Sand beach at Náměstí svobody sq.

Beyond a beer garden: where to savor life on a street

Many people coming from western Europe are surprised by the fact that Czechs do not enjoy “living on a street” as much as other nations do. However, several pubs and cafés in Brno are changing this, despite the forced 10:00 p.m. closing time.

Bláhovka pub, 54 Gorkého st.

Bláhovka pub at Gorkého st. on a Friday afternoon

Bláhovka was probably the first place in the modern history of Brno that attracted a crowd of “guests” drinking beer (great Pilsen, by the way) standing on a street in almost any weather.

Falk café/Špargl bistro, 12 Gorkého st.

This combo of a hipster café and a student bistro has only three tiny tables at the street but on some warm summer evenings it atracts crowds of dozens.

Kamenná st., including Duck bar

Siesta in front of Duck bar

I may be posting about Kamenná kolonie too often, but here is just another reason: every day after 5 p.m., a small crowd of 5-20 people sits down in front of Duck bar. These folks sip beer, smoke, read newspapers and discuss news – which is something you can not experience anywhere else in Brno.

Zelená kočka and Varna, Solniční st.

Two of the biggest beer gardens in downtown Brno turn Solniční street into quite a living place. I prefer Zelená kočka for the excellent Dalešické beer.

Přístavní st.

The road from Přístaviště tram station to the Brno dam lake is filled with huge beer gardens and wide enough for careless promenading. Sadly, you have to get ready for some slow and unwelcome service here.

Where to cool down

• In some of the outdoor swimming pools, of course.
• In a café, drinking some home made lemonade.
• At the sand beach at Náměstí svobody sq.
• In an outdoor cinema.

Please, share your tips

It is quite likely I forgot about some cool places, maybe I even don’t know some great spots. Please, share your experiences with others in the comments.

A ferry boat approaching Veveří castle

The weather is too beautiful to spend Saturdays and Sundays at home. One of my favorite trips is to ride a tram #1 to stop Přístaviště (30 minutes from the main station), hike to Veveří castle along the banks of Brno dam lake (2 hours), and then to take a ferry boat back to Brno (1 hour for the castle, 1 hour for the cruise).

The hiking is quite easy, as there are almost no uphills and you can have a beer or a lemonade in several beer gardens along the way.

Veveří castle is surprisingly huge

Veveří castle is almost unknown to foreign visitors of the town, although it is one of the most popular “beauty-spots” for locals. A century ago, the situation was opposite. Until 1925, it had been owned by British nobleman Arnold De Forest-Bischofsheim – and it also had been visited by Winston Churchill for several times, including during his honeymoon. (Learn more about the history of the castle.)

The castle has been decaying for a very long time after the World War II. In recent years, thanks to castellan Petr Fedor, the situation is getting better – place after place, the huge complex is getting repaired.

Sadly, there are no tours with English-speaking guide. However, for only CZK 20, you can walk through all the courtyards and even to some ambits and towers.

Boat Brno

Ferry boats have been a popular tourist attraction for 65 years – which is being celebrated this month. However, prepare to pay CZK 110 for a cruise from Veveří castle back to Bystrc quarter. It is worth of the money anyway. Learn more about the ferry boats, prices and timetable.

If you want to do this trip, print out this tourist map. Přístaviště tram station is at its bottom, Veveří castle at its top. Follow the red trail all the way and you can not get lost.

Well, we all know that the Valentine’s Day is an overhyped product of global consumerist culture, but… it is still a nice reason for having some extra quality time with your loved one and for exploring Brno at the same time!

Enjoy Valentine’s Day in Kamenná kolonie shanty town

Last year's Valentine's day at Kamenná kolonie (source: Facebook page of Sixty Stone Space)

Have a great dinner

Many restaurants will offer a special Valentine’s Day menu from Friday to Monday – including Rialto, Bruna Antiqua or Momo Sushi. Also, Grand Restaurant Festival is still running!

The weather is nice, so why don’t you just go out for a walk?

Check out the last year’s list of the most romantic places in Brno. Nothing has changed!

I’ve been living in Brno for 26 years and I think I will stay here for the rest of my life; however, there are several things that really piss me of.

Sometimes, Brno may be a really depressive place to live (photo by pstmn)

Most people don’t speak foreign languages

It is still hard to buy a lunch if you don’t speak Czech. People working in services, including police, only rarely speak fluent English or German. It wouldn’t be such a problem if they at least tried to catch on. Many people still hold the same opinion that was popular in the communist era, i.e. “if someone comes to the Czech republic, he or she should learn Czech first”.

Few people are business oriented, most just talk bullshit

It is quite hard to get any deal done here in Brno. Don’t get me wrong: many people have excellent ideas and plans – but this is where it ends.

