Some people consider Brno to be a bike-unfriendly town. It is not true. Brno certainly isn’t Copenhagen, but you can enjoy utility cycling and bicycle touring as well.
Map of trails
A handy map of segregated cycle facilities has been published on the official web page of Brno:
There are two main paths, going alongside the two rivers of Brno: Svratka and Svitava. You can also bike around Brno. Sadly, the paths are sometimes interrupted by crossroads and other obstacles.
So, you want to commute by bike
Great idea, but you should know about some risks:
There is not enough segregated cycle facilities in Brno. You will probably have to bike on public roads used by cars as well. Sadly, Czech drivers are not used to deal with bikers – so allways be prepared to use a brake and the middle finger.
There is not enough bike lockers, parking stands and bicycle storage racks in the public buildings. It is quite dangerous to leave your bike locked to some construction in the street – there are more bike thieves than in the 1940s Italy :-/
Brno is quite hilly. Be sure you can take a shower in your company or your school.
Finally: remember that it is illegal to ride a bike under influence of alcohol in the Czech republic! Drinking and bicycling can result in a fine of CZK 50,000 (€1,870) and what is more, you risk one-year prison sentence! (However, I have never heard about a single person fined by police for biking under influence. It is quite common to have a refreshing beer somewhere in the middle of your journey. I wonder if there is any other nation with so huge disrespect to its own laws.)
Smoking while bicycling is illegal as well. Remember that you have to walk (not ride) with your bike in the historical centre, on pavements and over crosswalks.
So, you want to bike on weekends
Biking is one of the best recreational sports for people living in Brno, because the town is surrounded with nice, clean nature.
Do you hate biking to long hills? Have a nice ride alongside the banks of Svratka. You can start in the western part of the town and bike southern direction, finally leaving the town and going to the pretty lowlands of the southern Moravia. If you feel like two day bike, continue to Vienna!
Do you enjoy mountain biking? Try the woods located in the northern and the western part of the town.
Want to explore the Tuscany-like atmosphere of the southern Moravia? Then get a train to Břeclav (you can even hire a bike in Břeclav), Hrušovany u Brna, Vranovice, Popice or Březí and explore the famous biking paths leading trough wineyards.
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