Brno, Czech Republic

Brno, Czech Republic

Where to stay: ​I stayed in a really great Airbnb while staying in Brno.  I found that the hostel options weren’t as great as I’d like, and thought it’d be good to be staying with a local in such a small and non-touristy city.  Our flat was on the street that’s apparently becoming known as the “bar area”, although it wasn’t loud at night, that only meant that there were great bars and restaurants around!  My recommendation is to stay somewhere in the historic part of the city/near the center.  Everything from there will be within walking distance, and we felt super safe, even at night.

Where to eat: One of the best things about Brno was how cheap it was to eat!  Like, seriously cheap to eat. One dollar is worth around 25 Czech Korunas, so the exchange rate is definitely in your favor!  We wanted to eat out at a nicer restaurant while we were in Brno to take advantage of this, and we found a great little place called Tulip.  It was really great food, great service, and a low price, what more could you ask!  If you’re looking for some really great Czech food, try Restaurace Spalicek.  It has a great area outside to sit and eat, and the menu is fantastic.  On the street where we were staying, there is a bar which translates to “The Bar that Doesn’t Exist”, and it was seriously cool, I would definitely recommend checking it out.  It doesn’t have much in the way of food (although it does serve awesome sliders), but the cocktail and liquor choices are great!

What to do: If you’re looking for some great views over the city, I would definitely recommend hiking up to the castle which is at the top of the hill overlooking the city.  We sat and had a glass of wine at the café, but didn’t go inside of the museum- the outside of the building was pretty all on its own! The other place you should definitely go is to the top of the Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul- you can climb up to the top of the towers, but the whole area is full of really beautiful architecture, a great place to go exploring!  I also went on a field trip from Brno to the Punkva Caves- they’re a series of caves in a mountain about a half hour outside of the city.  The cool thing about these particular caves is that there is also a subterranean river inside, so the tour includes a walking tour of the dry bit and a boat ride in the river.  The tour is in Czech, but you can ask for a pamphlet in English that describe what the tour guide says.  You can also take a cable car ride to the top of the mountain where there is a great overlook and a restaurant- we had lunch after our tour and it was such a perfect way to spend the afternoon!

Overall Opinion: Brno was such a great city to spend a few days in, and I’m so glad that we went.  It is nearly untouched by tourism, which is super refreshing, and so many of the locals are very friendly and willing to help foreigners, even if they don’t speak English.  It also doesn’t hurt that it’s one of the cheapest cities I’ve ever been to.  If you’re looking to have an authentic Czech experience with meeting some Czech people and experiencing the culture, I would definitely recommend Brno over Prague.  It doesn’t have as many “sites”, but as the second biggest city in the country, it still has all of the architecture and things to do to keep you busy!

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