General info

Moving abroad is not only about paperwork, public offices and moving vans. It is also about finding your place in a new home. Your old routine gets broken; your favourite places are thousands of miles away. It is time to discover new ones, it is time to develop new habits, to meet new people, and to carry on with the hobbies you do not want to give up on.

Brno offers many possibilities for entertainment. Take the following list as an inspiration – a place to start exploring.

Hobbies

LUŽÁNKY - středisko volného času (Leisure Centre)

Lužánky is the biggest park in Brno, and also the oldest and largest leisure centre in CZ - an organization which offers creative activities for children, young people and adults alike. Courses in English are offered in drawing, painting, graphics, stained glass, ceramics and theatre, there are countless other pastimes for children. Call +420 604 700 212 to speak to Andrea Herzanova in English. Andrea does different art techniques every semester.

Music / art / dance / drama lessons

The network of “elementary art schools” is really extensive throughout the CR and has a long tradition of providing both children and adults with classes tutored by experienced professional teachers who help the pupils to find and strengthen their relationship to art and develop skills and talents.

Courses offered: art, musical instruments (e.g. guitar, accordion, piano, cello, violin, drums and many more), dance, singing, drama, art. There are public and private elementary art schools. The semester starts in September and in February just like school. See the list of all the art schools in Brno.

Alternately, you can also try to find a teacher privately via the central website Hudebka.cz – (in Czech only) first click on the name of your course and the location in the country. Then you can try to contact the teachers individually – they have an appropriate flag next to their name if they speak a foreign language.

Matilda

Art, glass, ceramic, email - courses for adults. Some courses for children also offered.

  • Palackého třída 95, Brno-Královo Pole
  • website

Zašívárna

Embroidery workshops in Brno and elsewhere. They can also speak English or German. You can take part in a workshop, create your own embroidery with their embroidery sets or have them made by so-called 'embroidery grandmothers'. More information on their website or Facebook (Czech only).

  • 777 551 848
  • objednavky@zasivarna.eu
  • website

Brusinka

Courses, leisure clubs, concerts, excursions, summer camps, workshops, sports and more for adults and children.

Cooking

Divoká vařečka Culinary studio

Divoká vařečka Culinary studio (“The Wild Spatula”) offers cooking courses for adults with different topics. Some courses are held in English – see their web page for details. The courses usually start in the afternoon: the chef demonstrates, and you have your own counter to try the preparation yourself. In the end, you taste the dinner with a glass of wine and a chance to chat. The course can last approx. 4 hours, maybe longer. A great idea for a gift voucher.

  • Pekárenská 6, Brno - centre
  • +420 773 686 322
  • kuchar@divoka-varecka.cz
  • website

IT courses

CzechITas

This organisation helps women, girls and children to explore the world of information technologies. They teach them to code in various programming languages, test their software, or analyse complex data. They organize workshops and courses on different levels of expertise, focused on particular knowledge or technology. They also organize summer IT camps, requalification and evening courses.

Dancing

Dancing has been a popular pastime here for centuries; most Czechs go through a ballroom dancing course at 16 and thus have no trouble taking to the floor at the many balls that are organised during the ball season – some of them are quite posh, some more leisurely. But there are many other informal dance events taking place throughout the year, focused on various styles old and new, and it’s a great way to meet the locals, so don’t worry about your feet and come along, even if you just watch at the start.

Eso Dance school

Dance courses, balls, dance shows. Beginners courses (in English!) include Latin American and ballroom dances: slow waltz, foxtrot, quickstep, Viennese waltz, tango, blues, cha-cha, jive, mambo and polka.

  • Jana Babáka 2733/11, Brno - Královo Pole
  • website

YMCA

Brno – based branch of the YMCA, the largest international organization for children and youth. Programes offered: Démáirt Irish dancing for children and adults, Ceilí club (informal Irish, Scottish and English dances), Jane Austen CZ society (balls, dance club), Ton Simple - balfolk (group folk dances from the whole world). No previous experience necessary.

Stolárna - Dance studio

Regular courses for the public – salsa, zouk, bachata. No need to have a dance partner. The studio offers also courses led in English and a possibility to rent the venue for private events

Swing Wings Dance school

Public and individual courses of swing with experienced tutors, informal dance events – a favourite swing school in Brno.

  • Swing Wings Studio (building n.15) Area Křenová 19, Brno
  • website

Rug Cutters

Dance workshops, individual and group lessons of swing, Lindy hop or charleston with experienced tutors.

