BRNOguide
Trips, tours, sightseeing CZECH REPUBLIC
CZECH REPUBLIC
1 THE PUNKVA CAVE and MACOCHA ABYSS (half day, incl. the PERNSTEJN CASTLE - full day)
This is a very popular one day trip from Brno which combines a bit of architecture in a small village Křtiny with a beautiful Baroque church. The village sits on the boundary of the Moravian Karst nature reserve. It's a tiny, tiny village with a HUGE Baroque church. It's actually shocking when you drive into the village and see this gigantic Baroque pilgrimage site, The Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and other buildings that make up this Premonstratensian monastery, positively dominating the landscape. You immediately know why its referred to as the "pearl of Moravia". There is also an ossuary below the church with twelve skulls with the letter "T" painted on them. WE also do a bit of easy hiking in the Moravian Karst full of caves, visit the Macocha abyss, the Punkva Cave, (OPEN ALL YEAR ROUND, watch a short VIDE here) visit to the Pernstejn castle (video). I have been to this trip so many times with my clients or friends but never got bored. At lunch time we usually stop at popular restaurant which serves Czech and Moravian local traditional dishes and in fall serves venison and game.
Here you can read a nice description of this trip from Peggy s (USA) BLOG:
PRICE for the whole trip: EUR 130 / per person or 70 / half a day
To book this trip, please go to PRICE LIST and CONTACT
Duration: half a day 5 hrs / full day 10 hours
Distance from Brno: 50 km / 70 km Pernstejn Castle
Travel: by my VW or a minicoach
Ride in an electric train to the cave
Gondola ride / Lift to the top of the abyss
Fully escorted with informative commentary
Excluded: entrance fees: cave EUR 8, gondola EUR 4
You will travel to the parking lot near the Punkva cave which is the biggest in the Moravian Karst and only about 30 km of Brno. At the parking lot we hop on eco friendly electric train which will bring us to the entrance of the PUNKVA CAVE. There we will join an hour long guided tour in English of the cave. Make sure you bring warm clothes since the year round temperatur is plus 6 C. At the end of the tour there is a nice surprise for you, but I am not telling you. Then we hop on cable car which will take us (only about a minute ride) to the top of the MACOCHA abyss where you can find some refreshment and enjoy the view to the bottom of the abyss, about 123 metres deep. Those who enjoy hiking, can walk back to the entrance of the cave (approx. 45 minutes) using the designated trail systém or we can get back using gondola and electric train. Then comes lunch where I usually order for the guests some typical Czech dishes – goulash, pork, snitzchel, accompanied by the local beer.
After lunch there are several options (see below) before you return to Brno:
- A trip to the meadival PERNSTEJN CASTLE (check pics) which is beautifully nestled amidst the forests. On the way we might stop at the Poerta Coeli convent in the town of Predklasteri. Peorta Coeli means Heaven's Gate. Predklasteri means "in front of the convent". This 13th century Cistercian convent was founded by Constance of Hungary, the widow of King Otakar I. The gothic church within is one of the most beautiful examples of gothic architecture The PERNSTEJN Castle is a popular castle with a 60 minute guided tour.There are thousands of castles in the Czech Republic, but this one is a MUST. You will enjoy a 45 minute drive to the castle in a nice valley with some cosy villages and a covered bridge.
2. Or enjoy a tour of a small MONTE NEGRO (CERNA HORA) brewery where you can see the technology of the production of beer, smell the hops and sample some local beer with honey.
TESTIMONIALS:
2013-08-18
My in-laws were visiting us in Prague, and after three days fighting our way through packs of tourists we decided to take a day off and head to Brno to spend a day with Helena. This was probably the best decision we made during our week together!
The tour was nice an casual, but very informative. It was nice to have a tour guide, yet not feel as if you're part of a large tourist group. Helena picked us up at the train station in Brno and we spent the day in the beautiful area surrounding Brno. So beautiful and calm, especially after the chaotic Prague! We visited the Macocha abys and the Punkva Cave which was absolutely stunning! Definitely a must-see in the region. It can be a very busy place, and they're strict about timing with tickets and entry, so if you don't know what you're doing you risk wasting lots of time. Helena made it so easy and stress-free. After the Macocha cave and a great Czech meal for lunch in a quaint little village, we took a tour of the Pernstejn Castle which was the best castle I've ever seen. The setting was amazing, and the current state of the castle really made it feel genuine and enabled the mind to wander back into history. Again, tourist information is not readily available like it is in Prague, so having Helena around saved us a lot of stress. I'm not confident we would have been able to see both of these places in one day if it weren't for her services.
Helena's English is very good and she is very knowledgeable about the country's history as well as its current affairs. She shared lots of anecdotal information, as she's seen the country and the region go through a lot.
I would recommend Helena's service to anyone visiting the Czech Republic. Prague is great, but it is not even close to everything this wonderful country has to offer. Visit Brno and the surrounding area of a taste of the real Czech Republic!
Thank you Helena! From Mike [email protected]
2012-11-13
From 8 very satisfied Norwegians, thanks Helena. Our daytour to Punkvevní jeskyně (Punkva Caves), the tasty wild pig lunch in Lipuvka and the visit to Cerna Hora Brewery was great. Your personality and your knowledge made our day complete. [email protected]
The MACOCHA Abyss
Pilgrimage church in village KRTINY
Eco friendly train to Macocha abyss
At the bottom of the Macocha abyss
The PERNSTEJN CASTLE and Porta Coelli in PREDKLASTERI
