Brno is one of Central Europe's great undiscovered cities — the Czech Republic's second-largest, an ancient fortress town that reinvented itself in the 1920s as a laboratory of functionalist architecture. Mies van der Rohe's Villa Tugendhat, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, remains one of the most important buildings of the 20th century, its glass walls and travertine floors as radical today as they were in 1930. Špilberk Castle looms over a compact old town of Baroque churches, while the ossuary beneath the Church of St James — 50,000 skeletons arranged with extraordinary artistry — is not easily forgotten. Brno's university population of 90,000 fuels a lively bar and restaurant scene; pair it with a drive into the Moravian wine country just to the south.
- Suggested duration: 2–3 days
- Best time to visit: May to September for wine country excursions; the Grand Prix in May draws racing fans worldwide.