In 60 seconds
On 5 October 1842, Bavarian brewer Josef Groll poured the world's very first batch of clear, golden, bottom-fermented lager at the Citizens' Brewery in Plzeň, completely transforming global drinking culture. Today, the legendary Pilsner Urquell Brewery remains a working cathedral to brewing craft, where visitors descend into kilometres of hand-hewn sandstone cellars to taste cloudy, unfiltered Pilsner straight from massive oak lagering barrels. Above ground, Plzeň centres on the vast, sunlit Náměstí Republiky—one of the largest medieval squares in Europe—anchored by the Gothic Cathedral of St Bartholomew with the highest church spire in the Czech Republic (102 metres), the monumental Moorish-Romanesque Great Synagogue, and a fascinating subterranean labyrinth of medieval vaults.
Best for
Known for
Skip if
You have zero interest in beer or brewing history; while the architecture is handsome, Plzeň's global identity is inextricably entwined with lager.
Your match
Choose a few travel interests and we will show how well Plzeň fits them. Choose interests
See
The things that would make the trip incomplete without them.
The historic brewery where golden lager was born in 1842, featuring 9 km of sandstone cellars
Walk past copper brewing vats and through chilly cellars to taste unpasteurised, unfiltered Pilsner Urquell drawn directly from the pitch-lined wooden barrel.
14th-century Gothic hall church boasting the tallest church tower in the Czech Republic at 102.26 metres
Climb the 301 stone steps to the tower gallery for an astounding panoramic view across the red rooftops of West Bohemia to the Bohemian Forest.
Magnificent Moorish-Romanesque twin-towered synagogue, the second-largest in Europe and third-largest in the world
Step beneath the vast painted ceiling and twin 45-metre onion-domed towers of this restored sanctuary, testifying to Plzeň's pre-war Jewish heritage.
Eat
A short list, kept short on purpose. Each entry answers one question: when is this the right choice?
Where to eat the food this city is actually known for.
Enormous traditional Czech beer hall situated directly inside the former fermenting cellars of the brewery
Order roasted pork knee with freshly grated horseradish alongside cold tank Pilsner poured with creamy micro-foam.
The oldest continuously operating pub in Plzeň, pouring the town's golden lager since 1637
Settle into dark carved timber booths for rich beef goulash with bacon dumplings and impeccably poured Pilsner.
Too few picks yet for their own heading, so they share this list.
Lively parkside restaurant and beer garden serving traditional West Bohemian specialties and game
Enjoy slow-braised venison with potato dumplings on the pleasant shaded garden terrace adjacent to the green promenade park.
Charming French-inspired specialty espresso bar on Republic Square known for artisan pastries and flat whites
Sip an expertly balanced flat white on the outdoor terrace with a front-row view of the Gothic cathedral.
Beyond the obvious
Less obvious, rarely queued for, and usually the part people remember.
Intricate 20-kilometre labyrinth of two- and three-storey cellars hand-dug under the town since the 14th century
Don a protective helmet to explore cold subterranean galleries, medieval beer storage cellars, and secret escape wells.
Remarkable collection of modernist apartment interiors designed by pioneering architect Adolf Loos in the 1930s
Tour preserved apartments featuring Loos' signature marble veneer walls, built-in mahogany furniture and spatial Raumplan concepts.
After dark
Modern craft beer pub pouring rotating taps from independent Czech craft microbreweries
Explore beyond traditional pale lagers with experimental West Bohemian pale ales, IPAs, and oak-aged sours on tap.
Practical
Plan this trip — useful links
Context
Enough to make what you are looking at legible.
King Wenceslaus II founds the royal city of Plzeň and grants 260 burgher houses the coveted privilege to brew beer.
Josef Groll brews the historic first batch of bottom-fermented golden lager, establishing Pilsner as a worldwide beer style.
Plzeň is liberated from Nazi occupation on 6 May 1945 by the U.S. Third Army under General George S. Patton.
