11 things to do in Brno

My friends invited me to come to Brno, which was a great weekend getaway from Zürich. Brno is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, located in the south of the country and it has around 400,000 inhabitants. The compact size of the city makes Brno an ideal weekend destination in central Europe.

What to see in Brno in a weekend?

A common issue when travelling is arriving at the destination a bit later in the day. My train arrived to Prague at 9:30 and I still had to take the train to Brno to arrive there at around 12:30. My friends picked me up and we went to have lunch at the Kafec Brno Orli, where I tried some delicious Benedict waffles. Brno is famous for its coffee scene and there’s plenty of small cafeterias that are great if you’re a coffee lover.

1. Old town

Brno has a nice and pleasant old town to walk around. It has plenty of monumental buildings, sculptures, and pleasant alleys to walk on. I was surprised by the amount of beautiful buildings and street decorations that this city has.

2. The sculptures in Brno

There’s no shortage of interesting and controversial sculptures in Brno. The modern astronomical clock has certainly reminiscence of the Torre Agbar in Barcelona or The Gherkin in London. In any case, no one seems to know how it works and there’s no information panel I could see nearby the clock. It also gives a little ball at some times and obviously the greatest interest of people is to take it home.

Another interesting sculpture is called Courage in the Moravian Square. It’s a knight on a horse, which looks quite inoffensive at first. However, you’ll see a line of people who want to go under and look up. You can guess what you’ll see, but in any case that’s a must see in Brno. I’ll just say that there was a bachelorette party taking photos with the views, just to give you an idea.

The third statue, right in front of the Courage statue, is the “Man/insert slur here/ stealing a washing machine”, which is officially called Justice.

A final strong contender is the Mozart statue, located in the Capucin square. While less controversial than its counterparts it’s kind of weird, with an adult Mozart’s head on a kid’s body and some wings too.

3. Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul

This is the biggest and most famous cathedral in Brno. You can visit the main area of the church for free. The church inside is pretty sober, although there are some decorative paintings on the sides and a colorful glass behind the altar area.

The cathedral has two paid areas. One is the tower, from where you can get nice views of the city and see how the ceiling was built. The other is the crypt. Each costs 60 CZK and the crypt only accepts cash, so be aware if you want to visit (can’t say about the tower because I didn’t check, but likely as well).

4. Vegetable market and Labyrinth under the Vegetable Market

Nearby the cathedral you can visit the Capuchin square, where in the mornings you can see the Vegetable Market. Underneath the square there are many tunnels with cellars and storage spaces for the market.

5. Capuchin Crypt

Brno has quite a few burial places and the Capuchin Crypt is one of the most interesting ones to visit. In this monastery monks and benefactors were buried and got mummified due to the dry conditions of the crypt. You could see multiple bodies and descriptions of the lives of some of the most relevant characters inside. It’s interesting to see how much longer lifespans are today: many of the deceased were between 40 and 60 years old at the time of death, which would be rather young nowadays.

The visit to the crypt costs 120 CZK and an additional 30 CZK for taking photos inside.

6. Špilberk Castle

The castle is located a short walk (about 30 min) away from the old town. While the castle is probably not the most spectacular architectonically, it is home to multiple exhibitions, which are interesting to see. We visited the casemates, which served as prisons in the 17th century, and then again during WWI and WWII, although at times they were also used as shelters.

7. Ossuary under the Church of St. James

The ossuary was first started as a burial way in the 17th century. The bodies would be decomposed for 10-12 years and then the bones would be deposited in the ossuary. After years of use, the ossuary became forgotten and was rediscovered in 2001. It was then opened again to the public in 2012 after some of the bones were disinfected and placed for exhibition, while others were given burial.

The ossuary is quite small, it has three main chambers connected by tunnels. Two of the chambers are small, with one featuring the ordered skull collection, the other had a sculpture surrounded by two walls of large bones, and the third, the largest, had multiple walls with ordered bones and skulls. It also has, behind a glass wall, a representation of how the bones were placed originally.

