Opava is a city in Czech Silesia, Czech Republic. It used to be the capital of Czech Silesia.
Understand
Get in
By train
Commuter trains connect Opava with Ostrava, which is a major railway hub with direct trains to Prague and many cities in Poland, Slovakia, Austria, etc. The trains go hourly and the trip from Ostrava takes 40 minutes.
By car
Road E11 goes through Opava from Hradec Králové and Šumperk and continues to Ostrava, Český Těšín and Žilina (Slovakia).
From Prague (Praha)
Go through D1 highway to Brno and continue through Olomouc. Or D11 to Hradec Králové and continue through E11.
By plane
Go to Ostrava Mošnov, Brno Tuřany or Praha Ruzyně airports. Nearest airport (Ostrava) is about 80 km away. Smaller aircraft may land on Dolní Benešov or Krnov airport about 20 km away.
Get around
By public transport
Public buses and trolleybuses carry you around the city for 12Kč. There are only coin-operated machines inside buses and trolleybuses. Map of public transport lines (dead link: December 2020).
By taxi
You can as well go by taxi, about 20Kč per km (approx. €0.7)
See
Christian buildings
- Church of the Assumption (konkatedrála Nanebevzetí Panny Marie), Rybí trh, 49.938729°, 17.900623°. 2018-01-21
- Kostel svatého Vojtěcha, 49.939250°, 17.905982°. 2018-01-21
- Kostel svatého Ducha. 2018-01-21
Solar system model
There is a to-scale model of solar system.
- Sun is represented by the concrete ball on Horní náměstí (Upper square).
- Mercury is next to Slezské divadlo (Silesian theater) on the opposite side of the square.
- Venus, Earth and Moon are in "Dvořákovy sady" city park.
- Mars is situated between Čapkova and Olbrichova streets in front of Silesian University.
- Jupiter is in "Městské sady" on Jaselská street.
- Saturn is situated in "Jaktař" part of the city (head towards Krnov or Bruntál)
- Uranus, Neptune and Pluto are spread in villages around Opava.
Outside town
Both Hradec nad Moravicí and Raduň were voted among the most beautiful castles in Czech Republic. Both are surrounded with beautiful gardens and parks.
Other attractions:
- Arboretum Nový Dvůr, Nový Dvůr 29, 49.934300°, 17.772782°, +420 553 661 031. A great botanical garden few kilometers from Opava. As you are there, you may taste far-famed and maybe the biggest Wiener-Schnitzels you ever seen in the nearby restaurant. 2018-01-23
- Infantry fortress Milostovice, 49.951851°, 17.838048°. Sunday 14:00-18:00. A museum inside a bunker from the Second World War. Bus no. 212 goes there every hour from the city centre. 2018-01-23
Do
Buy
Eat
There are many good restaurants around Opava, but some are closed on Sundays. Waiters not always speak other than Czech language. There are several great bakeries around the city too.
Meal delivery is at very good level in Opava. Try Kašpárkova Pizza, Presto Pizza, Tudle Nudle (dead link: December 2020) (Asian, Italian and national noodles) or Pizzeria Uno, but ask someone speaking Czech to order one. Don't expect phone operators to be good at English.
Drink
- There are two Evžen cafés and in the city centre. Place where it is always possible to find good people. Many artists, musicians, students and so on. Jazz sessions, concerts. Great places to meet people interested in art, music, photography and so on. Open daily.