The northern Czech city of Ostrava is definitely off many tourists radars. Well known in some circles for the popular ‘Colours of Ostrava’ music festival, the city doesn’t receive a whole lot of tourism outside of the festival (mid-end July). Ostrava has a history as an industrial and working class city, with mining and metalworking at the core of this industry, particularly in the 1800-1900s. It is located on the northern Czech border with Poland, and is close to cities like Olomouc, Brno and Krakow.
So you’re asking yourself.. should I visit Ostrava?
In short.. probably not. However, hear me out. Ky visited for one night on his way up from Olomouc to Krakow. Rather than complete a big travel day, he decided to break it up and explore the lesser known Ostrava. After a few hours of walking around, it became clear why there isn’t a whole lot online about travelling to Ostrava.. there’s not much to do. The major attraction in Ostrava is Dolni Vitkovice, the old steelworks plant, and apart from that, there’s a small old town. While Ostrava isn’t bad, it’s just not anywhere near as nice as neighboring cities like Krakow, Olomouc and Brno. So if you have extra time to spare, then a visit won’t hurt.. however if you are limited with your days, we’d highly recommend checking out other cities nearby instead.
However, we have listed a few things to consider checking out if you do decide visit Ostrava:
Check out the old industrial area of Ostrava – Dolni Vitkovice
Home to the historic industrial factories and metalworks, these were functioning in the 1900s. There are a few cool cafes (particularly Cokafe), plus a restaurant and brewery. The area is unique to walk around, and it is free to walk through the metalworks. However, it is 300czk to climb up for the view. It really felt like you were walking through a ‘real life video game map’, as the place was relitively empy, urban and industrial.
Visit the Ostrava Main Square – MASARYKOVO NAMESTI
Whenever we visit a European city, we check out the main square. Not the best we have ever seen, but it is cute and there was hardly anyone there. Worth checking out.
Visit some of the great cafes in Ostrava
Keeping up with the other Czech cities, Ostrava had an excellent café culture. A few of the cafes below are worth checking out:
- Shothouse
- Essko
- Pant
- Bo Bistro
Want to stay in Ostrava?
Check out a few options on the map below.
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