A plan for Brno

The city was founded about 1000 years ago, it received city status in the year 1243, and for centuries it served as the capital city of Moravia, until 1948 when communist government abolished Moravia's autonomy. The city flourished mainly during the 19th century. Today's Brno is a mixture of many different architectural styles, there are many beautiful places. But it remains home to significant cultural offerings, and countless beautiful buildings, the city has the third largest historic preservation zone in the country (the biggest one is in Prague, the second in Olomouc). There are three castles, Špilberk (former royal castle, and former seat of rulers of Moravia, fortress and prison), Veveří Castle (near the Brno reservoir), and Líšeň Castle.

Brno is not particularly well known by tourists so you can easily avoid crowds and overpriced services.

Brno is the cultural hub of Moravia, it's the home to several notable Moravian institutions, e.g. Moravian Gallery, Moravian Museum, National Theatre Brno, and Brno City Theatre. It's a city with a long tradition of motor racing (on the Masaryk Circuit), huge exhibitions and trade fairs (in the Central European Exhibition Center), and a vibrant university city. There are about 89,000 university students in Brno, a city with 400,000 inhabitants, which makes it the country's largest student city by percentage of population. Since 1998, there has also been an international firework competition held annually at the end of May and beginning of June – Ignis Brunensis, it attracts about 100,000–200,000 visitors every day it's being held.

The city centre is full of historical buildings, old churches, theatres, fountains, sculptures, clubs, restaurants, etc. It is very compact, so one can just walk around most of the places of interest.

Architecture

1 Old Town Hall, Radnická 8 (between Náměstí Svobody and main station). See beloved Brno symbols the Brno Dragon (Brněnský drak) and the Wheel. Also notice the lopsided tower above the entrance. Legend has it that the city council stiffed the mason who built it and he made the crooked ornament in a fit of pique. The town hall's tower is accessible, but cathedral towers offer much better views for significantly lower price.

2 Capuchin Monastery (Kapucínský klášter), Kapucínské náměstí 5, ☏ +420 539 002 163. Nov–Mar: Mon–Sat 10:00–16:00, Sun 11:00–16:30; Apr–Oct: Mon–Sat 09:00–18:00 (closed 12:00-13:00), Sun 11:00–17:00. The 17th-century monastery lies right in the city centre. It has Baroque statues and a mummified monks exhibition in an underground tomb. 120 Kč; photography fee 30 Kč. (updated Oct 2024)

3 Church of St. James, Jakubské náměstí. Tue–Sun 09:30–18:00, Mon closed. This church is doubtlessly one of the most notable churches in Brno. It's a big Gothic church founded in the 13th century. It has remained unchanged since the 17th century which is quite rare. Beneath the church is the Brno Ossuary, the second biggest ossuary in Europe (after the Catacombs of Paris) that is open since 2012. Note that the catacomb is closed for maintenance as of Nov 2024. 140 Kč. (updated Oct 2024)

4 Petrov Cathedral, Petrov Street. Cathedral: 08:15–18:30; tower: May–Sep 12:00–18:30, Oct–Apr 12:00–17:00; crypt: Tue–Sun 11:00–17:00. St. Peter and Paul Cathedral, known as Petrov forms a dominant silhouette of Brno skyline. (Petrov is the name of the hill which the cathedral is built upon, not the cathedral.) Pictured on 10 Kč coin.

Football: FC Zbrojovka Brno were promoted in 2026 and now play soccer in First League, the top tier. Their ShipEx Arena (capacity 10,000) is 5 km north of city centre.

1 Brno Zoo, U zoologické zahrady 147/46, ☏ +420 546 432 311. Daily 09:00-16:00. A great zoo set in a nice area with hundreds of animals such as polar bears, seals, tigers, chimpanzees and more. 100 Kč.

ExploreBrno — easy walking, treasure hunt game in the city centre. Min. 2–3 hours

Wine-Tours.cz — South Moravia Highlights by minibus (Mikulov, Lednice, Valtice, and big degustation in Wine Center of Czech Republic) or halfday trip to Moravian Karst (boat trip in punkva caves)

2 Ignis Brunensis. There are four firework competitions on the dam lake and at least two in the town centre. The fireworks begin every evening at 22:30 and last about 22 minutes. Public transport runs longer and more frequently at these times. During the festival there are nights of theatres and museums. Entrance is free, but expect crowds.

3 Brno Racing Circuit. Moto GP Grand Prix every year takes place here in August.

4 Brno Trade and Fair Centre (BVV), Výstaviště 1 (tram stop „Výstaviště”). The largest trade centre in the Central European region with many important fairs. The largest are Autosalon, MSV (International Engineering Fair), Invex (International Fair of Information and Communication Technologies), IDET (International Exhibition of Defence and Security Technologies and Special Information Systems), a Vinex (International Wine Fair) and Pivex (International Beer Fair). Notable for its functionalist interwar architecture, it is mostly unused and fairs are held in newer halls. Guided tours are sometimes organized.

One World Brno. Documentary film festival on human rights held every [ the background]].

Treasure Hunt Brno, Čechyňská 8, ☏ +420 542 211 935, info@z-agency.cz. Treasure Hunt Brno is a dynamic team competition that makes use of modern technology and GPS-enabled tablets and lets you visit a wide range of Brno's historical monuments in a record time. Suitable for larger groups and companies.

Czech food is mostly based on pork, dumplings and potatoes. Another Czech favourite is smažený sýr, fried cheese, which is available at many restaurants and fast food stands. Soups plays an important part in Czech cuisine as it is almost always part of lunch (chicken, beef or vegetable broth, garlic soup, cabbage soup, goulash soup, vegetable soup or mushroom soup).