If you want to cooperate with somebody, it often means discussing even the silliest details for long hours. It is like noone had a real job and their only hobby was “discussing projects” in cafés.

Everything takes three time longer than was expected or even promised – and don’t you dare to demand apologies for that.

Also, I’ve experienced much bigger problems with actually getting paid for my work with some companies from Brno, compared to companies based in Prague.

Erotic advertising all around

What do you see when you get from a train at the main station? Banners telling young girls: “Show a pussy on a webcam, get more money than if you were a scientist!” (Well, actually they claim “Become independent!” but the message is the same).

Do not get me wrong: I am not a puritan. I even do posses a big collection of porn. But I still think that the “commercialized sex” is something that should remain a private thing.

The places for advertising are mantained by town-owned companies. Yet, according to politicians, there is nothing Brno could do about it. My-brain-hurtz.

Everyone knows everyone

Tell Mr X that Ms Y is a cunt. Mr X will punch you in your nose, because Ms Y is his cousin/schoolmate/they had sex in the bathroom of Fléda club (or everything together).

“People from Prague have it so much easier!”

According to many citizens of Brno, Prague prints money, therefore it has the biggest influence on the quality of live in every household in the Czech republic. And, of course, Prague somehow “discriminates” Brno, because we are so much cooler.

“We are the centre of Europe!”

The worst marketing slogan ever.

If you rent a flat near Obilní trh sq., then you may study in this beautiful park.

If you are coming to Brno for the Erasmus or any other study programme, chosing the right quarter may improve your “Brno experience” a lot. I recommend these parts of the town:

• Veveří is the true student quarter of Brno, with many university buildings (mostly of the Masaryk university), cafés and well known pubs. This is the place where hipsters ride their fixed-gear bicycles to get to the lectures on time.
  The rents are slightly above average – but it is still affordable to rent a 2-bedroom flat (CZK 12,000 or €500, including heating, gas & electricity), or even bigger apartment and share it with several other people.
• Královo pole may be a good quarter for these who study University of Technology or University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences – both have most of their buildings located right in this area. Královo pole is a neat quarter with cafés, clubs and pubs too.
• Cejl has been a poor, underdeveloped quarter of Brno for the whole last century. It is still dirtier than the rest of the town and pickpocketing is more common there (according to a police spokeswoman I interviewed last year). However, you can reach the town centre (and most university buildings) by foot within 10 or 15 minutes. There are many bars, and what is most important – the rents are approx. 15-25 per cent lower compared to the rest of the town.

Also, you may appreciate some more tips:

• If you want to commute by bike, avoid suburbs located on hills – Brno is actually a quite hilly town.
• Suburbs also usually suffer from poor social and night life. You’ll be lucky to find a good club or pub.
• On the other side, these quarters are usually located next to nice, large and safe forrests, great for hiking, running, cross biking etc. Rents may also be lower (but not significantly).
• Many students have to travel around the town on some days to get to different labs, libraries, etc. Don’t feel shy to contact your Erasmus guide or friends to figure out in which part of the town you are going to spend most of your time, to find the right place for renting a flat.
• But finally, don’t overthink it. Brno is quite small. The public transportation is great – even after midnight! The town offers a good level of safety everywhere. And it is not hard to find a new apartment quickly.

Enjoy your stay!

Brno as seen from Špilberk castle (photo by Artep ^_^)

• If you have a free afternoon, walk around the old town and enjoy some of the most popular sightseeings.
• Try out some great local beers.
• Join the night life in bars and clubs.
• If you are homosexual, you might be interested in gay-friendly venues.
• For a detailed guide to Brno, see Brno 101 – a website I wrote for one of my clients some time ago.

If you feel like you are melting away, try one of these ice-cold beverages sold in the streets of Brno:

Legránž

Fresh legránž in café Falk

Homemade lemonade

Several cafés are serving homemade lemonade – last week I had a great one in Priority café located in the garages at Moravské náměstí sq. You may enjoy a nice glass of lemonade in café Trojka, too.

Cider

Cider is not really popular in the Czech republic – but you can get it from a tap in The Immigrant pub at Veveří st. for €2,5.

Kofola

Kofola, developed in the 1960s by Czechoslovakian chemists (source: Wikimedia Common)

Beer

Check out the list of pubs with great beer here in Brno.

There are several open air swimming pools in the town – try out one of these on your next day off!

Kraví hora

Outdoor swimming pool at Kraví hora (source: kravihora-brno.cz)

Kraví hora outdoor swimming pool is located five tram stops from the city centre, next to the great indoor swimming pool.

In July and August, the place is opened from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m; 3 hours of sunbathing and swimming cost CZK 50, all-day ticket is worth CZK 100.

