Czechia's second city of Brno deserves as much hype as Prague

Prague, with its Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque architectural masterpieces on cobblestoned lanes and riverside slopes, is undoubtedly an excellent choice for any trip to Czechia – it's hard to beat the lure of a pop-up-book, riverside old town. But then head to the country's eastern region of Moravia, where its provincial capital, Brno, shows another side to Czech city culture and creativity. 

Brno's cityscape melds imperial-era facades with modernist buildings and beautiful Art Nouveau villas from its industrial boom days. While its many museums are stacked with arts and artifacts, the city is better known for its playful statues and quirky sculptures. A university city, Brno is also home to more trendy bistros, bars and grassroots enterprises than you could explore in one visit. 

Here's why you should consider it for your next European city break.

Why visit Brno now? 

Brno gets a fraction of Prague’s imperial-heyday-seeking visitors, but if you are looking for an authentic, avant-garde Czech experience far from the tourist throngs, this understated, eastern metropolis is where it's at. Brno is a very social city, with a culture-packed calendar of events year-round, from craft beer and food feasts to the stall-packed Advent-time Christmas markets and various pop, jazz, art and opera festivals.

Top things to do in Brno

Whether above or below ground or inside trendsetting neighborhoods, here’s where to find the best of Brno.

Explore the city's underground attractions

Brno's unconventional sites include medieval tunnels, water tanks, burial chambers and wartime bunkers. The Labyrinth under the Vegetable Market is the largest site – an 8m-deep 1km web of wine cellar and siege hideout passageways dating to the Middle Ages. Or step inside Brno's three newly opened cathedral-like Water Tanks, which showcase 19th-century architectural water supply ingenuity, infinite-looking chambers and vaulted echo chambers.

Underground explorations continue at the Ossuary at St. James' Church, Europe's second-largest ossuary, which displays bones from 50,000 plague and war victims, while the Capuchin Crypt holds naturally mummified monks and benefactors. Then there's Brno's Cold War bunkers: nuclear fallout shelter 10-Z remained a classified secret until 1993, and Bunker Denis, a 1km network of rock-carved corridors, stretches beneath Petrov Cathedral hill.

Climb the high towers of its medieval cathedrals and castles

The Old Town Hall is Brno's oldest building and a quintessential starting point when touring its medieval buildings. You have to climb 173 wooden stairs through its clocktower centrum to reach its highpoint of 63m, but the workout-like ascent is worth it because once you reach its Renaissance pavilion, you'll be treated to panoramic views over Brno's landmarks.

Take a walk through Špilberk Park to Špilberk Castle, a 13th-century fortress turned notorious Habsburg prison, now city history and art museum complex. Catch a breath – sunset is a great time – while admiring the expansive views from the castle walls, but if you're looking for the 360° city view ticket, walk to the fortress lookout tower. Or head to the Cathedral of St Peter and St Paul and climb its balconies for an outer-city sweep of Brno over the stunning southern views of the green, rock-topped Palava hills.

Tour modernist and Art Nouveau villas

Brno has an eye-catching blend of functionalist and modernist architecture amongst his Baroque pastel facades, including the white-block, glass-fronted Moravian Bank from 1930 and the turquoise geometric Omega Palace shopping center on the fringes of Freedom Square. But for the chance to step inside a showpiece of 1930s modernism, head to Villa Tugendhat – designed by German-American architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe for the Jewish industrialist family Greta and Fritz Tugendhat, who had to flee the city in 1938. Impeccably restored in 2012, the villa is the Czech Republic's only UNESCO World Heritage site of modern architecture, accessible via a 60 or 90-minute tour ticket that sells out months in advance.

Detour: When returning to the city center, walk from Villa Tugendhat’s garden and through the Art Nouveau Villa Löw-Beer opposite, the home of Greta Tugendhat's parents.

​​Find unexpected artworks

Sure, get all arty wandering the Austrian Moravia art gallery halls at Špilberk Castle or the contemporary fashion and interior design collections of the Moravian Museum of Applied Arts, but you don't have to stay indoors to see Brno's expansive collection of artwork. The city is known for pushing conventional boundaries with its unusual and sometimes surreal open-air sculptures. Like the Old Town Hall's suspended stuffed crocodile, which, according to medieval legend, was a town-terrorizing dragon, and Freedom Square's controversial black stone, phallic-looking astronomical clock doesn't actually tell the time but still draws crowds to see the marble released at the 11am city bell ring. Another cool focal point is Moravian Square's Statue of Courage, which shows the Margrave Jobst of Moravia on a spindle-legged horse. You'll get the tongue-in-cheek view when you walk underneath it and look up towards the horse's muzzle. Download the Statues in the City map and find them all. 

Wander food stalls and drink in historic wine cellars

Brno's student population keeps it youthful and energetic, so join them at specialty coffee cafes, food trucks, experimental bars and bistros. Start the day at tune-pumping, trendy Eggo Truck Brno for their hearty breakfast, or fuel up at Brno's top caffeinated choice run by three-time Barista of the Year, MONOGRAM Espresso Bar. Or wander the food stalls at the Zelný trh food market (also known as the Cabbage Market), which is busy with locals stocking up on fresh produce from Monday to Saturday.

Afterward, feast on the culinary flavors of Brno's Vietnamese population at Cà Phê Cổ before locating the Super Panda Circus hidden cocktail bar entry buzzer behind a streetside circus curtain. A perfect pour, tap craft beer takes center stage for seasonal taste testing in the provincial capital of Moravian wine country; find microbrewery specials at "stand-up bar" Výčep Na stojáka and regional craft brews at Malt Worm. Seeking a sun-ripened sample of the Palava Hills harvest? Step down into the historic wine cellar Vinotéka U Tri Knižat for tastings by the glass.

Where to stay

Brno's core sights and trendy neighborhoods are all stacked within its walkable city center encircled by the Ring 1 road, as are its top accommodation options. Europe's narrowest hotel, the Reconstructed functionalist-style Hotel Avion designed by Czech architect Bohuslav Fuchs is a great choice if you like quirky, architectural designs. A more boutique-style option is the 1850s heritage building-turned-hotel Grand Palace Brno or go for something more intimate at one of the five downtown Goodnite Brno apartments. The more adventurous can try a night at the hostel set-up in the former nuclear fallout shelter, 10-Z Bunker. 

Prices per night are cheaper if you venture beyond Ring 1 and into the Ring 2 fringes; a regular public transport network of buses and trams runs within and around the city center and beyond it, closing the distance.

How to pair a visit to Brno with a trip to Prague 

Prague and Brno may sit at opposite ends of Czechia, but city-hop travel between them is easy. Czechia's national railway operator, České dráhy, runs direct routes between Prague and Brno's main train station on the southeast side of the walkable historic core; the journey takes between 2.5 and 3 hours and costs around 360Kč/€15 each way, 2nd class. Private operator RegioJet runs a 2.5hr direct service from 275Kč/€11 each way, 2nd class; cheaper tickets can typically be found on routes before 9am and after 6pm.

Direct long-distance FlixBus routes from Prague's Central Bus Station Florenc to Brno's small bus station opposite the Grandhotel and train station can take up to three hours; if you book in advance, you can snag a ticket under €10.