A good option is to visit one of the many pubs or restaurants that usually offer traditional Czech food all day long. You could easily find a restaurant where you get a meal and a drink for around €7, even in the city center. Many of these places also offer cheaper special (limited, pre-prepared) menus at mid-day. Cafés offer a nice selection of rolls and pastries if you're looking for breakfast. Visit the cukrárna (confectionery) near the House of the Four Idiots on nám. Svobody and try a rakvička ("little coffin", small pastry covered with cream). This is the only place in the Czech Republic to find the chocolate ones.

Budget

City centre

1 Poe-Poe, Masarykova 442/3. (updated May 2022)

2 Carmel Divadelní, Divadelní 3. (updated May 2022)

Lužánky Park

3 Bistro Bastardo, Štefánikova 91/20 (just north of the park), ☏ +420 605 454 040. Authentic, delicious, decently-priced Mexican food (tacos, pozole soup). (updated Apr 2023)

North-west of the centre around the Grohova tram station

4 Restaurace U Draka, Veveří 451. (updated May 2022)

5 Oaza, Slovákova 351. Cheap vegetarian/vegan dishes. (updated Nov 2024)

6 VEGALITE, Slovákova 359/10. Vegetarian. (updated May 2022)

7 Best Kebap, Veveří 474/36. (updated May 2022)

Mid-range

There are plenty of restaurants in the city centre, where you can have a decent dinner. Czech and international cuisine can be found. A very incomplete list of the good restaurants may include:

8 Na Švábce, Údolní 4. (tram stop „Komenského náměstí”). Czech cuisine, good Pilsner beer and daily menu even during weekend.

9 Cattani, Josefská 2 and Veveří 6. (tram stops „Zelný trh and Česká”). Fresh pasta, good wine selection. Has two branches, both close to city centre.

The traditional Brno beer is Starobrno, and a traditional non-alcoholic soft drink is Kofola (a very different but captivating kind of cola). Both must be tasted in draught form! Although Czechs are famous for their love of beer that love is mostly focused on pale beer, dark beer (černé pivo) is sweet and not very often drunk here. There's quite a few small breweries in the city, among them a small private brewery named Pegas, a block west from the steeple of St James Church (sv. Jakub). The pub is equipped with modern brewing technology, beer is made right in front of the guests' eyes. For a list of other breweries look at this list.

The go-to bar is the cramped and smoky Charlie's Hat (known to most locals simply as Charlie's), east on Koblizna street from the north end of Freedom Square (50 Kč entry, includes drink voucher). A cluster of more down-tempo bars frequented by students can be found along Dominikánská (Kavárna Trojka - students caffee and bar) and Starobrněnská just west of the Zelný trh (cabbage market square). Around the main square, you can find a lot of clubs, pubs, restaurants, coffee houses and lounge bars.

Bars in and around Dvořákova street in the city centre include:

1 Pivovarská, Mendelovo náměstí 20. It is a big pub & restaurant owned by Starobrno brewery.

2 Bar, který neexistuje, Dvořákova 1. Cocktail bar featuring a huge menu of rums and whiskies.

3 Lokál U Caipla, Kozí 3. Traditional pub, featuring lots of typically Czech dishes and beer served from big metal tanks.

4 Zelená Kočka Pivárium, Dvořákova 3. Beer speciality pub - serving Dalešice beer (made in a brewery 60 km away famous for appearing in the film Postriziny) as well as a selection of beers from around the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Austria which changes every day.

5 Pegas, Jakubská 4. Already above mentioned pub with self-made beer.

6 Rotor, Dvořákova 12. Cosy little bar with good wine, spirits and coffee.

7 Výčep Na Stojáka, Běhounská 6. Probably the most popular bar in Brno during summer, where locals and foreigners alike drink cold Chotěboř (lager type beer) soak in the evening sun in the square.

The Integrated Transport System of the Southern Moravia Region (IDS JMK) covers public transport over Brno and the whole Southern Moravia Region; it includes local trains, trams (called "šalina" in local dialect), buses and trolleybuses. Daytime transport ends up at 23:00, the night buses run every 30-60 minutes and have a central transfer node at the Main Train Station. Some night buses have a connection to night buses in the region, so you can get from Brno at night to surrounding villages.

For journeys within the city, a short transfer ticket (valid 15 min, 20 Kč) and long transfer ticket (60 min, 25 Kč) are available. Tickets are available at yellow ticket vending machines at bus and tram stops, and also at railway station counters. People aged 70 and over travel for free, show your passport, if there is a ticket inspection.

Brno has a system called Beep&Go, where every bus, trolleybus and tram in the city has a terminal for contactless ticket purchases using your credit card, smartphone or smart watch. You can also purchase tickets for people traveling with you or tickets for zones outside city limits. When getting on a public transport vehicle, simply tap your card/device to the terminal near the doors and tap again before getting off. At the end of the day, all of your rides will be evaluated and you will be charged accordingly (capped at 90 Kč - equivalent to a 24h ticket). This system does not apply to commuter trains and ferries, but there are ticket machines located on the platform/pier. When a ticket inspector comes, you have to tap your card/device to their reader. You need to use the same device you used to purchase the ticket, because services like Google Pay or Apple Pay create virtual credit cards when paying.

South Moravia Region is divided into tariff zones. Brno consists of two zones. IDS JMK tickets are valid in all buses and local trains (category Os, Sp and R), the price varies on number of zones you travel over.

Avoid the main train station after dusk as it attracts a number of unsavory characters, the usual caution applies. Also keep a keen eye out when using Automated Teller Machines in the immediate area for similar reasons. The area is also known be actively visited by pick-pockets. Also avoid the Cejl district during night and be cautious during the day for the same reasons. Take the tram or a bus between the stops Malinovského náměstí and Tkalcovská.