We visited Brno on a sweltering day in July 2025 to catch up with a friend and as a pitstop between Prague and Vienna. Of course, it'd be sacrilegious not to visit Villa Tugendhat. However, as this was a last minute trip decision, we didn’t have the foresight to book one of the interior tours in advance, so we opted for The Villa from the Outside tour. While it was a more modest experience, we thought it was still a worthwhile one. It was also a nice change of pace from all the palace and church hopping we’d been doing.

The tour

We started the tour with the guide huddling us in front of the villa’s main door. She began with a bit of background on Fritz Tugendhat and Greta Löw-Beer, their families, and the villa itself—mostly within the context of their status as a wealthy Jewish family and their practical and aesthetic vision for a home. The guide then talked about the villa's architect, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, and how he was given the freedom to design not just the building but also the furniture. That creative liberty allowed our boy Mies van der Rohe to craft something that, in my opinion, was ahead of its time—something that could’ve been built last year rather than nearly a century ago.

The tour, which lasted about 40 minutes, took us through the terraces and gardens of the villa. The upper terrace offered an outstanding view of the city. Our guide pointed out the different rooms, furniture, and interior features through the windows, although we had to wait for the lucky few who booked the interior tours to leave before we could get an unobstructed look inside. Highlights of the interior include the large, free-flowing open-plan living room; the sterile, hospital-like bedroom; sleek, custom-designed furniture; and the prized onyx wall.

The guide also emphasised that Villa Tugendhat played an important part in modern Czech history as it was where negotiations regarding the dissolution of Czechoslovakia (the Velvet Divorce) took place. This was in addition to the many historic events that occurred in the area and in the city of Brno.

When the tour ended, we were allowed to stay and roam the villa’s sloping gardens. The garden itself was a highlight. Downhill is the entrance to Villa Löw-Beer, which, of course, belonged to Greta’s wealthy family. That villa was built mostly in the Art Nouveau style and reflects the ultra-bougie urban villa architecture in Czechia. We didn’t have time to visit Villa Löw-Beer, but I think it’s worth checking out if you’re interested in learning more about the lives of these affluent Jewish families.

Having mentioned Villa Low-Beer, I thought it'd also be good to mention that the Brno City Museum offers the Brno Villa Trilogy, which is a tour of the buildings and gardens of Arnold Villa, Villa Low-Beer, and Villa Tugendhat.

Let's not forget about Lilly Reich

While the tour highlighted the architectural genius of Mies van der Rohe, there were only a brief mention of his close collaborator, Lilly Reich. Reich played a crucial role in shaping the villa’s interior—from the selection of materials to the spatial layout and overall design. And so I thought it was a bit disappointing that her contributions were largely overlooked, given how central she was to the villa’s distinctive atmosphere.

Was The Villa from the Outside tour worth it?

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from an “outside-only” tour — it felt like we might be missing something essential. But in the end, I’d say it still worked. If the main goal was to understand the villa’s significance and appreciate its architectural language, the outside tour does a decent job. Of course, seeing the interior up close would offer a richer experience, especially to understand the materials and layout in more detail. But for a short visit like ours, this was more than sufficient to grasp the villa’s outstanding universal value. If anything, this would be a good excuse to come back and do a tour of the interiors.