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)

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

Old Brno at night, with University quarter at the horizon. Photo by Zdeněk Softič

It gets worse in June, July and August, when most of the young folks leave town; the same with January and February.

Most Czechs socialize in pubs. They usually meet their friends there, talk about the past week and only some of them are interested in meeting new people. If you want to find new friends, forget about pubs and go clubbing.

So where is all the fun?

Most clubs are located in the city centre or close to it – within a range of 3 tram stops.

• Fléda is considered to be a cultural centre of Brno, offering wide spectrum of concerts and parties, targeting on 18-30 y.o. audience with “good taste”.
• Mersey is one of the oldest clubs in Brno – I haven’t been there for 7 years and can’t judge it, but it’s still popular, so give it a try.
• TwoFaces has a small swimming pool next to the bar and I know about several girls who celebrated their 18th birthday there. Any further questions?
• Mandarin, Viva la Fiesta and Tabarin are clubs to go if you are suntanned & slim and want to ball a chick or a boy. The newer BMW you have, the better.
• Red Cat is a “gay and friendly” club. Some of my female friends like it because no one stares at them there.
• Desert is a cigarette-and-whoever-knows-what-else-smoke-filled den with urinals that whistle when you open your pants, but you know what? I like it.
• Alterna is halfway between being a pub and a club – it’s a friendly place where students meet durink week days. There are several jazz/kletzmer/rock concerts every month.

For a list of author’s favorite pubs, see the article “5 pubs and bars to visit during MotoGP weekend“.

Safety

The night life in Brno is, basically speaking, safe. If you get in a conflict with a drunk man (or woman), keep your head cold and try to leave. If you are new to the town, try to avoid quarters like Cejl after dark. Read more about the safety of women in Brno.
General security number in the Czech republic is 112.

About the law (don’t give policemen reason to end your party)

You can get alcohol if you are under 18 – at least according to the law, which is often being broken by bartenders.

Drinking on a street or in a park is not illegal, but this may change during 2009 — town council probably considers people drinking wine during their picnic evil and wants to fine them.

You should make no disturbing noise between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., no matter whether on a street or in a private apartment. Fines go up to dozens of euro.

Share your experience

If the list does not include your favorite club, tell us in comments — all the other readers are curious about your tips!

Beer and sausages sold at the racing circuit certainly aren’t the best thing Brno can offer, nor the most reasonably priced. For authentic Czech pub experience, visit these restaurants in the centre of Brno:

1. Bláhovka

A girl drinking Pilsen and eating blue cheese balls with paprika at Bláhovka

“Hostinec u Bláhovky” is known for probably the best Pilsen beer draught in Brno. Bunches of men (an some women) are standing with beers in nearby streets (!) every evening, as the pub itself is crowded.

If you are lucky enough to get a seat, try roast pork knee. If standing, try Czech tapas – pickled camembert, blue cheese balls (“nivové koule”) or bread with butter and tvarůžky.

Zvětšit mapu

2. Panoptikum

Beer garden of Panoptikum

Modern pub (opened 2007) with good draught Pilsen and many tasty meals to choose from.

Zvětšit mapu

3. Pegas

Pegas is offering at least 4 unique types of beer

Microbrewery with unique products, incl. weizenbier, but also legendary rude waiters. Try at your own risk.

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4. Zelená kočka

Old fashioned restaurant with excellent Dalešice beer on tap (and Oslavany sometimes). They often offer meals from game meat.

Zvětšit mapu

5. Modrá růže

Pub with low prices, various Czech beers on tap and closing hour as late as at 4 a.m.

Zvětšit mapu

Prices

A 0.5 l draught beer in Brno usually costs between CZK 25 and CZK 35 (€1-€1.5). During the MotoGP some pubs double their prices; I think the above-mentioned restaurants play a fair game and do not change their prices.

Prepare CZK 200-400 (€7.5-€15) for a big meal. The small tapas cost less than €2.

Most pubs usually do not accept euros or cards, however the policy about the first one may be changed during the MotoGP weekend somewhere.

Don’t forget a very impotant thing: driving under influence is strictly prohibited in the Czech republic and may lead to a fine of hundreds of euros. If you are sleeping in a camp, use a bus or a taxi to get to the centre.

Brno offers a high quality of life (at least in the context of eastern Europe) for a quite nice price.

Thinking about moving to Brno? These two tables will tell you all the prices you are wondering about.

Please remember that the numbers in euro were calculated on June 23, 2009 — they can change anytime soon.

Usual costs of living for an Erasmus student

Cost of living for a worker or a businessperson

Are you afraid of the five months you are about to spend in Brno? Stop! Thousands of young people have had the same feelings before but now they have great experiences! Brno Now will guide you trough the best months of your academic life.

