What else in Brno? The Macocha Abyss

Beyond the borders of tourist-heavy capitals and large urban areas, there are many smaller cities that are just as tourist-worthy. Mention Czech Republic and Prague would be the first city in mind. However, a 3 hour journey away from the Czech capital and you will arrive at a small city called Brno. There's much to do in that small town, from (my favourite) strolling through markets to brushing up on your history. You may even join the hoards of tourists and locals at the Phallic Clock to catch one of the daily glass balls released at 11am. Just a tourist novelty, I'm sure. 

A further one hour train ride from Brno, you will also arrive at Macocha Abyss, the biggest gorge in Czech as well as in Central Europe. This was the reason I was there in Brno, because I could tell you and show you just how amazing the gorge is but I don't believe any words will suffice. 

First of all, getting to Macocha Abyss from Brno. There's a train from Brno to a smaller than small town, Blansko. From Blansko, you'll have to take a bus from the main bus station (which is a short walk from the train station). You'll have to check and double check the timings of the bus because it's quite infrequent. If you've missed it, you can either walk (it's about 45 minutes walk) or take a cab. I took a cab to Macocha and walked back to the bus station. Most cab drivers already know you'll be heading to Macocha so you won't have a hard time telling them where is it that you want to go to. Just in case, tell the cabby that you need to go to Skalni Mlyn. It's the Czech equivalent of the Moravsky Kras, which is the larger area the Macocha Abyss belongs to. 

Arriving at Skalni Mlyn, get to the ticketing station for your train and entrance tickets. You can also walk the way up to Macocha's entrance, but it was raining and so, the train it was. Besides, it's a return ticket and I believe you would appreciate the return ride, as I did.

You'll have to wait at the entrance for the guide to bring your through. There'll be English guides if you're worried, but most of the speaking will be by the pre-set audio speaker. So the guide won't do much speaking unless you ask questions. After a bit of walk through caves and tunnels, you'll see the Abyss. 

I believe one of my biggest excuse for not being able to convey the extent of Macocha Abyss's beauty is that I simply could not fit the entire surrounding within a frame.  You'll most probably guess the size of the gorge with the group of tourists in comparison. There's nothing quite like it, with daylight spilling in and reflected off the small pool at the bottom. 

After the Macocha Abyss, there's a guided boat tour through the Punkva River (guided boat tour included in the entrance fee to Macocha Abyss, student price at Kc90/person). The tour will bring you through the amazing limestone caves and at some point, you will need to watch your head because it narrows quite a bit. Those sitting at the edge of the boat will most likely have to bend down to avoid hitting the cave walls. 

Following the boat tour, taking the cable car up to the Upper Bridge is a good bet. Besides viewing the gorge from the inside, you can actually view it from the top as well. There are two bridges, the Lower Bridge and the Upper Bridge. You'll be able to spot the Lower Bridge from inside the gorge but not the Upper Bridge. For that reason, you may get a better view of the gorge from the Lower Bridge. At the Upper Bridge, you'll likely only see trees and bushes. 

The queue for the cable car is relatively fast and the ride takes no longer than 10 minutes. 

Alternatively, you could walk up to the Upper/Lower Bridge. There are plenty of signboards that will point you to the right direction. Most of the roads are paved but it's always a good idea to have a pair of good shoes on. 

Arriving at the upper station of the cable ride, you'll first walk past some food outlets. It was here that I first discovered my love for Langos. I ordered 3. Don't judge until you've tried it. It's all fried and saucy and salty. My Umami senses are tickled jolly. You can have other non-Langos items too, but I don't see any practical reasons why you should turn down Langos. 

Following several trips after, I discovered that the Langos I ate here was by far the best Langos I've had. Seriously, try it.

As I said before, the view from the Upper Bridge of the gorge consists mainly of trees and bushes.

BUT, the view of the surrounding from the Upper Bridge could change your mind as to whether to take the trip up or not. As usual, Mother Nature wins.

The trip to Macocha Abyss would most probably take you the whole day. So if you arrive with half a day to spare, visiting the Veveri Castle. Or at least the park surrounding Veveri Castle. I packed dinner and made my way there. There's food stalls and restaurants there as well, if you don't have time to pack food. At the entrance of the park, there's a fun fair but I'm not sure if it's just there for the summer. 

Who could say no to colourful popcorn? 

Now that's one more reason to go to Brno! Yay!

Even if you don't fancy walking around, Brno's a good point to just take a break from the hectic city life. It's got all the necessities you need, plus the peace and quiet. I, myself, spent quite some time just sleeping in bed and just reading whatever. 

So, sleep on the idea of coming to Brno and get here!