Brno and environs

Here are some cryptic notes I put together back in 2018 before a trip that included Brno. In the end, I didn't have much time in the city, so I mainly just walked around the very attractive and non-touristy historic center. But perhaps there's something here you'll want to research.

• Spilberk Castle
• Moravian Museum, Dietrichstein Palace (17C)
• Cathedral of Peter and Paul
• Capuchin Monastery: Mummified corpses. Nearby is world’s 2nd largest ossuary, Ossuary of St. James.
• 10-Z Nuclear Bunker, under Spilberk Castle: Was supposedly being converted into a museum.
• Masaryk and Ceska are two major shopping streets.
• Attractive villa district NW of the city center, near terminus of Tram 4.
• Villa Tugendhat, Černopolní 45: Inter-war villa designed by Mies van der Rohe. Booking months in advance usually required. 60-minute tour
• Cafe Era, Zemědělská 1686/30: Modernist; best of several mondernist cafes in the city from both architectural and culinary standpoints. Both floors worth seeing.
• Villa Stiassni, Hroznova 82/14: Inter-war villa, airy masterpiece by Ernst Wiesnerm meticulously restored, with garden and fascinating photographic archive. Reservations recommended for tour, which was mandatory as of 2018. Czech only except by prior arrangement; Printed info in English.
  
• International Fireworks Competition (Ignis Brunensis) in late May/early June

Outside Brno:

• Good scenery on train between Brno and Chocen.
• Moravian Karst region is absolutely spectacular, with caves. About 45 minutes from Brno.
• Olomouc is a very attractive university town with several especially lovely churches. It's off the typical tourist path but RS covers it in his book. I was there over the summer when there were no students around, and it was very, very quiet (and also very hot!). I'm sure it's much livelier during the academic year.
  

My notes on Olomouc follow.

• Holy Trinity Column on main square
• Communist Astronomical Clock, also on main square. Performs daily at noon for about 5 minutes.
• Museum of Modern Art, Denisova 47, Republic Square: In Art nouveau building. Fine and commercial art.
  
• Villa Primavesi, Univerzitní 224/7: Art nouveau villa in Viennese style. Partially open to public for free as Primavesi Gallery. Lobby mosaic, fountain, and garden pillar among remaining features.
• St. Michael’s
• St. Wenceslas
• St. Maurice: Largest Gothic church in region.
• Bezrucovy Sady: park below battlements along the river. Access via long stone steps through a doorway just left of St. Michael’s Church.
• Bouzov Castle: 9 miles NW of town. Picture-book renovation completed in late 19C.

Here are notes I made from a trip leaving Brno several years ago (via rental car)

I wanted to let you know what we did because it was a fabulous trip in Czech Republic. We'd been to many of the bigger spots and this was the first time I rented a car on a foreign trip but I loved the freedom to roam! We had a week on Southern Moravia and it was beautiful. We saw 13 castles! DIdn't run in to one American or many English speaking tourists for about 5 days!
Brno & Palava - We started out in Brno and stayed two nights with friends and they took us all around Lednice, Mikulov (LOVED this little picturesque town), all around Palava and Klentnice - beautiful coffee shops (Cafe Ferra), churches, countryside and wineries. Then back to Brno and we toured St. Peter's Cathedral and ate at a little restaurant below the cathedral -L' Eau Vive. Walked around the town square, took in a farmer's market and then went and walked around Spilberk Park & Castle grounds.

Znojmo - stayed in Znojmo at a pension with a vineyard on the river (Kaplanka) - beautiful town with scenic views, incredible wines, and cute shops plus the Znojmo Castle and the Rotunda of St. Catherine was very, very interesting & beautiful with it's original frescos. Pro tip - don't park in public areas marked for residents. Got a ticket & boot on my rental car but the Czech police were very nice and the fine wasn't too hefty.

We drove to Branisovice and ate at a cute restaurant (U Cisarske Cesty), and drove through picturesque Narodni Park, stopping in little towns and seeing the sites and churches.

We then visited Vranov nad Dyji and toured the Vranov nad Dyjí Chateau, visited castle ruins in Cornštejn, and then Bítov Castle (this was a great castle).

Spent the night in Telc and wandered around this cute town - very quiet after tourists leave in the evening and we stayed very economically in a pension on the square.

We then went to Jindřichův Hradec (we just toured a part of this but the artwork was amazing, Červená Lhota (the red castle situated down a wooded path and situated in the middle of a lake), and then made our way to Cesky Krumlov. I had been there before but my traveling buddy had not. We stayed at an AirBnB owned by the same person who owned Krumlov House - a great hostel I'd stayed at there before. Moonlight walk through town and through the castle grounds was a great close to a busy day of castle sightseeing.

On our way to Prague, we stopped at Hluboká Castle which is a historic château situated in Hluboká nad Vltavou. It was a beautiful castle.

When we got to Prague, I took a great free tour from GoodTours and it left from our hotel lobby. Even though I'd been to Prague before, the tour was very informative and entertaining and I learned so much more! It ended up costing me about 10 Euros with my tip for the tour guide.

I really enjoyed taking my time and stopping in little towns, driving through the amazing countryside. I highly recommend this "out of the big cities' tour of Czech Republic!

Since you have the time for the environs, I suggest going to Slavkov. I went there twice by train from Brno but with a vehicle you'll have far more flexibility. Slavkov is known historically by its more famous name, Austerlitz, where hopes of the Allies in Dec 1805 were crushed by the defeat inflicted on them by Napoleon.

The chateau (Schloss Austerlitz) in Slavkov in the Zentrum features the Napoleon Exhibition, a pretty detailed and balanced treatment of the the events.

I went to this thermal bath: it's not big but very charming and relaxing.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/q3LqvjJNEj6n1ey39