hour of steady walking on a shaded path, with orientation tables and a few benches along the way. A rustic pavilion greets walkers near the top. The reward: a full-circle panorama over grain plains, the extinct volcanoes of the Central Bohemian Uplands and, on a clear day, the heights that announce Prague.
The Czech koruna. Cards work at the chateau, in restaurants and in the shops on the square. Keep a few korunas for the cafés and pastry shops in the side streets.
Czech. English is understood at the chateau and the visitor sites, German fairly often in this northern region. Elsewhere it is a small Bohemian town living at its own pace.
Yes, and many passengers do. The cycle route along the Elbe is one of the busiest in central Europe, flat and well signed. Some take the ship's bicycles and pedal a few kilometres between hop fields and villages before rejoining their cabin further along the route.
