Taste of Prague writing a piece about Brno? Yes, people from Prague tend to make fun of Brno, the second biggest city in the country and the Moravian capital, but it’s a friendly rivalry that should never cross the level of friendly trash-talk among peers. The fact is that Brno is absolutely fantastic and worth your attention if you are visiting the Czech Republic. Here’s some basic information about Brno and what’s so great about it.
Getting to Brno
The first obvious choice is the train: Brno is on the Prague-Vienna route with a fast train coming through every two hours, which is great news to anyone travelling from Prague to Vienna or vice versa - you can skip two or three trains and easily enjoy Brno for a day. (But you want to stay for two days.)
Then there’s the bus - just get to the Florenc terminal and there surely will be plenty of options going in the next hour or so. The classic choices would be RegioJet and Flixbus.
Finally, you can drive to Brno yourselves. The infamous D1 highway should be fully remodelled by the end of 2021, so you’re again looking at getting to Brno in less than two hours. Yay! Park your car in the Domini car park if staying overnight, or the Špalíček mall’s parking if staying just for a day.
Where to sleep in Brno
There are a few good options in the city centre, but we always stay in either of these three places:
Barceló Brno Palace: a comfortable, nearly luxurious hotel in a stunning building. The best mattress in town (and a pillow menu), which is why we use this hotel for our Moravian wine tours. Good breakfast too, and great services.
Masarykova 30: a serviced apartment hotel run by Svoboda & Williams, an upscale realtor. Well appointed with full kitchens and washer/driers, and always a separate bedroom, which is great if you travel with a baby. Great option for bigger families or groups of friends.
U Tomana: smack in the city centre and with a craft beer pub on the ground floor. Very nicely appointed and comfortable, too.
Hotel Anybody: we’ve never stayed but we like the concept: every room is different and provides a unique experience. The hotel rests above Platz, a popular courtyard with great options to eat and socialise.
What to see in Brno
Villa Tugendhat
This 1930 residential villa designed by Mies van der Rohe is one of the most famous villas in the world and a reflection of the entire history of Czechoslovakia, and a stunning piece of modernist architecture. If you’re into modern architecture, or beautiful things in general, this is worth a trip to Brno alone. The tours are booked for weeks, if not months, ahead, but you can visit the garden and peek inside without prior reservation.
Špilberk castle
Dating back to the 1200s, the Špilberk castle and the park around it are a welcome refuge literally just steps off the historical city centre. You can set aside an hour to visit (without a tour of the castle) or more for a relaxing time with great views of the city.
Historical centre
The whole centre of the Brno is compact but has a beautiful vibe and too many sights to mention. What we like is that every day can feel like a Sunday thanks to the pedestrian-forward architecture and most of the traffic steered outside. This means that on a hot summer night, the party just happens outside, with crowds flowing from one venue to another and meeting in the middle, so the streets can really be packed on a Saturday evening.
The sights? There’s too many to mention, but the St Peter and Paul Cathedral can be seen from miles and it’s stunning inside. The Capuchin Crypt contains mummified remains of Capuchin friars, the Old Town Hall features the famous „Brno dragon“ suspended in its arcade, and offers a great view of the city from the tower. The Loreto of the Order of Friars Minor is also a beautiful baroque building worth a visit. And we even haven’t mentioned the catacombs underneath the city. There’s simply loads to do in the city centre.
Where to eat and drink in Brno
Brno isn’t short on great coffee. Our faves? @monogramespressobar, @industracoffee, @kafefriedrich and, of course, Take 5 with the best Vendy (and her great baking and other stuff).
For dinner, go to @atelier_bistro, @elementbrno or the relatively new @manyabrno - our meal was delicious!
We loved the courtyard at @zelny_trh - it’s calle Platz and in addition to feeding your body at @mikrofarma, @buchta_c_entrum, @domovinabrno you can feed your soul in the most beautiful book store @booktherapycz. 👍
🌳 Take a walk to Špilberk: it hosts a few pop-ups like @tyjatr_spilberk over the summer.
We always like the atmosphere at @bar_ktery_neexistuje. 🥂For wine, go to @naturalwineshopcz or @justwine.cz
Fancy a pint? Visit @vycep_na_stojaka. 🍻
🍦Our faves also innclude @jeste_jednu for Ince-cream and @sorrypecemejinak for cakes.