Dash Dance (yoga and dance)

Dash is a professional dancer and tutor– she runs contemporary dance & yoga classes, workshops, courses, based in Brno.

Regular informal events

* Swing dance Sundays (organised by Swing Wings) in Café Atlas (throughout the whole year)

* Swing dance (organised by RugCutters.cz) in Tržnice, Zelný trh (throughout the whole year)

* Outdoor salsa Thursdays in Denisovy sady (under Ss. Peter and Paul Cathedral) (June – September)

* English country dance (organised by Jane Austen CZ) in Kavárna Trojka (monthly)

Outdoor

You’ve probably noticed, how dense the Brno public transport system is and how it can get you all the way to the edges of the city – so you can just get off the tram or a bus and you’re in a field or forest in 10 minutes. You can make use of this advantage in your free time, be it for a short walk or run to blow off steam on a weekday after work or for a day’s exploration with your friends or family at the weekend.

If you feel like venturing out of the city completely, check out our separate guide on trips outside Brno.

Where to go?

Go to Brno

Useful hints and tips - how to explore Brno, taste Brno, have fun in Brno, find your way in Brno.

Kudy z nudy

This app, freely translated as “Out of boredom”, will suggest trips and routes for your trips, giving you all the important information you need: what to see, how to get there, where to stop, where to snack. It is only in Czech, though.

Planning how to get there

mapy.cz

Czech-produced maps might not be as popular for planning your trips as Google maps or others. However, they have one redeeming quality: they show marked tourist paths, even in their offline mode. Have you ever noticed these colourful marks on trees or lampposts? They are signifying a tourist path. The Czech Tourist Club takes care of them. They lead past the most beautiful sights, both natural and cultural. It is always a good idea to plan your trip, hike, & bike according to them.
You have to download the maps to be able to use them offline: you can choose to download the whole country or just a small region: as such, the size of the file is highly reduced.

dpmb.cz

The timetables of the Brno public transport company where you can plan your journey.

Parks and Gardens

Lužánky City Park

The oldest public park in Brno centre, and also the biggest. The Neo-Renaissance pavilion houses a large leisure centre, there is a large playground with different recreational equipment for children in one corner and Café Ponava offering many cultural events in the other. The park is very often used for sporting activities (jogging, yoga) and cultural events. There is a reserved area for walking dogs as well.

Kraví hora (Sport and recreational area)

An open public park with sport areas, a swimming pool, observatory, walking paths, children's areas and other leisure-time activities. A restaurant and cafés available in the park.

Olympia park

Modern, huge park. Long path for bicycles and roller skates. Fast-food, playgrounds, café, toilets available. Climbing tower for adults. There is a cycling path along the river, leading all the way to Vienna!

  • Olympia shopping center, Brno - Modřice
  • website

Open Garden “Otevřená zahrada”

The Open Garden in the very centre of Brno is an ideal place for rest, education and entertainment for everyone. You can find an educational garden where you can experience the agricultural and natural cycle. You can also enjoy themed courses, school programmes or your own corporate events, conferences, weddings or celebrations.

Natural Sights

Czechs are very fond of the outdoors, walking, hiking and camping. The Czech Republic has the largest network of marked walking paths in the world, already since the 19th century. In Brno, it is very easy and comfortable to get on any bus or tram and ride to the terminus, be in the forest in 10 minutes, follow one of the coloured trails and get home by the end of the day. If you’re fond of nature, check out Mapy.cz and download the app in your phone. Then just switch it to the tourist maps, set your goal and enjoy.

Hády quarry, Llama Centre

A beautiful stone quarry Hády close to Brno centre (10 min by bus) with a stunning view of the city. It is a nice walk to take along the tourist paths (they are marked) going towards the natural park Hády. Under the quarry, you can find the Llama Centre where you can meet various animals.

Check out more interesting and green locations in Brno here.

ZOO

Brno ZOO

A modern Zoo with a wide variety of animals, a new bear area Beringhie, tigers, meerkats and domestic animals. Fast–food stalls and restaurants are available. A nice idea for an afternoon trip for the whole family (even dogs are welcomed inside the zoo). There is a possibility to take a small train through the zoo instead of walking uphill. You can also adopt an animal.

