This is a guest post written by my students. The task was to write a blog post about our city of Brno with recommendations for a group of young ladies who´d like to spend a weekend in Brno. They later presented it in one of our lessons and you can see part of the presentation in this video:
“Wanna have some fun? With us it is done!”Our new girlfriends from America are coming to Brno for extended weekend and we want to prepare a nice time for them. One of the girls asked us about spelling the word “Brno” and this is our idea about it: B = beer, R = relax, N = natural, O = open and friendly people. We are convinced that Brno can offer all of that and even much more.
All of the tourists who decided to visit Brno praise its brilliant position. It is situated midway between capitals of Czech Republic and Austria: Prague and Vienna. If you have more time for staying in our country, Brno is a good basepoint for trips to both capitals.
You can get to Brno by plane, there is an international airport, but sometimes it is better to fly to Vienna or Prague and then use a bus. For example the company Student Agency provides comfortable service and it’s possible to go right from the airport to the historic centre of Brno, bus station Grand Hotel.
If you don’t need to care about the money, the best and nearest choice of accommodation is Grand Hotel****, located opposite the bus station. It is close everywhere from here. If you don’t need high-quality accommodation but still want comfort, some of the pensions are in the centre too, e.g. Pension na Dvořákové. Even in Brno the rule is true – what is further away from the centre is cheaper. Sometimes (mainly in the summer) it is possible to take advantage of accommodation in Dormitory of Masaryk University or University of Technology.
The best and cheapest way how to travel in Brno is to use a tram (“Šalina” is common name for it in Brno). There are two zones in Brno and you can choose the ticket you need. The choice depends on your age, health and destination of your trip – ticket for 15, 60 and 90 minutes. If your visit is longer, you can buy a cheaper ticket, which is valid for 1 or 5 days, 2 weeks, 1 month and so on. All of this information you can find here.
Certainly you will be hungry after arrival and during your stay. Brno and mainly the town centre offers plenty of opportunities where you can have something good to eat. We highly recommend you to try some of the national Bohemian and Moravian dishes in Restaurant Špalíček in Zelný trh or return in time by visiting the medieval pub Sředověká Krčma on Česká street. For good beer and roasted ribs you can visit well-known pubs Stopkova plzeňská pivnice or Pegas.
If you are not sure about your order, why don´t you try one of our delicious national dishes: svíčková na smetaně (beef, dumplings, sauce), knedlo, vepřo, zelo (pork, dumplings, cabbage), plněné ovocné knedlíky (fruit filled dumplings) and traditional Czech dessert jablečný štrůdl (apple strudel). Czech cuisine is quite heavy, but if you wash it down with good Czech beer, such as Starobrno or Pilsner, or you try Becherovka or Moravian speciality Slivovice (Plum brandy) as a digestif, we promise you that after 2 hours you can easily move on to a night club and get ready for the party.
If you enjoy listening to chamber music, we recommend Bar U Palečka with its beautiful cellar atmosphere, or you can listen to jazz concert or just talk to other native speakers and English speaking Czechs and foreigners at ongoing English meetings.
After midnight you can continue to one of the nearby night clubs, where you can dance all night long. According to your music taste you can choose among Metro, Two Faces, Remix, Fléda, and others). In the morning you might appreciate a taxi service (e.g. Impuls Taxi) one of many taxi services based a maximum 10 minutes from these night clubs. However all the clubs mentioned above are located in the city centre, maximum 15-minute walk from each other.
On the second day, after long sleep, you can spend your brunch on the banks of Brno reservoir, which is about 30 minutes far from the centre. Beautiful forested nature, sun, smooth water and maybe sightseeing boat trip calm your mind, assure you of incredibly beautiful nature and friendly character of most of Brno citizens. At the same time this puts you in the mood for seeing amazing historical sights that cannot be missed.
In the heat of the afternoon sun you can cool yourself in the Capuchin Church, where you can learn about history of Brno. In the late afternoon on your way to the dominant Petrov Cathedral and Špilberk Castle you can visit Zelný trh square where traditional fruit, vegetable and flower market is placed. After that you just enjoy your walk through beautifully illuminated Brno. If you don’t feel like going to a night club again and you prefer to stay in a calmer place, we advice you to visit one of the coffee houses and confectioner’s in the nearby shopping centre Vaňkovka.
You can spend your last morning in Brno at a terrace of Café Zeman, which is situated in the centre, and after breakfast take a walk through main streets and squares (Česká street, Freedom square, Masaryk street, Malinovského square..) and buy some small souvenirs as a remembrance of your visit. You will find the best traditional Czech souvenirs of the folk art in the shop called Luta on Česká street.
Certainly you will agree that Brno is an amazing city with endless possibilities. Come and experience it by yourself!;) You are always welcome with open arms!
Students of “Kurz zážitkové angličtiny” – Kristýna, Marta, Lenka, Radka, Renata and Monika
Hello
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