General info

Below, you can find a list of applications that will make your life in Brno easier. You can download them for free from the links provided.

Getting around

Must-haves:

  • Offline tourist maps mapy.cz

    • iOS, Google Play
    • Czech-produced maps might not be as popular as Google maps or others. However, they have one redeeming quality: they show marked tourist paths, even in their offline mode. Have you ever noticed these colourful marks on trees or lampposts? They are signifying a tourist path. ‘The Club of Czech Tourists’ takes care of them. They lead past the most beautiful sights, both natural and cultural. It is always a good idea to plan your trip, hike, & bike according to them.
      You have to download the maps to be able to use them offline: you can choose to download the whole country or just a small region: as such, the size of the file is highly reduced. 
      Mapy.cz has also proved to be reliable in different countries, not only the CR. The maps are excellent for hiking, as they show the smallest of routes and paths.

  • Czech Public Transport IDOS

    • iOS, Google Play
    • Trams, buses, trains; local or international: IDOS has it all. For most mobile users in the CR, this little app has become a daily necessity. Easy to use, showing the best routes. Often, it proves more reliable than Google Maps, as it’s constantly being updated with real-time delays and disruptions.

Be even more prepared:

  • Travelling with trains: Můj vlak

    • iOS, Google Play
    • The majority of trains in the CR are run by a state-owned company: České Drahy (Czech Railways). You can purchase your ticket through their app. Small tip: if you buy your ticket online, you can reserve a seat for free (for inland journeys). This can be a good idea if travelling during rush hour. Up-to-date schedules including real time delays for all trains are available, as well.

  • Train&Bus tickets with Regio Jet 

    • iOS, Google Play
    • The private company Regio Jet (formerly Student Agency) is known for their yellow buses connecting Europe’s biggest cities. In Brno, they stop in front of the Grand Hotel. The company also runs trains, servicing the main cities in the CR. You can reserve/buy their tickets through this app.
  • Liftago Taxi
    • iOS, Google Play
    • Are you familiar with Uber? We don’t have it in Brno yet (or anymore). Liftago works on a similar principle, however, their drivers are certified taxi drivers.
  • Uber
    • iOS, Google Play
    • As of August 2020, Uber works in Brno. This keeps changing, though, so do check.

 

Food and Groceries

  • Food delivery from restaurants

  • Online grocery shopping Rohlik.cz

    • iOS, Google Play
    • They can deliver to your flat/office at any time you request and even within two hours from your order. Their app and website are only available in Czech for now. However, there are loads of pictures.

  • Find restaurant’s lunch menu through Zomato

    • iOS, Google Play
    •  A location-based map of restaurants, bars, pubs and cafes. Hungry? Search the nearest places and find out what is their lunch menu today.

 

Learning Czech

  • to practise for a few minutes a day, we recommend

 

Just Plain Useful

Must-haves:

  • Google Translate
    • iOS, Google Play
    • This app can translate multiple forms of text and media, including text, speech, images, sites, or real-time video, from one language to another. Yes, Czech too.
      If you’re often offline, you can also download this CZ/EN dictionary with an installed database.

  • Emergency Záchranka

    • iOS, Google Play
    • Save a life! The Záchranka mobile app is an easy way to contact the Emergency Medical Services when you need them most. It sends your exact location and other practical information to be used for your rescue.

 

Be even more prepared:

  • Weather forecast Meteoradar

    • iOS, Google Play
    • Where is it raining and where are the clouds moving to? Get this app so the weather will not surprise you. The application displays rainfall recorded every ten minutes by meteorological radar on a map background.

  • Post office Pošta online

    • iOS, Google Play
    • Search for the nearest post offices and zip codes, track your packages and find other post related information.

  • Sorting waste: SAKO

    • iOS, Google Play
    • Sorting waste is not compulsory in the CR. However, the municipality invites you to do so; and they try to make it as easy for you as possible. This app will help you find the closest paper/plastic/glass disposal containers. If you see them overflowing, the app asks you to take a picture and send it over: they’ll come and empty it ahead of their normal schedule.

Shopping

  • Online shopping search engine Heureka.cz

    • iOS, Google Play
    • Shopping in the CR will be a bit confusing at the start: what’s expensive, what’s not? Even locals are not sure about the value of some goods: this search engine will get the prices of many online shops, compare them and offer reviews for the shops in question. Highly popular and used frequently by many Czechs, although it is not translated into English.
  • Portmonka
    • iOS, Google Play
    • A simple app: it keeps all of your customer loyalty cards in your mobile. No need to carry them in your wallet anymore.

Leisure

  • Cinemas programme ČSFD.cz

    • iOS, Google Play
    • Find what is playing at the cinemas near you (big complexes or artsy venues alike).

  • Plan your trips with Kudy z nudy

    • iOS, Google Play
    • This app, loosely translated as “Your way from boredom”, will suggest trips and routes for your trips, giving you all the important information you need: what to see, how to get there, where to stop, where to snack. Only in Czech, though.

  • Mushrooms app

    • Not available for iOS, Google Play
    • Would you like to go mushroom picking like every other proper Czech but you don’t trust your mushroom knowledge? This app will solve this problem for you: take a picture of the mushroom and the app will tell you whether you can eat it or not.

  • Fripito photo guides

    • iOS, Google Play
    • Photo guides made for photographers by local photographers. Available for hundreds of destinations around the world, but the place to visit around here is Moravian Tuscany – extraordinary scenery just a one-hour drive from Brno. The guides include information about food, transport and mainly the tips on where to find interesting spots, local light conditions, recommended equipment, and camera settings. Fripito has been made by a successful Czech startup.

If you have a car

  • DICBrno

    • iOS, Google Play
    • Location-based map of city traffic situation including parking, cameras, accidents, roadwork, etc. Available in English.

  • Be aware of the street cleaning: Brněnské komunikace

    • iOS, Google Play
    • When is your street cleaning planned? It’s good to know so you can park elsewhere on that day. Otherwise, your car will be towed and you will pay a fine.