Mělník stands on a spur above the meeting of two rivers, and the meeting is the thing. The Vltava, which has run north from the Šumava through Prague, joins the Labe, the Elbe, here, and from the terrace of the castle you can watch the dark Vltava slide into the paler Elbe and the two flow away together towards Germany and the North Sea. It is a very Czech view: flat fields, a long bridge, a few white churches, and orchards on the slopes.
The castle belongs to the Lobkowicz family, who have owned it, on and off, for several centuries, and it is open to visitors, with a wine cellar and a collection of paintings and furniture. The wine matters here, because Mělník is the centre of the Bohemian vineyards, a small region of south-facing slopes where vines have been grown for a thousand years. Tradition credits Saint Ludmila, grandmother of Saint Wenceslas, with planting the first vines, and Emperor Charles IV is said to have introduced Burgundy grapes in the fourteenth century. The wines are mostly dry whites and light reds, and a dry white goes well with fish.
In the old town, the Church of Saints Peter and Paul has an ossuary in its crypt, where the bones of some fifteen thousand people, dug up to make room for new burials, are arranged in neat patterns on the walls. It is macabre, quiet and oddly beautiful, and opening hours vary. Around it, the main square holds cafes, a town hall and a well, and the lanes lead down to the river through gateways in the old walls.
The ride here is a gentle one: low hills, vineyard lanes, small villages and long views over the river plain, with light traffic and decent roads. The most scenic route follows the river bank and passes under the castle, and you can stop at the bridge to watch the barges. Mělník has about nineteen thousand people, so fuel, shops and places to eat are all on hand. Try a glass of local wine with a plate of cold meats and cheese in a vaulted cellar. Early autumn, during the grape harvest and the wine festival, is the best time to be here.