What to See in Opava: 9 Tips for Things to Do in 2026

Opava in the Czech Republic was once the proud capital of Austrian Silesia, packed with elegant palaces and provincial government offices. Then came the end of the Second World War, and the front line that flattened much of the city to the ground. Roughly eighty-three percent of all buildings were damaged. Today it’s a place that pieces its lost elegance back together from whatever survived.

You’ll find fascinating brick Gothic architecture here, the oldest museum in the country, and a green ring of parks wrapped around the historic core. In short, it’s an ideal, peaceful Silesian capital for anyone who wants to explore the Czech north completely free of tourist crowds.

Together we’ll walk through what to see in Opava, where to grab great coffee, and which elegant châteaux nearby are worth exploring. I’ll also point you towards where to stay and how to plan a trip to Silesia in the best possible way.

TL;DR

• Hláska on the Upper Square: a Renaissance town hall tower that forms the symbolic centre of the city and a favourite landmark.
• Concathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary: the largest Silesian brick Gothic structure in the country, with an unmissable tall tower.
• Silesian Museum: the very oldest museum on Czech soil, with millions of exhibits covering the region’s nature and history.
• The green ring: city gardens encircling the centre where the old fortifications once stood, perfect for long walks.
• Breda department store: an interwar architectural gem and the very first modern American-style department store in Czechoslovakia.
• Châteaux nearby: Hradec nad Moravicí or the Kravaře château museum sit just outside the city limits and make a perfect afternoon trip.

When to Visit Opava

Opava can be visited year-round, but you’ll enjoy it most from spring through early autumn. Since one of the big draws is the ring of city parks and the nearby arboretum in Stěbořice, it pays to come when everything is lush and in bloom. Summer is also absolutely ideal for swimming at Silver Lake, where locals and students from the Silesian University love to cool off on hot days.

In autumn, you’ll appreciate the warmth of the local cosy cafés and the rich collections of the Silesian Museum. If you’re planning a trip in December, the Opava Christmas markets will be a treat. Held right on the Upper and Lower Squares, they have a wonderfully relaxed and intimate atmosphere without the usual pre-Christmas rush. One good full day is enough for the historic centre itself, but if you want to visit the châteaux nearby too, set aside a long weekend for Silesia.

Where to Stay in Opava

There’s no shortage of accommodation in Opava, and you’ll find everything from cosy guesthouses to very decent hotels with excellent service. If you want all the main sights at your fingertips, look for a room right in the historic core, where everything is within easy reach. For a quieter stay, you can instead seek out accommodation close to the city parks.

Let’s look at some specific tips on where to lay your head. We’ve picked out a few tried-and-tested options depending on what you expect from your stay:

• For history lovers: Hotel IBERIA Opava sits right in the centre and offers a very good breakfast along with easy access to all the main sights and cafés.
• Peace and wellness: KATERAIN hotel Opava lies just a short distance from the river, and guests particularly praise the modern rooms and wellness area, which you’ll definitely appreciate after a full day of walking around the city.
• The happy medium: Hotel Opava is a reliable classic just a few steps from the City Gardens. It guarantees very comfortable facilities and hassle-free parking for those arriving by car.
• Right by the square: Hotel Maxim Opava is located right next to the Opava town hall, so you’ll be only a few steps from the best morning coffee.

Things to Do in Opava

Let’s take a detailed look at what to see in Opava and the spots you definitely shouldn’t miss during your visit. The historic centre, which had to recover from enormous wartime damage, has today turned into a very pleasant and well-kept place for strolling.

1. Hláska and the Upper Square

You’ll probably start your tour of the city on the Upper Square, reliably dominated by the sixty-metre-tall Renaissance town hall tower known as Hláska. It forms the symbolic centre of the city, and its current four-sided shape was built between 1614 and 1618. Its appearance was then slightly tweaked again after a rebuild at the very start of the twentieth century. Today the building houses the Opava city hall, and you’ll also find a very cosy café here to recharge.

If you head to Opava during the season between April and September, you can usually climb the tower on Saturdays and admire the city’s red roofs from above. On the square itself, your eye will surely be caught by the modern metal Sphere, which works as a model of the solar system and where you’ll often see clusters of students. Just a short walk away stands the historic Silesian Theatre building with its rich cultural programme.

2. Concathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary

Lovers of sacred architecture will be in their element at this monumental three-nave church, which is the largest Silesian brick Gothic structure in the whole Czech Republic. Its construction is closely tied to the Teutonic Order and probably began very shortly after 1204, with the main section taking shape mostly during the fourteenth century. The massive brick façade is genuinely imposing, and it’s immediately clear that this building was conceived from the start as the showpiece temple of the Silesian capital.

The southern tower stands at a respectable 66 metres, making it reliably the tallest tower in all of Silesia. Since 1996 the building has officially served as the concathedral of the Ostrava-Opava diocese, although locals usually just call it the cathedral. I definitely recommend stepping inside too, because the contrast between the darker brickwork and the light streaming through the windows creates a very striking atmosphere.

3. The Silesian Museum

Did you know that Opava boasts the very oldest museum on the territory of today’s Czech Republic? The Silesian Museum was founded as far back as 1814 and is now the largest museum in Silesia and the third-largest institution of its kind in the country. Its collections number an incredible 2.4 million objects covering the nature and history of this distinctive region, so you could easily spend a whole afternoon here.

The Historic Exhibition Building itself, built in a grand neo-Renaissance style between 1893 and 1895, is worth a thorough look both inside and out. It’s an absolutely ideal spot if the weather doesn’t cooperate during your trip and you want to shelter from the rain in a meaningful way while learning plenty about the local culture.

4. The House of Art and St Wenceslas Church

The city gallery has found truly unusual and beautiful premises for its exhibitions in a former Dominican monastery. Part of the complex is the three-nave Gothic Church of St Wenceslas, consecrated back in 1336. Emperor Joseph II abolished the monastery at the end of the eighteenth century, and in the 1960s the entire complex genuinely faced demolition, but thankfully historians and enthusiasts managed to save it.

Since 1974 the House of Art has operated here successfully, and the church itself regularly hosts all sorts of exhibitions and classical music concerts. The pairing of raw Gothic architecture with modern fine art works surprisingly well and creates a very particular mood that you shouldn’t miss.

5. St Adalbert’s Church and the Lower Square

From the Upper Square you’ll glide seamlessly down to the Lower Square, where you’ll immediately be drawn to the monumental Baroque building of the former Jesuit Church of St Adalbert. The building took shape between 1675 and 1681, and it’s said that its builders drew inspiration from the famous Roman Jesuit church of Il Gesù. For Baroque lovers it’s a must-see, full of ornate detail.

Right in front of the church entrance stands a sandstone Marian column, which Count Jiří Štěpán had erected here during the same period. In the literature it’s often also called a plague column, and after significant damage it was meticulously restored again in 1869. The whole square today forms a pleasant, quiet space to rest with views of the historic façades.

6. The Church of the Holy Spirit and the tomb of the Opava Přemyslids

This originally Gothic and later Baroque-ised church belongs to the former Minorite monastery, whose history reaches all the way back to around 1238. While from the outside it may not look as massive or eye-catching as the neighbouring concathedral, it hides one enormous historical secret for Czech history that many tourists know nothing about.

In the crypt beneath the presbytery lies the very rare family tomb of the Opava Přemyslids. It was established by the then Duke Nicholas, who was buried here himself in 1365 alongside other prominent members of his line. It’s one of those places where you can really feel ancient history breathing on you, full of power struggles and Silesian pride.

7. The City Gardens

Once you’ve had your fill of monuments and churches, definitely head out to recharge among the greenery. Opava’s historic core is surrounded by a continuous ring of beautiful parks that began to take shape from the early nineteenth century. The gardens grew up on the sites of demolished city walls and laboriously filled-in moats, which urbanistically resembles a smaller version of Vienna’s Ringstrasse.

This green belt is made up of several connected sections, to name just a few: the Dvořák Gardens founded back in 1856, the Smetana Gardens, the Gardens of Freedom, and the Janáček Gardens with their memorial. A stroll around the whole centre in the shade of mature trees is wonderfully refreshing and provides the perfect contrast to the busier streets with their traffic.

8. The Breda Department Store

This is a real treat for anyone genuinely passionate about modern architecture and design. The Breda department store was built between 1927 and 1928 by the Breda and Weinstein company to a design by architect Leopold Bauer. In its day it was the first modern American-style department store in Czechoslovakia, and for a long time it had no rival in the country for size or luxury.

Sadly, from 2012 the building fell into sorry decay and was completely closed to the public. But better times are on the horizon, because in 2021 this striking building was bought by the City of Opava, and a gradual renovation is now under way. Since autumn 2025 a small infopoint with a café has been operating in the entrance area, so you can finally see part of the interior with your own eyes.

