I took the train to Brno, Czech Republic – here’s my guide to the city

We continue our celebration of Interrail’s 50th birthday with a visit to a relaxed, youthful city that’s deeply into music and food

Wandering Brno’s streets is like walking through a Wes Anderson storyboard, where confectionery-coloured 19th-century facades mingle frame-by-frame with sleek modernist buildings and communist-era apartment blocks.

The Czech Republic’s second city enjoys its quiet, quirky life out of the spotlight: while Prague handles the stag parties, Brno, about a quarter of the capital’s size in population terms (1.3 million to 379,000), can quietly concentrate on the things it cares about, like music and food. The Vegetable Market, where produce stalls share space with food trucks and smart outdoor cafes, never gets overcrowded, and the almost weekly festivals remain joyous, community-spirited affairs, from August’s multi-genre Music Marathon to Uprostřed, which brings free summer performances to the streets and squares. Fringe theatre is also big here, and The Goose on a String playhouse is home to one of Brno’s many delightful hidden-courtyard cafes.