If you ask me, Brno is ideal for a relaxed weekend, even if it’s not in the same league as Milan or Budapest. See Villa Tugendhat and the ossuary, and try the good beer in the local pubs. Getting around town is easy on the šalina, as people in Brno call the tram. When it rains, head for the Maximus spa resort. It’s my favourite.
- Getting around
- The šalina (tram) gets you everywhere; the tram and bus network is dense and there’s a 24-hour ticket
- Špilberk Castle
- Worth it for the view and the casemates, underground passages that served as a prison
- Villa Tugendhat
- Book tickets well in advance; I haven’t made it inside yet
- For a beer
- Běhounská and Kozí, the lanes behind the Church of St James, plus the U Bláhovky pub and the pub at Hotel Pegas, which brews its own beer
- When it rains
- Maximus spa resort just outside Brno, with lots of saunas and a cold plunge pond; free shuttle bus from the Pod Mniší horou stop
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What to see in Brno? Brno is the main city of Moravia, and a lively one, full of students. There are plenty of places to spend your time, and I don’t just mean the pubs on every corner.
Tip from Milan I’d recommend booking your accommodation as early as you can, because rooms in a good location at a fair price go first. Here you’ll find accommodation offers in the area valid today.
What to see and where to go on a trip to Brno
It doesn’t matter whether you come for a day trip, a long weekend or even a whole week. Getting around on the šalina is easy: the tram and bus network is dense, and a 24-hour ticket costs just CZK 90 (about €3.70 in 2026).
A friend of mine moved from Bratislava to Brno and says it was the best thing she could have done. According to her, Brno has a more relaxed atmosphere, the people are friendlier and she never feels rushed. I’ve never lived in Brno, but I’ve visited several times, and on its famous nightlife alone, a visit to Brno is worth every penny. That goes for a day trip from Slovakia (too short, in my view) as well as a weekend in Brno.
TIP: For accommodation in Brno, I always use Airbnb. There’s one particular flat I like to stay in, right in the city centre.
What to see in Brno: the main sights
- The Cathedral of St Peter and Paul
- Špilberk Castle
- Brno City Museum
- A network of underground passages (catacombs)
- The ossuary
- Villa Tugendhat
- The Labyrinth under Zelný trh
- The Maximus spa resort and the zoo
The two landmarks that dominate the centre are the neo-Gothic Cathedral of St Peter and Paul on Petrov hill and Špilberk Castle. The cathedral is open every day and free to enter. For CZK 60 (the 2026 price), you can also climb the tower and look into the treasury. I recommend Špilberk mainly for the view. It houses the Brno City Museum, but the casemates are well worth exploring too. In the 18th and 19th centuries, this network of underground passages served as one of the harshest prisons in Europe.
In the historic centre nearby, see if you can spot the Brno dragon by the entrance to the town hall. Or head underground, into the Labyrinth under Zelný trh (the Cabbage Market) or the ossuary at the Church of St James. The ossuary reminded me of the Paris catacombs, where the remains of more than six million people lie. And where are they? In Paris.
Good beer in Brno: pubs and bars
Finding a place in Brno with good beer, coffee or food is the easiest thing in the world. It’s worth combing the lanes behind the Church of St James: on Běhounská and Kozí, one stylish place follows another. There’s the ‘Na Stojáka’ taproom, Lokál and the vegan restaurant Forky’s. For a cocktail, try the well-known ‘Bar, který neexistuje’ (the bar that doesn’t exist). The Veveří district is another area with lots of great pubs. And if you’re after a typically Czech atmosphere and a perfectly poured beer, settle in at the legendary U Bláhovky pub. For local beer and something to go with it, the pub at Hotel Pegas is worth a visit. They brew their own beer, and the utopenci (pickled sausages) and marinated hermelín cheese are always excellent. If you’re still looking for the answer to what to see in Brno, try the bottom of your glass.
On one visit, a friend and I picked up takeaway beers at the Ponava pub and headed for Lužánky Park. It was full of people sitting on the grass, just having a good time. I really liked the atmosphere. That’s Czechia for you.
Villa Tugendhat in Brno: tours and tickets
Outside the centre proper, the most tempting tour is of the functionalist Villa Tugendhat, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It’s one of the key buildings of modern architecture. Tours run every day except Monday, but demand is huge, so make sure you book your ticket in advance. The villa sometimes closes for events, and the website has all the details. I can’t even tell you how much they tortured me with this villa at university, where I studied architecture. It set the trends in modern architecture and interior design as we know them today. I’ve never actually been inside, but I’m planning to. Getting in is just a bit tricky, and a visit to Villa Tugendhat has to be planned well in advance.
In summer, when the weather in Brno is good, you can walk along the Brno Reservoir (trams run there, towards Bystrc). From April to October you can even take a boat trip. And if it isn’t, just duck into the Technical Museum in Královo Pole. It has the Technická herna, a hands-on technology playroom, and a historic stereoscopic panorama. So, what else is there to see in Brno?
Culture and atmosphere in Brno
On top of everything I’ve mentioned, Brno hosts an awful lot of cultural events, mostly in the centre or in Veveří. It really surprised me when I was here: the city lives for culture. There’s almost always something on at the Scala university cinema, which has a cosy bar too. The same goes for the city’s many theatres. Since summer 2023, though, the cinema’s big hall has been closed because of structural problems with the building. Films are now shown in Scalka, a smaller hall in the foyer. And if you don’t mind bigger crowds, you can catch Ignis Brunensis, a showcase of the best fireworks, at the start of every summer. For more alternative culture, try places such as Skleněná louka.
Brno is packed with small, interesting places and student life. You can get to know it without a plan: just wander around and stumble on a little pub or discover a new park. Compared with Prague, there’s less of a rush here and the atmosphere is more relaxed. Above all, Brno isn’t too touristy, so you can blend right in with the good-natured Moravians. I’m always happy to come back, though one full day is often enough for me. Over a whole weekend I’d probably run out of things to do, unless my plan was to hang out in bars with friends. I prefer Brno to Prague.
Maximus spa resort near Brno
What to do in Brno when the weather’s bad? The answer is easy: Maximus Resort Brno. Lately I’ve grown fonder and fonder of big spa complexes, and Maximus is one of the best I’ve ever been to. It’s just outside Brno, and getting there without a car is a little complicated, but doable. I took a number 1, 3 or 11 tram to the end of the line at Přístaviště, where a free shuttle ran straight to Maximus. Today the free shuttle bus leaves from the Pod Mniší horou tram stop, and you’ll find the current timetable on the resort’s website. I just turned up and waited.
If the weather in Brno turns bad, this is definitely where I’d go. All those saunas and sauna rituals and, above all, that cold plunge pond in the middle of the resort. I fell in love. If you don’t know what to do in Brno when it rains, head to my favourite, the Maximus resort.
Is Brno worth visiting?
A visit to Brno really can’t be compared with a trip to Milan or Budapest. But if you honestly don’t know where to go or what to see, and you don’t fancy spending hours in museums or sitting on trains, a weekend in Brno is a real treat.
You might also like my article The best restaurants, bars and cafés in Brno, as recommended by my readers.
A Slovak travel blogger who has been getting Slovaks out of their office chairs since 2013. Author of the book Influencer and founder of the Bez Mapy blog. "Bez Mapy" is Slovak for "without a map".
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