9. Silver Lake

If you head to Opava in the height of summer and have a day of walking sun-baked streets behind you, you’ll surely welcome the chance for a proper cool-down. Silver Lake, which local patriots call nothing but “Sádrák”, is a popular natural swimming spot in the outlying district of Kateřinky. Originally there was mining here, and water filled the area when the former gypsum quarry was flooded.

Today the body of water covers around 6.6 hectares, and you’ll find pleasant grassy beaches for sunbathing. At its deepest, the water reaches up to fifteen metres, and besides swimming you can fish or go paddleboarding. You can reach it very conveniently from the centre on ordinary public transport, and it makes a perfect summer escape from the city.

💡 Tip with kids: If you’re travelling with children, combine an afternoon swim at Silver Lake with a morning visit to the Silesian Museum. They have wonderful natural history exhibits with animal models that usually keep little travellers reliably entertained for quite a while.

Where to Eat in Opava

Exploring the city and walking through the parks will surely tire you out, so you’ll need to top up on calories and caffeine. Opava has a surprisingly strong café scene that draws people in from all around. You’ll find excellent speciality coffee and honest homemade desserts at KUPKAFE right on the Upper Square. Another great, proven choice is Botaniqa Bistro & Café, where besides good coffee they also serve original seasonal cuisine made from local ingredients, along with delicious breakfasts and lunches. Also worth a mention is Kavárna Libertas, another safe bet for lovers of quality coffee in the centre.

When it comes to a bigger meal, locals rave about the restaurant Taste of India, whose menu features a huge selection of vegetarian and vegan dishes packed with wonderful spices. You’ll also come across a smaller purely vegetarian bistro in town, so there really is no shortage of meat-free options full of vegetables, and we’d happily pop in here for lunch.

When it comes to traditional Silesian cuisine, guidebooks often mention the so-called Silesian heaven. It’s a local meaty speciality of smoked meat served in a sweet sauce of dried fruit and cinnamon, usually with Silesian potato dumplings. On our travels we tend to prefer Indian cuisine or good falafel at a bistro, but if you’re keen to discover the historic flavours of the region exactly as our ancestors ate them, you’ll occasionally find this dish in traditional restaurants.

Day Trips from Opava

Silesia is full of magnificent château grounds and carefully tended nature, so it’s well worth venturing beyond the city limits too. Here are the most interesting trips in the area that you can easily manage in half a day.

• Hradec nad Moravicí State Château: located around eight kilometres from the city, it’s a gorgeous complex of a white Neoclassical and Empire-style château, complemented by the showy neo-Gothic Red Castle from 1872 to 1895. The former seat of the Lichnowsky family hosted names like Beethoven and Liszt, and the Beethoven’s Hradec festival is still held here today.
• Nový Dvůr Arboretum: found in Stěbořice roughly nine kilometres from Opava, it’s part of the Silesian Museum. Around seven thousand plant species grow across thirty hectares here, and the grounds are famous above all for their huge collection of flowering rhododendrons and a large greenhouse with tropical plants.
• Raduň Château: just eight kilometres from the city stands this charming Neoclassical château built between 1816 and 1822. It long belonged to the prominent Blücher family, and you can stroll through a lovely park with an orangery and old ponds.
• Kravaře Château: just under ten kilometres away lies this lavish Baroque château from 1721 to 1728. Today it functions as a château museum with a very unusual exhibition about the alchemist Sendivogius, surrounded by a sprawling English park. Definitely don’t confuse it with a spa — it’s purely a historic monument.
• Šibenice Lookout Tower: built in 2019 near Stěbořice, this very interesting concrete lookout tower clearly references the interwar border fortifications with its distinctive shape and offers lovely views across the Silesian countryside.

💡 GetYourGuide tip: Whether you’re planning to visit castles, châteaux, or special city tours, I always recommend checking whether you can sort out tickets in advance from the comfort of home. The GetYourGuide portal works very well for finding all sorts of activities and local trips, where you’ll often discover experiences that ordinary printed guidebooks overlook entirely.

Where to Next

If you enjoy discovering more of the beauty and curiosities of the Czech Republic, we’ve put together a few more articles packed with travel inspiration from different corners of the country.

• Where to go on holiday in the Czech Republic
• What to see in Ostrava
• Christmas markets in Opava

Frequently Asked Questions