Pilsen, Czech Republic

In Tokyo you drink sake and in Moscow you drink vodka, but in Pilsen (known locally as Plzen) you drink beer. This small town in Bohemia claims to be the birthplace of beer, with a tradition going back centuries. The town was founded in 1295 and granted coveted brewing rights, spawning more than 200 microbreweries that developed the famous Pilsner brewing methods that create some of the best beer in the world even today.



 The Pilsner Urquell Brewery, opened in 1842, is still Pilsen's main attraction. It actually houses two separate breweries that make Pilsner Urquell and Gambrinus respectively. Visitors can tour both breweries and can learn about the history of beer at the museum.

                     

                     


Aside from its beer, Pilsen tends to be overlooked as a travel destination, but visitors will enjoy exploring a variety of museums dedicated to everything from ethnography and history to ghosts and puppets. The town itself is pleasant to walk through and has some beautiful buildings to see, including the 16th-century Town Hall, the Cathedral of St Bartholomew, and the Great Synagogue.

Just as you'd expect in a town famous for its beer, Pilsen has a lot to offer in restaurants and pubs. There are many places to try local Czech cuisine, and bars serve coveted unfiltered beers, which are considered far superior to the filtered exports.

Events

Pilsner Fest

While the Germans have Oktoberfest, in the Czech Republic the highlight of any beer aficionado's calendar is Pilsner Fest. The festival is held every summer over two days in Pilsen, and it is one of the oldest in Europe, having taken place for over 150 years. Pilsner Fest offers plenty of great Czech food, music, games, and of course beer. There are four separate stages set up to showcase the best of local music, and to provide the rhythms for plenty of dancing. There are also usually comedians and other entertainers on the programme. It is one of the biggest annual parties thrown in the Czech Republic and is a wonderful experience for travellers (even if they are not big beer drinkers). The festival attracts tens of thousands of revelers and portions of the roads around the brewery are closed to traffic to give them more space for festivities. Pilsen is an interesting village, the main attraction of which is the Pilsner Brewery; if you attend the Pilsner Fest it is worth exploring the area a bit as well, including doing the ubiquitous brewery tour.