The place has been beautifully remodelled, although I got the weird feeling that it looked a bit like an art exhibition made with human remains. However, they were initially just piled up in the chamber, so probably it’s not much different from that.

While it’s not always necessary, I’d recommend to book in advance, as the first day I came the tickets were sold-out.

8. Kamenka Neighborhood

Kamenka is the hipster neighborhood of Brno. Once a run down place, it is currently home of artists and bohemians, therefore highly increasing in prices. While Kamenka doesn’t really have any single point of interest, it is nonetheless an interesting place to visit to see artsy houses and funky decorations. You can also take a short hike to see some views of the city (although the views are mostly hindered by the multiple trees and vegetation, you can still have a good impression of them).

9. Visit the many parks in Brno

Brno is a very green town, with plenty of areas to relax after grabbing a beer. Lužánky Park is a pleasant place for a walk. In the evenings, the Café Ponava offers free concerts by local bands. The Špilberk Park is the park next to the castle, and offers beautiful views of Brno.

10. Mendel Museum

Ever wondered where Mendel did his revolutionary work in genetics? Well, here you have it – Brno. Mendel was a priest who liked spending his free time investigating how the world works, uncovering some initial rules about genetics by investigating peas. A museum dedicated to him and to science in general is located nearby the Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul.

11. Villa Tugendhat

Architectonic and technical wonder located around 20 min away from the old town by tram. While nowadays it looks like a normal modern building, the Villa Tugendhat, designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, forms part of the UNESCO World Heritage List since 2001 due to its pioneering modern architecture, being built initially between 1928 and 1930. Book well in advance if you want to get in.

Where to eat in Brno

Kafec Brno Orli

This restaurant had a cozy terrace and offered several tasty options for breakfast.

Coffee Trail

This was breakfast but it doubled as lunch and almost as dinner too. It was delicious and huge. Totally recommend.

Manya Izakaya

I know what you’re thinking – why are you recommending Japanese food when you’re traveling to a different country? To be honest, while I’m not a vegetarian, I do find Eastern European cuisine very meat-focused, so I cannot do all meals in traditional restaurants. For people like me, this is an excellent alternative option, and nice Japanese restaurant. The aubergine with miso paste was excellent.

How to reach Brno

Brno has a small airport, although the flights to and from there don’t necessarily go to the biggest capitals of Europe. It might be interesting as a get-away for unexpected destinations.

The easiest way to reach Brno is by train from Prague main station. From there, there are frequent trains that take around 2:30 h to reach this city. It is possible to reserve a seat, which might not be a bad idea during rush hours. If you’re without an assigned seat, you can sit in any free space, but be aware that someone with a reservation may come in and you’ll need to move. Brno can also be reached by train from other European capitals, such as Vienna or Bratislava, making it a perfect stop if you’re on a train-based trip.

If like me, you’re coming from Zürich, you obviously can take a flight to Prague. However, the other interesting option is to take the night train – which is direct from Zürich to Prague. It’s not a short trip, as it takes between 13 and 14 h to reach the destination, but it’s also quite convenient, as you’re left in the center of both cities. The prices can also be cheaper than those you get with flights, especially if you book in advance. Since it’s such a long trip, I recommend the couchette or sleeper cars, where at least you can lay down. I booked the couchette, and while I cannot say it’s very comfortable, it’s clearly better than sitting 13 h.

Practical tips

Currency

The Czech Republic doesn’t use euros, but the česká koruna (CZK). Cards are accepted in many places, but some touristic attractions seemed to be cash only, so be aware of that.

In trips where money exchange is required, I like using wise.com, which provides a fair and rapid exchange of your money to the local currency, thus avoiding random conversion fees with your purchases.

Language

While Czech is the official language, most people spoke English and most places had an English translation for the menus or activities.

How touristy is Brno?

Brno is a much less touristic destination than Prague, which makes it an interesting place to visit. There’s also plenty of activities, and it can be a good base if you’re doing a train-based trip to other cities in Europe.