Day Trips from Brno, Czech Republic - The Top 25 Destinations

Brno is an increasingly popular city break destination and starting point for travel in Central Europe due to the budget airlines which now frequent its airport. While it lacks the world-class sights and attractions of the Czech capital Prague, Brno has enough to amuse the average visitor for a day or two, and the surrounding region of South Moravia contains a veritable smorgasbord of tasty attractions to sample. Gothic castles, folk architecture, limestone caves and UNESCO heritage sites are all within reach and still receive far fewer international visitors than they deserve. I have listed some of the best of these destinations here and given them a star rating out of five to suggest how worthwhile they are to visit. The destinations are also organized into three categories - destinations which are less than one hour by public transport from Brno, less than two hours, and less than three hours. Three hours is quite a long distance for a day trip, but if time is short, it can be worth making a longer excursion to see one of the region's best attractions such as Telč. It is also possible to visit destinations across the border in Slovakia and Austria, including the capitals Bratislava and Vienna. The photos included in this article show, from top to bottom, Telč, Mikulov, Kromeříž, Lednice, and Pernštejn castle.

Destinations Within One Hour of Travel from Brno:

**** Moravian Karst - (45 minutes) By train from Brno main station to Blansko, then change to a bus from Blansko main bus station to the stop called Skalní Mlyn which is the access point for the caves and hikes in the surrounding region

**** Lednice - (50 minutes to 1 hour) By train from Brno main station to Břeclav, than change to a bus from Břeclav main bus station to reach Lednice

*** Pernštejn Castle - (1 hour) By train from Brno main station to Tišnov, change to a local train to reach Nedvědice, then follow the yellow-marked trail through the forest for 2 kilomtres to reach the castle

*** Moravský Krumlov - (50 minutes) By train from Brno main station

** Boskovice - (40 minutes to 50 minutes) By train from Brno main station

** Veveří Castle - (40 to 50 minutes) Take tram #1 from outside Brno main train station to the stop called Přístaviště, then change to a bus to reach the castle

** Slavkov u Brna (Battle of Austerlitz site) - (25 minutes) By train from Brno main station, or by bus from Brno Zvonařka station

* Dolní Kounice - (40 minutes to 55 minutes) By bus from Brno Zvonařka station, change to a second bus in Modřice to reach Dolní Kounice

Destinations Within Two Hours of Travel from Brno:

***** Vienna, Austria - (2 hours) By train from Brno main station

**** Bratislava, Slovakia - (1 hour 30 minutes) By EC train from Brno main station

**** Olomouc - (1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours) By train from Brno main station

**** Mikulov - (1 hour 5 minutes to 1 hour 40 minutes) By direct bus from Zvonařka station, or by train from Brno main station to Břeclav and then change to a local train to Mikulov

*** Litomyšl - (1 hour 40 minutes to 2 hours) By bus from Brno Zvonařka station

*** Kroměříž - (1 hour 30 minutes) By train from Brno main station to Kojetín, then change to a local train to Kroměříž

*** Valtice - (1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes) By train to Břeclav, then change to a local train to reach Valtice

*** Znojmo - (1 hour 10 minutes) By bus from Zvonařka station

** Ždar nad Sazavou - (1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes) By train from Brno main station

** Stražnice - (1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours) By train from Brno main station, change trains in Hodonín or Veselí nad Moravou to reach Stražnice

** Třebič - (1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 35 minutes) By train from Brno main station

Destinations Within Three Hours of Travel from Brno:

**** Telč - (2 hours to 2 hours 25 minutes) By bus from Brno Zvonařka station

*** Vranov nad Dyjí Castle - (2 hours to 2 hours 15 minutes) By bus from Brno Zvonařka station to Znojmo, then change to another bus to reach Vranov nad Dyjí village

** Velké Losiny - (2 hours 45 minutes) By train from Brno main station to Šumperk, then change to a local train to reach Velké Losiny

** Skalica, Slovakia - (2 hours to 2 hours 10 minutes) By train from Brno main station to Kúty, then change to a local train to reach Skalica

** Jaroměřice nad Rokytnou - (2 hours 20 minutes) By train from Brno main station to Okříšky, then change to a local train to reach Jaroměřice nad Rokytnou

* Zlín - (2 hours 5 minutes) By bus from Brno Zvonařka station

Quirky and Unusual Sights # 4 - The Minaret in Lednice, Czech Republic

The Lednice-Valtice region was once the family home of the Lichtensteins, who began developing the complex in the 18th century. Many pavilions, fountains, statues, arches and castle ruins can be found spread over an area of several hundred square kilometres. In the 19th century the complex was further developed with many structures built between the family's palaces in the towns of Lednice and Valtice.

The palace in Lednice is surrounded by a huge landscaped garden, the most unique and outlandish feature of which is the minaret, built in a Moorish-revival style in 1802. At 60 metres high, it was supposedly the tallest minaret outside the Muslim world at the time of its construction. In the early 19th century it was very popular for the European aristocracy to embrace exotic foreign cultures and artistic forms by having palace rooms decorated in Chinese, Japanese or Middle Eastern styles.

One story of the minaret's construction claims that Prince Alois Lichtenstein had planned to construct a church in the town of Lednice, but his proposal was rejected by the local municipality. As an act of cheeky defiance, he ordered the construction of the minaret as a substitute. Its construction was led by the architect Hardmuth, who had a difficult task given the extremely swampy ground the structure is built on. This was overcome by driving wooden piles deep into the soil to act as a foundation. The minaret has a wide base structure with turrets and arcades lining the roof, all topped with a crescent moon symbol. The exterior of the lower floor is decorated with textual inscriptions from the Koran written in Arabic script. The lower floor contains eight rooms with Moorish designs painted on the walls. The main tower provides views over the Lednice castle gardens and as far south as Valtice and the Austrian border. Today it is used as a lookout tower and is a popular attraction for visitors to the Lednice palace.

The Lednice-Valtice area is a possible day trip from Brno, Bratislava or Vienna. Local trains connect it to the nearby town of Břeclav, which is a major rail hub with regular trains to all the surrounding cities and international capitals. The Lednice-Valtice area can also be explored while staying in Mikulov, which is a lovely Czech town a few kilometres west of the region.