CZ
Brno
Czechia’s laid-back second city, with modernist architecture, a hilltop fortress and a lively student bar scene
Czechia’s laid-back second city, with modernist architecture, a hilltop fortress and a lively student bar scene
A hilltop fortress, later a notorious Habsburg prison, now home to the city museum, with casemates to explore and views over Brno.
Photo: Palickap, CC BY-SA 4.0
A landmark of modernist architecture designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and completed in 1930, listed by UNESCO in 2001.
Tours sell out weeks ahead; book online as early as possible.
Photo: Coudy2017, CC BY-SA 4.0
Rediscovered in 2001 beneath St James Church, it holds the remains of an estimated 50,000 people and is one of the largest ossuaries in Europe.
Photo: Sick System, CC BY-SA 3.0
A sloping square with a daily market and the Baroque Parnas Fountain, above the labyrinth of medieval cellars that can be visited on tours.
Photo: Paul Korecky, CC BY-SA 2.0
Try Moravian wines, svíčková, schnitzel and dumplings, and the city’s many third-wave coffee shops and cocktail bars.
The streets around the main square, Náměstí Svobody, and Jakubské náměstí are the centre of nightlife.
Trains from Prague take about two and a half hours, and from Vienna about one and a half. Brno has a small airport with a few flights; Vienna airport is often more convenient. Trams cover the city.
Czechia is in the EU and the Schengen area. EU citizens need only an ID card; citizens of the UK, US, Canada, Australia and many other countries can visit visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period, with biometric registration under the EU Entry/Exit System. An ETIAS travel authorisation is also due to be introduced. Check current rules before you travel.
Brno is noticeably cheaper than Prague. Czechia uses the Czech koruna (CZK), not the euro. Cards are accepted almost everywhere; avoid exchange offices advertising “0% commission” and decline card payments in euros.
Fortress, modernism and bars.
Visit Špilberk Castle, Petrov Cathedral, the Cabbage Market and the ossuary, then spend the evening in the bars around Jakubské náměstí.
Tour Villa Tugendhat, then take a trip to the South Moravian wine villages or the Moravian Karst caves.
🛂 Entry rules: EES and ETIAS
Czech Republic is in the Schengen area, which has two EU border systems for non-EU visitors.
EES (in force): since 10 April 2026 the EU’s Entry/Exit System registers non-EU visitors’ passport details, fingerprints and a photo the first time they enter the Schengen area, replacing passport stamps. Allow extra time at the border on your first trip; later crossings are quicker. EU, EEA and Swiss citizens are not registered.
ETIAS (not yet running): a €20 online travel authorisation for visitors who don’t need a visa, such as UK, US, Canadian and Australian citizens. It hasn’t started and no start date has been confirmed, so nobody can apply yet; ignore websites that offer to “pre-register” you for a fee.
Visa-free visitors can stay up to 90 days in any 180-day period across the whole Schengen area, not per country.
Official information: EU: Travel to Europe (EES & ETIAS) · Reviewed September 2026
When a card machine offers to charge you in your home currency or euros, choose CZK for a better rate.
Villa Tugendhat tickets are limited and sell out well in advance.
South Moravia produces most Czech wine; Mikulov and Valtice are easy day trips.
Trams run late and are the easiest way around the city.
Quick answers for planning time in Brno.
No. The currency is the Czech koruna (CZK). Some places accept euros, but usually at a poor rate.
Yes, for its modernist architecture, Špilberk Castle, the ossuary and its relaxed bar and café scene.
About two and a half hours by train.
Yes, tours have limited places and should be booked well in advance.
The Moravian Karst caves, the Lednice-Valtice cultural landscape and the wine town of Mikulov.
Google Maps and Mapy.com (the Czech map app, excellent for hiking) both work well.
Free
Czech is the language; English is common in Prague and tourist areas, less so elsewhere.
Free
Planning a wider trip? Our Czech Republic travel guide covers getting there, costs, when to go and more.