Brno Christmas Market is a great place to visit if you’re thinking
about spending a Christmas in Czech Republic. It’s not as obvious a choice as
some Christmas Market breaks, such as Vienna or the wonderful Prague Christmas
Market.
Christmas in Brno Czech Republic is a considerably quieter affair than in Prague. The Brno Christmas Markets are spread across just two squares in Brno Old Town, with a brilliant ice rink a five-minute walk away.
Then there’s the fairytale setting of one of the loveliest
hidden gems of Europe, full of gorgeous medieval cobbled streets, Art Nouveau
townhouses and Gothic spires on the skyline. It’s a magical place to experience
Czech Christmas traditions, and a great introduction to European Christmas
markets in general.
We’ll tell you everything you need to know about the Brno Christmas Market, and what to do in Brno besides (hint: plenty). We’ll also offer advice on the best Brno hotels, or how to go about planning a day trip from Prague or a day trip from Vienna if that’s all the time you have available to visit Brno.
Brno Christmas Markets – All You Need to Know
The Brno Christmas Market is spread over two sites a minute’s
walk apart.
The main market is on Namesti Svobody Brno – Freedom Square,
the hub of the Old Town
A smaller market is a minute’s walk away on Dominikanske namesti (Dominican Square), next to St Michael’s Church and the New Town Hall
The Dominikanske namesti Brno Christmas Market is the more
atmospheric of the two
There is a life-size carved wooden re-creation of the
Nativity scene, with the Holy Family, Three Wise Men, angels, animals and more,
at the top of Dominican Square Brno
There is also an open-air ice rink outside St Thomas’ Church and the Moravian Gallery, five minutes’ walk or a minute’s tram ride away (the stop at which you need to alight is Česká)
Brno Christmas Market Dates and Opening Times
According to the Brno official tourism page the Brno Christmas Market will open from the 25th November until the 23rd December 2022
Brno Christmas Market opening hours tend to be 1000 until
around 2200 until December 23rd
Where is Brno ?
Brno is the capital city of the region of Moravia, in the south-east
of the Czech Republic. It’s an hour north of the border with Austria, and a
similar distance from the border with Slovakia.
It’s 205 km (127 miles) south-east of Prague and 136 km (85
miles) north of Vienna, Austria.
What is Brno like ?
Brno Moravia is one of the most underrated
cities in Europe. We had been tipped off by an old friend that it was
rather special, but it blew the both of us away. It’s a gorgeous city with a
stunning Gothic cathedral on top of one hill and a medieval castle on the
summit of another. There is also plenty of exquisite Czech architecture from
medieval to Baroque to Art Nouveau to functionalist, and some great Brno
restaurants and bars to discover.
Is Brno Cold in Winter ?
The Brno temperature in winter is similar to most other
parts of Central Europe. We visited Brno in December and January, with maximum
temperatures around 5°C and minimum night temperatures dropping to -6°C.
It does sometimes snow in Brno, but as several locals
mentioned to us, as a result of climate change this tends to happen much less
frequently than before.
Things to do in Brno
The Old Town is a couple of minutes’ walk from Brno train
station, and another five minutes from Brno bus station. The first of the Brno sights you see on your
left is Brno Cathedral, a soaring Gothic edifice on a hilltop overlooking the
Old Town.
You also get a great view of the cathedral from Zelny trh, or Cabbage Market Brno, a splendid open square just off Masarykova, the main street linking Namesti Svobody with the two Brno stations.
The other hill in Brno is dominated by Brno Castle, also
known as Brno Špilberk. This formidable medieval castle which also served as a
prison under the Habsburg Empire.
One of the more recent Brno attractions is Villa Tugendhat, one of the most ground-breaking buildings of the 20th century. It’s a superb example of modern functionalist architecture, and was designed by the famous German architect Mies van der Rohe. Tours interior are usually booked out several months in advance, but you can still turn up and visit the garden for a small fee (50 CZK).
If you’re travelling with kids, make time to see one of the
best Brno museums, Vida, around 2 km from the city centre. It’s also known as
the Brno Technical Museum, and is brilliant for kids, with over 50 hands-on
experiences and experiments to try out. Our Little Man’s favourite was flying a
balloon.
What to Buy at Brno Christmas Market
Most of the Brno Christmas Market stalls sold food or drink.
You can find an amazing range of Czech food, including some Moravian
specialities. Otherwise there were many stalls selling Czech variants of mulled
wine (gluhwein) and also some excellent Czech beer.
The market map we looked at seemed to say there were a small
number of craft stalls in Freedom Square Brno, but we went there several times,
and there were none. So the Market is not the place to do some last minute
Christmas shopping.
What Other Czech Christmas Markets Are There ?
The Prague Christmas markets are by far the biggest and most popular Czech Republic Christmas markets. They are absolutely fantastic, especially the one on Prague Old Town Square, with some of the best landmarks of Prague as a backdrop. If you’re keen on photographing Prague, the Christmas Markets are an amazing spectacle. They run from late November to January 6th each year.
Otherwise possibilities include the Cesky Krumlov Christmas
Market, the Olomouc Christmas market and the Ostrava Christmas Market.
How to Get to Brno
If you’re not planning to visit any other Czech Republic
destinations, it may well make sense to fly to Brno Airport. Ryanair fly to
Brno from London Stansted throughout the year. Brno Turany Airport is only a
20-minute bus ride from Brno city centre, costing just 25 CZK (1 euro).
Otherwise it makes sense to visit Brno Christmas Market if
you’re planning to visit several Christmas markets in Europe on the same trip.
The Vienna Christmas Market is one of the best Christmas markets in Europe, and
trains and buses from Vienna to Brno only take between an hour and a half and
two hours.
If you’re spending Christmas in Prague and want to explore another Czech Christmas market, the Prague to Brno train takes around two-and-a-half hours. A Brno day trip from either would entail a long day. Check the Czech Railways site for train times and prices. It’s also possible to combine a trip to Brno with Bratislava Christmas Market, which is also around two hours away.
David Angel
David Angel is a British writer and photographer who has been travelling and photographing Europe for over 25 years. His work is regularly featured in worldwide media including the BBC, the Guardian, the Times and the Sunday Times.
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