Stand on Zelný trh in the morning and you are standing on one of Brno's oldest squares, above cellars that merchants began digging around the turn of the 13th century to store food, wine and beer. Walk a few minutes in any direction and the city keeps handing you layers: a Gothic church, a functionalist villa, a baroque fortress on a hill.
Brno suits travellers who like a compact centre they can cross on foot, with enough churches, museums, parks and underground spaces to fill two or three days, and a tram network for the places further out.
1. Špilberk Castle
Formerly the major royal castle in Moravia and the seat of the margraves, Špilberk Castle later became a fortress used as one of the most feared prisons of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It now houses the city museum, with a restaurant, and the park around it is open for walks and views over the city; castle and park together form part of the national cultural heritage.
Opening hours run May–September 09:00–18:00 and October–April 10:00–17:00. Permanent exhibitions are 120 Kč and the casemates 70 Kč. Combine it with Denis gardens, which sit between the castle and the cathedral and give you a clear view of both.
2. Petrov Cathedral
The Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, known as Petrov, forms the dominant silhouette of the Brno skyline. Petrov is the name of the hill it stands on, not the cathedral itself, and the building appears on the 10 Kč coin.
The cathedral is open 08:15–18:30. The tower is open May–September 12:00–18:30 and October–April 12:00–17:00, and the crypt Tuesday–Sunday 11:00–17:00. If you want a view over the city, the cathedral tower is the better-value option compared with the Old Town Hall tower.
3. Tugendhat Villa
Designed by Mies van der Rohe, Tugendhat Villa is listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List and is regarded as a classic example of functionalist architecture. It was also the location of the meeting that decided on the Velvet Divorce separating Czechia and Slovakia in 1992, and it reopened in March 2012 after an extensive restoration.
Visits are by guided tour, tours are led hourly, and they must be booked in advance through the villa's website. Reach it via the tram stop Dětská nemocnice.
4. Old Town Hall
The Old Town Hall on Radnická, between Náměstí Svobody and the main station, holds two beloved Brno symbols: the Brno Dragon and the Wheel. Look up at the lopsided tower above the entrance; legend has it the city council stiffed the mason who built it and he made the crooked ornament in a fit of pique.
The tower is accessible, but the cathedral towers offer much better views for a significantly lower price, so treat this as a quick look rather than your viewpoint of the day.
5. Church of St. James
This large Gothic church on Jakubské náměstí was founded in the 13th century and has remained unchanged since the 17th century, which is rare. Beneath it lies the Brno Ossuary, the second biggest ossuary in Europe after the Catacombs of Paris, open since 2012.
The church is open Tuesday–Sunday 09:30–18:00 and closed on Monday. Admission is 140 Kč, but note that the catacomb was closed for maintenance as of November 2024, so check before you build your day around it.
6. Capuchin Monastery
The 17th-century Capuchin Monastery sits right in the city centre on Kapucínské náměstí, with Baroque statues and an exhibition of mummified monks in an underground tomb.
Hours are November–March Monday–Saturday 10:00–16:00 and Sunday 11:00–16:30, and April–October Monday–Saturday 09:00–18:00 with a closure from 12:00 to 13:00, Sunday 11:00–17:00. Admission is 120 Kč, with a 30 Kč photography fee.
7. Labyrinth Under the Vegetable Market
Under Zelný trh, one of Brno's oldest squares, merchants began building cellars around the turn of the 13th century to store food, wine and beer. The vaults expanded over time, particularly in the Baroque period, served as temporary shelters in wartime, and are now known as the Labyrinth Under the Vegetable Market.
Pair it with the square above, which is also the address of the Moravian Museum's main building in Dietrichstein Palace.
8. The Moravian Museum
The Moravian Museum at Zelný trh 8 is the second largest and oldest museum in the Czech Republic, founded in 1817 by Emperor Francis I, with collections of millions of objects across different fields of human history. It has various branches beyond the main building.
It is open Tuesday–Saturday 09:00–17:00 and admission is 130 Kč. One branch worth knowing about is the Anthropos Pavilion on Pisárecká, reachable via the bus stop Anthropos, which covers the oldest history of settlement in Moravia and the whole European continent.
