Things to Do in Brno, Czech Republic: Walking Guide
Things to Do in Brno
Brno, the Czech Republic’s second‑largest city, sits in South Moravia between Prague, Vienna and Bratislava. Its compact centre blends medieval landmarks, pioneering modernist architecture and a lively café scene, making it a rewarding destination for anyone interested in history, design and relaxed urban life. Neywo offers a free audio guide for Brno with 249 narrated places, letting you explore the city at your own pace.
Top sights to see in Brno
Villa Tugendhat
Designed in 1928 by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe for Fritz and Greta Tugendhat, Villa Tugendhat is a pioneering modernist residence. Its steel framework and slender chrome‑plated columns support open, glass‑filled living spaces that open onto a winter garden. The villa became a National Cultural Monument in 1995, was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2001 and is also part of the Iconic House programme.
Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul (Petrov)
The cathedral’s two Gothic Revival towers, each 84 metres high, dominate Brno’s skyline. Built between 1904 and 1909 to a design by August Kirstein, the interior is predominantly Baroque, furnished largely by sculptor Ondřej Schweigl. The site’s origins reach back to an 11th‑century church, a Romanesque building from around 1180 and a 14th‑century Gothic basilica. The cathedral appears on the Czech ten‑koruna coin and is a national cultural monument.
Moravian Museum (Dětské muzeum)
The Moravian Museum, one of the Czech Republic’s largest and oldest museum institutions, occupies Palais Dietrichstein on Zelný trh. Founded by imperial decree on 29 July 1817 as the Franzensmuseum, it now holds several million objects across historical, natural‑science and art‑history departments. Highlights include the Anthropos Pavilion and the dedicated Children’s Museum (Dětské muzeum).
Dům pánů z Lipé
This Renaissance townhouse at Náměstí Svobody 17 was erected between 1589 and 1596 for wine merchant Christoph Schwanz. Italian architects Antonio Gabrieli and Giorgio Gialdi gave it its Renaissance character. Over the centuries it has been known as the Schwanz Palace, later associated with František Komárek and, notably, with Luis Raduit de Souches, who commanded Brno’s defence against the Swedes in 1645. Today it houses a shopping centre and a ticket office for cultural events.
Mahen Theatre
Opened in 1882 as the German Deutsches Stadttheater, Mahen Theatre blends Neo‑Renaissance, Neo‑Baroque and Neoclassical styles. It holds the distinction of being one of the first public buildings in the world lit entirely by electric light. The theatre remains a protected cultural monument and forms part of the National Theatre Brno.
Basilica of the Assumption of Our Lady
Located at Old Brno Abbey on Mendlovo Square in the Staré Brno district, this high Gothic convent church was begun in 1323 at the initiative of Queen Elizabeth Richeza and completed in 1334. Its ground plan is shaped like a cross, exemplifying a unified Gothic design. After the queen’s death she was buried beneath the altar of the Holy Cross; the Cistercian community was dissolved in 1782 and Augustinian monks moved in, with Baroque alterations added in the 18th century.
Měnínská Gate (Adele Bocková memorial)
The only surviving city gate in Brno, Měnínská Gate stands on Orlí Street near Malinovské Square. Its origins date to the 13th century fortifications; it has been protected as a historic monument since 1964, reconstructed in the late 1970s and now serves as exhibition space managed by the Brno City Museum.
Red Church in Brno
Officially the Evangelical Church of John Amos Comenius, the Red Church was designed by Heinrich von Ferstel and built between 1863 and 1867. Its striking red brick façade has made it a beloved Protestant landmark and a protected cultural monument, used today by the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren.
Explore Brno with Neywo
Neywo’s free audio guide turns a simple walk into a self‑guided discovery. The app offers 5 walking tours and 1 bus route in Brno:
- Freedom Square: Plague, Marbles and a Hidden Ossuary – 0.98 km, 87 minutes, 12 stops
- From the Cabbage Market to Petrov Hill – 0.89 km, 85 minutes, 11 stops
- From Špilberk Hill to Mendel’s Garden – 1.5 km, 77 minutes, 10 stops
- Edison’s Light and Brno’s Stages – 1.29 km, 84 minutes, 12 stops
- Modern Brno: Mies, Functionalism and the Ring Boulevard – 2.85 km, 102 minutes, 8 stops
- Line 67: Royal Fields, Art Nouveau and the Theatre Quarter (bus) – 6 km, 26 minutes, 6 stops
Each narrated story plays automatically as you reach the corresponding site, allowing you to move at your own pace with no group and no schedule. The guide is available in 11 languages, so you can choose the language that suits you best. Download Neywo, select a tour, and let the city’s stories unfold step by step.
