Things to do in Brno, Olomouc & Moravia

In Brno, Villa Tugendhat, a landmark of modern architecture, opens its main living room and upper floor on guided tours, Špilberk Castle's dark casemates recall one of Europe's harshest prisons, and the Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul on Petrov hill rings its bells at 11 am instead of noon, recalling a legend from the Swedish siege. Underground, the Labyrinth under the Vegetable Market links medieval cellars, the Žlutý kopec Water Tanks preserve three historic reservoirs, and the Ossuary at the Church of St. James, one of the largest in Europe, is a place of remembrance for an estimated 50,000 people; in Advent, Brno's Christmas markets spread across Freedom Square and Dominican Square. Out of town, a guided walk through the Punkva Caves reaches the bottom of the 138-metre Macocha Abyss before a boat ride on the underground river, Lednice Chateau at the heart of the UNESCO Lednice-Valtice landscape adds a palm greenhouse and a minaret lookout, and the Kroměříž Chateau Garden has water channels, a small zoo and free-roaming peacocks. Further afield, Telč's UNESCO-listed square is lined with colourful Renaissance houses and tall gables, Třebíč's Jewish Quarter and St. Procopius Basilica honour centuries of Jewish and Christian coexistence, and in Olomouc the 100.65-metre south tower of St. Wenceslas Cathedral is the tallest church tower in Moravia.

Good to knowInterior tickets for Villa Tugendhat must be bought in advance, and the villa, the St. James ossuary and the Žlutý kopec Water Tanks are all closed on Mondays, as is the Labyrinth, whose route involves 212 steps. The Punkva Caves stay at 7 to 8 °C, so bring a jacket and book ahead in summer and at weekends. Many Lednice routes close in winter, and for St. Wenceslas Cathedral in Olomouc, ask the Olomouc information centre for current visiting times.