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Day trips from Brno

I will be visiting Brno for 4-5 days in August with my wife and two teenage daughters-17 and 15. We will have a car. Rick Steves doesn't really cover Brno in his guide. What would people recommend to do in Brno and what day trips would be enjoyable from Brno. We enjoy hiking and the outdoors.

Posted by
26833 posts

Brno itself has a very nice historic district not overrun with tourists, so I'm sure you'll enjoy your time there.

I liked Olomouc (about an hour from Brno by car), a UNESCO site often mentioned by guidebooks, but it's a university town, and I admit it was very quiet (some would say "dead") when I visited it during the summer. If "lively" is important to you, I think there must be better options; if you don't much care about that as long as the architecture is very nice (which is my point of view), it absolutely has my recommendation.

The rest of these I haven't been to, but they're on my list for a future trip to Czechia. I think they've all been mentioned on this forum. You might find the earlier threads via the Search function. In some cases 2 or 3 of these towns might be grouped into a single day trip (just from looking at the map).

  • Mikulov: About 38 minutes by car. Petty hilltop town.
  • Lednice: About 40 minutes by car and close to Mikulov. Has a castle. Boat trips through park between Lednice and Valtice. Bike rental might also be available.
  • Valtice: About 47 minutes by car, and very close to Lednice. Has a castle.
  • Kromeriz: About 45 minutes by car and near Olomouc. Very attractive town with bishop's palace.
  • Trebic: About 60 minutes by car. Online photos are attractive. UNESCO site.
  • Straznice: About 60 minutes by car. Folk traditions strong in this area.
  • Uherske Hradiste: About 65 minutes by car and close to Straznice.
  • Litomysl: About 80 minutes by car. UNESCO site with large Renaissance castle.
  • Telc: About 90 minutes by car. Small and touristy but "amazingly beautiful".

Rick's 2008 video on "The Czech Republic Beyond Prague" includes Olomouc, and possibly one or two others from this list. You can watch it on this very website: RS video

Posted by
1189 posts

Hi from Wisconsin,
The list by acraven is quite good. I have found the last two on his list good places to visit. The most obvious place missing from the list is Olomouc and the basilika outside of town. Both Olomouc and the basilika are accessible by bus. Bus from Brno to Olomouc. once at Olomouc, there is a bus that goes to the basilika and back.

Don't forget Gregor Mendel did his genetics work in Brno. His monastery is open to visitors and the museum, while small is clever.. After seeing his shopping list for peas in the museum, you have to ask yourself, how could he order tall, wrinkled peas?

A place to eat in Brno...Restaurance Salicek for traditional Moravia food. It is near the cabbage market/cabbage square.

wayne iNWI

Posted by
862 posts

Olomouc also has a great art gallery - the Museum of Modern Art - and the archdiocese museum is also worth a look.

Posted by
56 posts

Thank-you for that advice. I wonder if anyone has any experience visiting any of the caves around Brno. The largest one seems to be the Punka Caves. Is it worth going to and what are the logistics of getting there and buying tickets.

I am also curious if anyone has done a day trip to Luhacovice. It was reported in another post as being an option for a spa visit. Could you do this as a day trip or do you really have to stay overnight in a hotel. What would be the costs associated with a spa visit?

Posted by
56 posts

Any recommendations for where to go swimming around Brno. I have to cater to the whims of my daughters.

Posted by
1335 posts

Does a trip to hotsprings work for your daughters? They are not swimming pools, but nice thermal baths. There are soaking pools (swimsuits) and saunas (nude or towels).

I went to this one (in cool weather):
https://goo.gl/maps/wA2tZCWuatM7wZsN8

I casually browsed at Google Maps by typing in "thermal baths near Brno" and found some good results. Check them out. I think you will find what they like.

Posted by
251 posts

When your daughters have had enough museums, castles and churches head to the pleasures of the great outdoors at dolnimorava.cz in Stezka v Oblacich. It’s known as the Sky Walk. I believe they’ve also recently opened the largest suspension bridge in the world there. It’s a fun day in the forests.

I haven’t been to any spas in that particular area of Czechia but the ones I have been to are incredibly affordable.

Posted by
56 posts

Thanks for the suggestion about Stezka v Oblacich. I think that would be a fun outing for my daughter's.