Larger map

Riviéra

Riviéra in Pisárky quarter (source: rivec.cz)

Located next to the Exhibition ground, outdoor swimming pool Riviéra was a promising project in the early 1990s, but it quickly turned in one of the stillborn businesses of the early Czech capitalism. However, life is returning to the huge area and you may enjoy several swimming pools, as well as other leisure time facilities.

Riviéra is opened daily from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and all-day ticket costs CZK 90.

Larger map

Dobrák

You may know about Dobrák from a recent post about an open air cinema running there until the end of August.

All-day ticket costs CZK 95 but you’ll get a CZK 30 discount after 4 p.m.

Btw, you can check out a webcam capturing the swimming pool.

Zvětšit mapu

Zábrdovice

Spa in Zábrdovice, next to Zbrojovka factory (source: lazne-brno.cz)

Designed in the 1920s by renowed functionalist architect Bohuslav Fuchs, “spa” in quarter Zábrdovice is not a shiny place anymore. On the other side, with entrance fee of CZK 80, it is one of the cheapest places to go for a swim.

Larger map

Brno dam lake

Technically speaking, Brno dam lake is not a pool, but hundreds or thousand people swim or ride boats there every day. State has invested a lot of money to clean out the water and there is a nude beach located on the northern bank, approx. 2 kilometers from the ship dock.

Larger map

As you may know from the Facebook page of Brno Now, this website was mentioned in an article published in renowed British newspaper, The Guardian.

The article “Czech out the prices in Brno” has been online for two weeks, but Tim Bryan was so kind and sent me a printed copy:

Brno as we know it (and like it)

My mom will be proud, despite the typo in my surname.

The article is focused mostly on the opportunity to have a great vacation with a very low budget.

This list presents the twelve most googled and best known hotels in Brno – which means that most of the town’s residents know where these hotels are and will hopefully help you with finding your way.

If not stated else, the hotels are located in the centre of the city or close to it. The stars denote a level of luxury, however standards are not stricly regulated and you’d better visit the websites to check out the provided services.

Comsa Palace (****, website, map)

Comsa palace

A luxurious hotel located in a nice secession palace next to Petrov cathedral opened last year and it quickly became popular. Their restaurant is renowed for serving haute cuisine for affordable prices.

Hotel Slovan (***, website, map)

Hotel Slovan

One of the oldest hotels in Brno; it was designed by Bohuslav Fuchs and built in 1928.

Best Western Premier Hotel International (****, website, map)

Hotel International

The exterior of hotel International, built in the 1960s, does not fit well between the palaces at Husova st., but it provides an interesting amount of luxury right in the centre of the town.

Hotel Continental (****, website, map)

Hotel Continental

This hotel has one unexpected advantage: its tall building can be visible from many parts of the town, so if you are new to Brno, you are prevented from getting lost (more or less).

Holiday Inn (****, website, map)

Holiday Inn offers accommodation in 201 rooms and congress halls for 600 people. It is located next to the Exhibition grounds, so it is popular among the visitors of the trade fairs.

Myslivna (***, website, map)

A town-owned hotel on a high hill above the town. If you want to enjoy the city centre, you are gonna to ride a taxi or a bus. However it may be good for holding a conference.

I like Myslivna because of its big sign “M” that shines on the town every night from a great height.

Hotel Voroněž (****, website, map)

Another hotel located next to the Exhibition grounds. Its name still resembles the communist era but the services are adequate to our capitalist times.

Royal Ricc (****, website, map)

This small hotel belongs to a brand “Romantic hotels” and it really is quite romantic. Royal Ricc offers various wedding and honeymoon packages.

Hotel Avanti (****, website, map)

Located in quarter Královo pole, hotel Avanti is focused on congresses, conferences, presentations, seminars, balls, and other social events.

Hotel Slavia (****, website, map)

Hotel Slavia

Slavia has been running from 1893. It is located in the historical centre but it offers a garage.

Hotel Avion (**, website, map)

One of the most interesting pieces of functionalist architecture in Brno – this hotel was built on a very thin vacant lot in 1928 and it is still among the narrowest hotels in Europe. The beautiful building, designed by Bohuslav Fuchs, is being repaired right now; however Avion is still open for business.

Hotel Santon (***, website, map)

Santos is the most distant hotel from the list, speaking about the distance to the city centre. It is located next to the huge artificial lake in quarter Bystrc and some six kilometers from the racing circuit Automotodrom Brno – so it is a good place to stay if you are a motorbike fan. You can reach the city centre within 15 minutes via taxi and in half an hour via public transportation.

Brno is a town with population of 360,000, attracting much more people several times a year. Rents and wages are still lower than in Prague and your competitors may be less skilled and experienced than in bigger towns. It looks like a great place to start a business – I have spotted seven opportunities:

Selling affordable alternative fashion

An indie fashion boutique may have a great success in Brno (photo by Luiz Alberto Fiebig Junior)

There are tens of thousands of students and young “hipsters” in Brno. When they want to buy new clothes, they go to H&M or Zara – or they travell to Vienna to get something more unique. So why don’t give them an indie boutique?
You can import clothes from Asia or America – or hire young local designers.

