Daytrip to Plzeň and the Pilsner Urquell brewery

Plzeň with the Pilsner Urquell brewery – and a detour to a charming microbrewery

Duration: Approximately 8 hours. Starting time is usually 9:30 AM. The tour is available on any day throughout the year.
Aim: To visit the town of Plzeň with the Pilsner Urquell brewery. To sample beer from a much smaller brewery as well.
Focus: Czech beer traditions and brewing methods. We'll learn about the world's first Pilsner beer and sample a handmade version of it. We'll see the city centre of Plzeň. To top it all off, we'll visit a quaint and unique microbrewery and sample some of the craft beer sold there at remarkably low prices.
Transportation: By car and by foot.
Meeting point: Your address in Prague (if accessible by car)
Food/drinks: Lunch at the brewery restaurant with low prices (not included). Possibility of tasting craft beer on the way back to Prague.
Group size: 1-6 persons
Price: a total of Czk. 6.500,- (€ 260,- or $ 300,-) for the whole group. Surcharge: Entrance at the brewery: approximately Czk. 250,- (€ 10,- or $ 12,-) per person.

 

You can enjoy this on your day trip to Plzeň with the Pilsner Urquell brewery:

Probably the best known brewery of the Czech Republic is to be found in the town of Plzeň - or Pilsen. The golden beer, Pilsner Urquell or in Czech “Plzeňský Prazdroj”, is a deeply rooted part of Czech culture. Urquell means "original source" and this particular beer is so to speak the mother of all Pilsner type beers. It was brewmaster Josef Groll, who in October 1842 started the first brew of a light bottom-fermented beer, which turned out to be a great success - and today, most breweries in the world have a variant of the type usually referred to as a lager beer. Pilsner Urquell is exclusively brewed in the city of Plzeň - so no matter where in the world you may later taste one of these fantastic beers, you can know that you saw its birth place.

During our drive towards Pilsen I’ll explain some of the details of Czech beer culture. When we arrive in Pilsen, we’ll start by having a look at the beautiful medieval central square, Náměstí Republiky (Republic Square), where you can enjoy the wonderful Gothic St. Bartholomew's Cathedral. The construction of the building started in 1295 and was finished by the beginning of 16th century, and the church boats the tallest spire in the Czech Republic, 102,6 meters high. You can have a stroll around the square, or we can take a break in one of the charming cafés or pubs and have a cup of coffee – or a golden Pilsner Urquell (not included).

Then we drive the very short distance to the brewery, where we’ll have lunch in the brewery’s own restaurant, Na Spilce (not included, but cheap). Of course the visit to the brewery features an approximately 90 minutes guided tour including bottling plants, boilers and basements and a sample of hand crafted unfiltered, unpasteurized Pilsner, available only here – and not for sale. The fee for the tour (in English) is Czk. 250,- (not included). I recommend warm clothing for touring the cellars: the temperature there is around + 8° C. (at least bring a light jacket). If you want, we can make a stop at the brewery's souvenir shop, which has a very wide range of glasses, clothes, caps, bags etc. There's no pressure to buy anything and you're more than welcome to skip the shop.

On the way back we make a small detour to Beroun, which hides another gem for beer connoisseurs, the microbrewery Berounsky Medved – The Bear of Beroun. We take a break for a taste (not included). There are typically 6-8 craft beers, brewed on the premises, to choose from - and you can buy the unique beer to go at surprisingly low prices.