Places with an audio guide in Brno
8 places in Brno with a Neywo audio guide. Each one starts telling its story as you reach it.
Self-guided tours in Brno
6 tours in Brno, free in the Neywo app. Each stop tells its story as you reach it.
- Bus ride
Line 67: Royal Fields, Art Nouveau and the Theatre Quarter
Ride DPMB bus 67 across Brno from the parks of Královo Pole to the old centre. You pass the 1920s Hussite church and the Art Nouveau Villa Löw-Beer, then reach Moravské náměstí with its Augustinian monastery. The ride ends at the Janáček and Mahen theatres.
Slovanské náměstí · Church of Czechoslovak Hussite Church in Brno-Královo Pole · Villa Löw-Beer · Moravské náměstí · Janáček Theatre · Mahen Theatre
Open this tour: Line 67: Royal Fields, Art Nouveau and the Theatre Quarter - Walk
Freedom Square: Plague, Marbles and a Hidden Ossuary
Start under a Gothic church and descend into Europe's second-largest ossuary, then step into the triangular square where Brno's trade routes met. Find the plague column, the black orloj that spits out a glass marble at 11, and the Renaissance houses that watched the Swedish siege. The route ends with Mozart's Baroque lodgings and the oldest cloister wall in the city.
Church of St. James · Brno Ossuary · Pillar of the Plague · Freedom Square · Church of Saint Nicholas · Brno astronomical clock …
Open this tour: Freedom Square: Plague, Marbles and a Hidden Ossuary - Walk
From the Cabbage Market to Petrov Hill
Brno's oldest market square, with its Baroque fountain and plague-era column, leads to the Capuchins and then up to the twin towers of Petrov. Listen for the bell that rings an hour early, thanks to a siege-time trick.
Franciscan monastery Brünn · Reduta Theatre · Parnas fountain · Holy Trinity column in Brno · Divadlo Husa na provázku · Palais Dietrichstein, Brno …
Open this tour: From the Cabbage Market to Petrov Hill - Walk
From Špilberk Hill to Mendel's Garden
Climb to the fortress that became one of the Habsburg Empire's harshest prisons, then walk down to Old Brno Abbey, where Gregor Mendel grew his peas and founded genetics. A Gothic queen's church and a quiet monastery close the route.
Betlémský church · Špilberk Castle · Basilica of the Assumption of Our Lady · Pulihrášek · Maria column (Brno, Mendlovo náměstí) · Church of Saint Anne …
Open this tour: From Špilberk Hill to Mendel's Garden - Walk
Edison's Light and Brno's Stages
Brno's theatre district: the opera house that was among the first buildings in the world lit entirely by electric light, a tribute to Edison, the city's last medieval gate and the clubs and stages that keep the Czech alternative scene alive.
Janáček Theatre · Česající se dívka · Brno House of Arts · Bust of Rodion Malinovsky · Malinovsky square · Mahen Theatre …
Open this tour: Edison's Light and Brno's Stages - Walk
Modern Brno: Mies, Functionalism and the Ring Boulevard
Start at Villa Tugendhat, Mies van der Rohe's UNESCO-listed glass-and-steel house, and visit the Art Nouveau villa where Greta Tugendhat grew up. Then follow Brno's modernist trail to a Functionalist church, Janáček's garden house and the Ringstrasse-era Red Church and Besední dům, from whose balcony Czechoslovakia was proclaimed.
Villa Tugendhat · Villa Löw-Beer · Hus congregation · Leoš Janáček Memorial · Red Church in Brno · Besední dům …
Open this tour: Modern Brno: Mies, Functionalism and the Ring Boulevard
Walk Brno with Neywo
Neywo turns Brno into a self-guided audio tour. Stories arrive as you reach the place they belong to, and the route reshapes when you wander off it.