Guided bicycle trips

There are dozens of kilometers of bike paths around Brno and many of these lead to great destinations, like Mikulov, the gardens in Valtice and wine bike paths. Yet there is no company offering guded bicycle trips for Czech or foreign tourists. You may buy 5-10 ordinary bikes, an used pick-up and try your luck. I think the question is not whether you get your investment back, but when does that happen.

Segway tours

I have seen many people riding Segways in Vienna and Prague – but not a single one in Brno. Consider that walking from the main train station to Špilberk castle is pretty exhausting, and Segways can solve this problem out.

This business may be risky, as new Segways cost $5400+. However, you may try to buy used ones and sell them if you do not succeed.

Licencing the first franchise of its kind in Brno

With only McDonald’s, KFC, Subway and Burger King in Brno, there is still opportunity for bringing another international food chain to the town. Brands to consider:

• Starbucks
• Wendy’s
• Hooters

Delicatessen

There are no delicatessen offering snacks based on the traditions of Czech or Moravian cuisine – bread with smoked meat or pork fat, hand-made pies, blood soup… Something what Katz is doing in NY City.

Rent a small place downtown, start offering great, simple meals, set reasonable prices (traditional ingredients are really cheap in the Czech republic) and think about your marketing – I think it is possible to make your delicatessen popular among blue-collars during day and among the creative class on evenings by offering different menus etc.

Simple service for buying tickets online

I do not know about any website allowing you to buy tickets to all concerts in Brno (including those taking place in really small venues) online with your credit card and PayPal, print these tickets at home and then bring it to the venue, without any stress.

It would be a lot of work to make deals with all these clubs and agencies, but after that this would be a hard-to-copy business that would make big revenues with even a small team.

By the way, no Czech ticket-selling service offers simple and fair affiliate marketing for bloggers such I am. Programming this killer feature, which is not really complicated, can bring you dozens or hundreds affiliate marketers, linking to your site every day.

Buying oddments in local antiques, selling it on eBay

The last tip may be good for students. You can buy many Soviet-era cameras for less than CZK 100 in Brno – and sell it on eBay for much more. Thanks to large supply and small demand for antiguities in Brno, the same can be with old furniture, insignia, old photos and paintings etc.

Rainbow flag, symbol of gay pride (source: Wikimedia Commons)

There are hundreds of gay or lesbian readers of Brno Now – I actually feel sorry for not having published this short guide earlier.

How gay/lesbian friendly is Brno?

Czech republic may be one of the most liberal countries in Europe and it legalized the “registered partnerships” of same-sex couples four years ago. However, south Moravia is probably the most conservative part of the country. This means:

• Holding hands on streets is generally OK for women, as this is recognized as a sign of a good friendship. I have never seen two men holding hands; it would probably look weird for some conservative folks.
• Generally speaking, same-sex kissing is OK on parties in clubs.
• Most gays and lesbians I know are not shy to tell their co-workers or schoolmates about their sexual orientation.
• You can still face homophobia but this kind of behavior is getting rare. Czech republic has a strong anti-discrimination policy (you can not be fired or disadvantaged for being a homosexual) and I do not know about any acts of homophobic violence in Brno. However, the first gay pride parade in Brno was harrased by skinheads several years ago, and the town refused to donate the GLBT film festival Mezipatra (although mayor’s son was acting in a gay porn) last year. So: the battle for equal rights is not over.

Gay or gay friendly clubs and restaurants

Of course, you can have a date in every restaurant in the town. However, there are venues that call themselves “gay friendly”, which means (among other thing) that it is somehow easier to find a mate there.

As far as I know, there is no “gay hotel” in Brno. I’ll let you know if that changes.

• Richard Club is, according to its website, the oldest gay club in the Czech republic. (Richard Club on a map.)
• Áčko is a nice café located right in the centre. It is one of the most popular places among the GLBT community. (Áčko on a map.)
• Some of my straight female friends love to party in Red Cat gay club, because there are no sleazy straight men harrasing girls that just want to have fun. (My friends are pretty clever.)
• I have spotted many gay and lesbian pairs in Salon Daguerre, although the café does not advertise itself as a GLBT venue. The same with café Spolek.
• My friend recommended me Depo Club at 7 Pekařská st., “the biggest gay disco in Brno”. I have never heard about it, just try it out for yourselves.
• Las Palmas is a gay wellness club, offering sauna and similar attractions.
• Feeling horny? Gibon club is a place to pick up some boy or man to have sex with. (Gibon club on a map)
• Dave’s club opened at 8 Hybešova st. in June 2011.

I would be glad for any feetback, further tips and so on. Let us know in the comments.