9. The Mendel Museum of Genetics
The most famous biologist in the history of genetics worked and died in Brno, and this museum near Mendlovo náměstí commemorates his revolutionary research, with information available in English.
It is open April–September Tuesday–Sunday 09:00–18:00 and October–March Tuesday–Sunday 10:00–17:00. Admission is 130 Kč and it is free on the last Wednesday of each month. Gregor Mendel's burial site is at Brno Central Cemetery on Jihlavská if you want to continue the thread.
10. The Moravian Gallery
The Moravian Gallery is the second largest art museum in the Czech Republic, mainly exhibiting Moravian art and applied art through history, with its exhibition of modern Moravian art the most recommended. It consists of three buildings: the Governor's Palace on Moravské náměstí, the Museum of Decorative Arts on Husova 14, and Pražák's Palace on Husova 18.
It is open Wednesday–Sunday 10:00–18:00, and admission to all three buildings for permanent and most temporary exhibitions is pay-as-you-wish with no minimum price set.
11. Freedom Square
Náměstí Svobody forms the heart of the city, shaped into a large reversed "A". Many cultural events take place here and there are always a lot of people around. It is closed to most cars, though trams run through the middle.
Most of the interesting places in the city centre are within a ten-minute walk of the square, which makes it a sensible place to start or reset your route.
12. Denis gardens
Denis gardens is one of the most beautiful parks in Brno, with an obelisk and a colonnade, and it offers a view of the city including Špilberk Castle and the cathedral. It is the oldest public park in the country founded by public administration authorities.
It sits in the historical centre between the Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul and Špilberk Castle, so it slots naturally between the two.
13. Lužánky Park
Lužánky Park is the oldest public park in the country and the biggest park in Brno, with an artificial brook containing living fish. It is perfect for a picnic, though it can get crowded in nice weather.
It lies north of the historical centre, about 15 minutes on foot or 2–3 minutes by tram.
14. Moravian Square
Moravian Square is the biggest square in Brno, dominated by the Church of Saint Thomas, the last resting place of Jobst of Moravia, German King and Margrave of Moravia. The nearby former Governor's Palace offers permanent exhibitions of the Moravian Gallery.
It is in the historical centre near Freedom Square, so you can walk between the two in one stretch.
15. Bunker 10-Z
Bunker 10-Z on Husova, opposite house number 12, is a World War II bunker whose exhibition offers a self-guided route through 500 m of tunnels. A guide shows different areas not covered by the exhibition, but mainly in Czech, so look out for the English tour on select days. There is no audio guide.
It is open Tuesday–Sunday 11:30–18:00 and closed on Monday. The exhibition is 150 Kč and an excursion with guide is 240 Kč.
If you only have one day
Morning. Start at Freedom Square, then walk to the Old Town Hall to see the Brno Dragon and the Wheel and the lopsided tower. Continue to Zelný trh for the Labyrinth Under the Vegetable Market, and if time allows step into the Moravian Museum in Dietrichstein Palace on the same square.
Afternoon. Walk to Petrov Cathedral and climb the tower for the view, then drop into Denis gardens between the cathedral and the castle. Spend the rest of the afternoon at Špilberk Castle, taking in the museum and the park.
Evening. Head to Moravian Square to see the Church of Saint Thomas and the former Governor's Palace, and finish with the pay-as-you-wish exhibitions of the Moravian Gallery if any of the three buildings are still open.
Do I need to book Tugendhat Villa in advance?
Yes. Visits are by guided tour, tours are led hourly, and they must be booked in advance through the villa's website.
Which tower should I climb for the best view?
The cathedral towers offer much better views for a significantly lower price than the Old Town Hall tower, which is accessible but a weaker option for the view alone.
Is the Brno Ossuary open?
Check before you go. The catacomb beneath the Church of St. James was closed for maintenance as of November 2024, while the church itself is open Tuesday–Sunday 09:30–18:00 and closed on Monday.
How much does the Moravian Gallery cost?
Admission to all three of its buildings, covering all permanent and most temporary exhibitions, is pay-as-you-wish with no minimum price set.
Pick the days that suit you, check the current opening times for the places you want most, and start building your route around Freedom Square.