An awesome spot for kids in Brno: Papilonia

Finally, Brno lived to see the butterflies’ house opened. Papilonia Brno is literally a tiny jungle in the heart of the city. It’s in the shopping mall Rozkvet, where you can enter either from Freedom Square or Panska Street.  

FULL OF SURPRISES

Even though the space is really small, reserve at least 30 minutes for the visit. Except for the different types of butterflies flying over your head, you may also observe the cycle of life of butterflies. 30 to 80 butterflies are born in each Papilonia butterfly house daily. Therefore, you may start by looking for eggs. Females lay them on banana or citrus leaves. Then try to detect caterpillars and at the end go to the exposition, where silky cocoons hang upside down. If you’re lucky you may even experience the chrysalis transforming into a butterfly.  

DRESS YOURSELF

If you want one of the butterflies to sit on you choose yellow colour on your clothes. Flower designs may also work. Women may also use a fresh fruity perfume to lure the little flying creatures. In order to memorialize the moment and take a photo you need to move slowly. Butterflies don’t like chaotic movements; they may be easily scared by them.  

BEFORE YOU GO

There’re at least two things you should know before the visit. First of all, Saturday is the day with the most visitors. Avoid the weekend if you’re not a fan of long queues. The good news is that the Papilonia is open from 10 am til 8 pm every day. Second of all, it’s really, really hot inside. And I mean like really hot. So in addition to the colorful clothes, remember to dress lightly. There’re storage boxes at the reception for your coats or sweaters. The entrance fee is 150 kc, 3+ kids pay 100 kc. 

VISIT DURING THE YEAR

If you feel like you didn’t get enough after one visit, don’t worry. You can always come back. The interesting thing is that the butterfly species change during the year. If you decide to visit in a different season, you may see butterflies you couldn’t see before.  

OUR EXPERIENCE

My kids were a bit disappointed, but only because none butterfly sat on them. I was not surprised though, they moved in a rapid way. Walking, if not running from one place to another.  They certainly gave envy look everyone with a butterfly on themselves. However overall, they were intrigued by the place, loved the blue, green and red butterflies and wanted to stay there forever.  My first impression on the other side – it’s unbreathable hot. After few minutes I got used to it, but I wouldn’t survive in a rain forest climate more than an hour. I love the design of the space, with the plants all over. Literally like a little jungle. It’s quite small for the amount of people visiting it – 150 square meters. Although, I believe we wouldn’t spot any butterfly in a bigger space. If you are into those delicate insects, visit Papilonia Brno – it’s an unforgettable experience.  Don’t forget to get a walk around the city centre after all.