Moravia

9 – 14 October 2026

Once part of a great medieval kingdom and now an important region of the Czech Republic with the city of Brno – our base for exploring the great country houses and landscapes which border Austria and Slovakia – at its heart.

From Vienna it is a short drive into the Czech Republic to one of the greatest landscape gardens in Europe, bracketed by two great houses created by the Liechtensteins:  Lednice and Valtice. Many of the large-scale follies were developed in the early part of the 19th century and there is an outstanding winter garden designed by the Englishman Desvignes.

Brno has much to offer, as a walking tour will reveal. Known for its industrial wealth and innovation exemplified by Mies van der Rohe’s Villa Tugendhat, surely one of the most exciting modernist houses of the early 20th century. Interesting, diverse architecture and interiors are the name of the game in Moravia, as visits to the charming houses of Bucovice, Rajec na Svitavou, Milotice and Buchlovice reveal. Meanwhile we will have private visits at Boskovice and Zdislavice, which have been returned to their original owners.

Olomouc, with a fascinating mix of architecture from the Romanesque to Art Nouveau is the seat of the Archbishop of Moravia, and has a famed tapestry restoration workshop. While Kromeriz was the summer seat; the Palace contains a fine library and picture collection, with works from Charles II, as well as an outstanding Sala Terrena and 17th century Italianate gardens.

Many of these houses, like the Baroque complex of Jaromerice, steeped in art patronage and music, existed for prestige and entertainment. The final visits are to Uhercice, which has seen a dedicated programme of restoration in recent years, and Vranov – high on an escarpment – designed by the great Fischer von Erlach with links to Emperor Charles VI.

£2,600 pp, £350 pp single supplement

Harriet Landseer

Harriet lives between Ireland and Prague (with occasional stints in Andalucia) and has worked for Specialtours since 1996, with a focus Central Europe as her main area of expertise. Fluent in Czech, she is also at ease in German, French and Spanish. She studied History of Art at Yale University and has worked with Lucy for almost 30 years, also at Reality & Beyond Ltd.