1. Rent a room in a hipster quarter

Renting a room instead of a flat is a good way to save some money and to find some friends. Renting a room in a hipster quarter is another good way to save some money – and also to learn why is Brno nicknamed “the Czech Manchester”.

Try quarters Židenice, Královo Pole, Černá Pole, Staré Brno, Juliánov, Žabovřesky, Komín and Jundrov. Avoid Cejl (too much criminality) and suburbs (lack of social life).

2. Attend events organized by your school and research, research, research!

Every faculty has its way of making the students know each other. Don’t be a loner and don’t be shy – the other people usually come to the party only to become friends with you!

It’s also useful to explore materials published by your university and even by other colleges or publishers – it will make your relocation easier:

• Erasmus at Masaryk University (MUNI)
• International Students Club at VUT Brno
• Information for incoming students (VUT)
• The official page of the Czech republic

With a little research, you will find important information about your programme, contact for a study advisor and other knowledge that will make the stress go away.

3. Become a hockey fan

Ice hockey is the Czech national sport and the club “Kometa Brno” has a cult following in the town, even though it participates “only” in the second league. A ticket costs only about CZK 60 (€2.15) and the atmosphere is just great.

4. Taste the local specialties

Go to a pub and order pickled camembert (“nakládaný hermelín”, CZK 60 per serving) and blue cheese balls (“nivové koule”, CZK 12 per serving)…

5. Visit the most popular pub

…or taste the specialities at “Bláhovka”, old-fashioned little pub near the the city. Many people swear by the quality of their Pilsner Urquell. Early afternoon is the only time there is a chance of getting a table.

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6. Have a romantic date in a park

There are two beautiful parks right in the the city: around the Špilberk castle and around the St. Peter cathedral. Czechs are very liberal and they don’t mind pairs of people kissing in public. (I think that holding hands is OK for homosexual pairs, but I’ve never tested that.)

7. Learn to speak hantec

There is a quite funny jargon spoken in Brno – actually only in its pubs and, sadly, in the TV shows made in Brno, which makes the rest of the country think that we are dorks. Anyway: nothing is as cute as a foreigner being able to use some basic words:

Caution: speaking hantec in front of people from Brno may make you look cool. Speaking hantec in front of anybody from Prague will certainly make you look retarded!

8. Sail or bike to the Veveří castle

The dam in the west part of the city is popular for bike paths and also for excursion ships, departing every 30 minutes. About 8 km northwest from the harbour, there’s a castle called Veveří.

Because the dam will undergo a massive cleaning in 2009, there will be no ships this season – I recommend biking or walking to Veveří and back. Sailing will return in 2010.

9. Rent a bike and drive trough vineyards

Wake up early, go to the main train station, buy a ticket to Břeclav (a town near the austrian border), rent a bicycle and enjoy driving trough magnificent nature. Tourist Information Centre Břeclav has a great webpage with all the information you need. Beware: biking under the influence of alcohol is illegal in the Czech republic, fine may be as high as several hundreds Euro.

10. Add Brno Now to your RSS reader, weblog and Facebook wall

We will be here to bring you news and another lists of freewheelin’ ideas like this one. Are you here for the first time? Then read recent article on shopping in Brno.

Follow us and tell your friends and schoolmates about us! Just add our RSS channel to your reader of choice and publish a link to Brno Now on your website, blog or Facebook wall!

Credits

The beautiful girl in the headline photo was portrayed by karpov the wrecked train. Wordle was used to get the tag cloud.

Are ya spending the upcoming weekend in Brno? We picked the most interesting parties.

DJ John O’Callaghan @ Fléda

5h December, 8:00 P.M., 24 Štefánikova st., GPS: 49°12’35.718″N, 16°36’11.879″E

John O’Callaghan is an Irish DJ, mainly producing electronic music. Check www.myspace.com/johnocallaghan.

St. Nicholas Party @ TwoFaces

5h December, 283/1 Biskupská st., GPS: 49°11’31.458″N, 16°36’21.669″E

The old Czech tradition of the St. Nicholas day will be refashioned on Friday in TwoFaces. Wanna see go-go dancers dressed as angels and devils? You know where to go.

Mej Cup / Bouldersession @ Fléda

6h December, 2:00 P.M., 24 Štefánikova st., GPS: 49°12’35.718″N, 16°36’11.879″E

Interested in bouldering? Oh, nay? Well, then enjoy the afterparty with the cult groups as Nuck Chorris gang, Čankišou, Tony ducháček a Garage and Gerda Blank.