  • U Zoologické zahrady 46, Brno- Bystrc
  • website

Ferry boats

Ferry boats on Brno reservoir

The public transport company does not onyl run trams, trains and buses, but also boats on the Brno reservoir. The boats travel up and down the lake throughout the day. You can go right to the far end, where you will find Veveri Castle, or get off at any of the intermediate stops and wander around the woods – with nice restaurants and playgrounds. The castle itself is a spectacular sight, although neglected for fifty years. It is only now beginning to come alive again, and tours of the interior are a testimony of various past eras. Walking round the castle, with its great towers, walls, and inner buildings is enjoyable, and almost every weekend there is some kind of an event taking place there. You can also rent a ferry boat for a private group.

Hot-Air Balloon flights

Balloon flights are very popular in Brno: you will notice it sooner or later, just watching the sky and the number of balloons flying over your head. Here is an English-speaking organization that provides hot-air balloon flights: letime-balonem.cz/en/balloon-rides-brno

Wellness

Organised relaxation is getting popular among Czechs. You can find many smaller massage and wellness venues in the centre or in the suburbs – try google map search to discover them. Some resorts and aquaparks are building beautiful spa centres a bit further away from the centre: here is a list of some of the most popular spa & wellness centres.

Maximus Resort by the Brno reservoir

Newly built resort right at the shore of Brno lake, with a large centre full of saunas, thermal pools, whirlpools and a “massage world”. (ENG)

Kuřim Wellness centre – indoors and outdoors

A modern wellness centre, offering pools for swimming and relaxation. Services offered: sauna, massages, salt baths, fast-food, restaurant

  • Blanenská 1082, Kuřim; approx. 30 min from Brno by car
  • website

Aqualand Moravia water resort – indoors and outdoors

A newly built water world with swimming pools and water attractions, based on a site of a former Roman settlement. Services offered: spa, sauna, massages, salt baths, fast-food, restaurant, accommodation, Roman camp exhibition

  • Pasohlávky 110 E, Pasohlávky; approx. 30 min from Brno by car
  • website

Spa in Laa an der Thaya (Austria)

New and modern wellness centre, offering pools for swimming, relaxation. High standard. If it is your birthday, you can enter for free. Services offered: sauna, massages, salt baths, restaurant. There’s a hotel connected to the spa centre (reasonably priced packages).

  • Thermenplatz 3 2136 Laa an der Thaya, Austria – approx. 1 hour drive from Brno; or by bus 104 from UAN Zvonařka - approx. 100 min drive and 70 CZK
  • website

Fun

Exit/escape rooms

Escape rooms have become very popular in Brno as of late. There are some 30 venues right now, and the number is growing. See the list of places: http://www.escape-games.cz/brno (CZE only)

Almost all of the rooms can be played in English: just ask them to prepare the room in English for you when booking.

Life action role playing – LARP

Court of Moravia

LARP is an experience that allows you to try a setting that you hardly could otherwise: a mock trial of a court, medieval society, post-apocalyptical life or any other situation.

Cinema

Cinema city

Modern cinema multiplex, offering new movies usually in English with Czech subtitles. 3D movies available.

  • Olympia shopping centre – Brno – Modřice (bus or car); Velký Špalíček shopping centre – city centre
  • website

University Cinema Scala

Masaryk university cinema with rich history and beautiful interiors. Screening not only films, but also hosting festivals, lectures or streaming English theatre performances.

  • Scala building, Moravské náměstí 3
  • website

Observatory

Brno Observatory and Planetarium

Modern observatory and planetarium with interesting program, guides speak English and German, also some programs are offered in English and German.

  • Kraví hora 2, Brno – Kraví hora
  • website

Various

Anybody Hotel

20% HOTEL, 80% EXPERIENCE. In the first role play-hotel for couples in the world, become a secret agent or a mysterious stranger for one night and enjoy a unique night together.

Laser game

Laser Game is an action game, which combines computer games with paintball or airsoft. The advantage is that it doesn't hurt and doesn't colour your dress. During 15 minutes of play you are running, shooting and enjoying time with your kids or friends.

Singlové

A project for singles in Brno providing you the opportunity to spend free time and meet new people during some enjoyable interesting activity.

Volunteering

You can also relax and spend your free time helping others around you. See our separate guide on Volunteering opportunities.

Libraries

Moravian Library

A large, modern research library serving mainly students and professionals, with a section of English books (and other languages as well). A peaceful place to read and study, with a nice café.

Jiří Mahen Library

Brno municipal library with its small branches all over the city. Also a section of English books (and other languages as well). A peaceful place to read and study right in the very centre of the city.

More about libraries in a seperate guide: Libraries

First aid courses

There are several organizations in Brno that offer first aid courses but courses taught in English are only offered to groups (schools, companies…), not individuals. Also, the courses aren’t offered regularly, you need to arrange them in person: