GCEK, I hope you can answer this one for me. When I visited Prague last September, I found it too touristy and I didn%26#39;t like that, I didn%26#39;t like the feel to the place. It is a very nice city. But, people thought I was in a stag party with mates in Prague or just wanted to get drunk there. I can get drunk in Nottingham.
I%26#39;ve looked at various sites about Brno and I think it looks nice. Is Brno popular with tourists? Is it worthy of a short trip? Are prices as high as Prague for eating and drinking?
I want to go back to the Cezech Republic but not Prague at some point soon.
Any ideas will help!
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Hi - if you read through my posts you will get a good idea of my views on this one! You will be glad to hear that Brno is not at all overly touristy - most people pass through on the way to/from Vienna. It is still a real %26#39;lived-in%26#39; city which hasn%26#39;t been spoiled - I would say the prices are about 10-20% cheaper than Prague, especially in the centre, and there is a lot to do and see.
To get an idea of the city and its environs you need about 5 days ideally - that would include trips to Mikulov and the caves in Blansko, maybe Pernštejn castle as well, and a couple of days to check out the city. You are not likely to bump into stag parties, and people don%26#39;t expect them - they are as frowned upon in Brno as they are in Prague, if not more so, but no preconceptions are made so don%26#39;t worry about that! It is not a place to just go for a couple of hours.
Go and check it out. It is a beautiful city with great people. Ignore guide books and people who say it is %26#39;industrial%26#39; - it hasn%26#39;t been industrial since about 1890 and Prague has far more industry. There is a massive (but mostly friendly) rivalry between Brno and Prague - Praguers tend to look down on the city seeing it as a sort of provincial outpost, with jokes portraying the Brno people as being yokels with chickens under their arms and the suchlike, laughing at the Moravian dialect (sort of equivalent of scouse), but the feeling is mutual as the Prague accent sounds hilarious to people from Brno (sort of like a strong Brummie accent :) ). It is one of those places that is difficult to put your finger on - I have been very lucky in that I have a very good and close network of friends and I have been here on and off for a long time so it is deeply ingrained - there are a few expats in the city, but they usually go native pretty quick!
The only times that it gets very busy is during the major international trade fairs at the exhibition centre (check the dates at www.bvv.cz ) and during the superbikes grand prix in August. During the summer there are many events laid on, with street theatre, music and dance on the stage in the main square, and there is always some festival or another. Spring - summer is probably the best time as you can catch the laid-back atmosphere at its best, but Christmas is nice as well - there is a market on the square (not the best, I must admit, but they are promising a better one for this year...).
I could go on... just go and check it out and let us know how you enjoyed it. There is so much more out there than Prague ... :)
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Thats very insightful, thanks! I won%26#39;t be going away until next year as going RTW in a few weeks but looking at my options for next year!
I%26#39;ll probably go there for a few days en route to Vienna.
Thanks again!
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