Day Trip to Pilsen from Prague, Plzen, Czech Republic

If you enjoy beer, Pilsen is one of the must-see cities in the Czech Republic. That’s because it’s the city where pilsner beer originated in the 1800s. You can still visit the brewery that produced the world’s first pilsner beer in Pilsen. But more on that later.

As one of Prague’s closest neighbors, it’s outrageously easy to get to Pilsen at all hours of the day. You can either take one of many bus lines, like Flixbus or Regiojet, or take a regional train which departs to and from the city approximately twice every hour. You can pretty much show up at the train station anytime and get a ticket for less than $5. The trains will get you to and from Pilsen in an hour and a half if you take the express train, or almost two hours if you take the other trains.

If you’re traveling around Europe and coming from certain cities in Germany, like Nuremberg or Munich, it makes more sense to stop in Pilsen on the way to Prague instead of taking a day trip from Prague. Pilsen is almost a halfway point.

The Pilsner Urquell brewery is the number one reason to visit Pilsen, and this alone is worth the trip. The brewery tour is almost two hours, taking you around the huge complex of the brewery, which is so big that it requires a bus. The tour includes a visit to the bottling facility, where Pilsner Urquell is bottled along with Kozel, Gambrinus, and a few other Czech brands. You’ll also get a chance to taste the individual ingredients like hops, malt, and barley. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).