Prague & Pilsen, Czechia

Our original itinerary called for us to spend a little over a week near the south bohemian city of České Budějovice.  Plans changed when we got official word some of our best friends were making the journey from the US to Czechia to spend some time with us.  Because they were flying into Prague and staying less than a week it made more sense for us to come to Prague versus them coming all the way to České Budějovice.  In mid November there definitely would be more exciting group activities in the big city.  So I rebooked a larger AirBnB in Prague for the 5 of us.  

We had previously been to Prague back in the summer of 2014 and had seen all the major sites already so our time in the city was more about spending quality time with our friends and seeing some of the less high profile sites and neighborhoods in the city.  Prague is an amazing city full of beautiful architecture, great beer and plenty of history.  We really enjoyed our time here previously and were excited to be there again, especially with such great friends!

Petrin Hill & Tower

Our Airbnb (which was great by the way, definitely recommend for groups of 4) sat in the Lesser Town neighborhood about a 15 minute walk South of the Charles Bridge and just steps from the river and Petrin Hill.  We had not ventured up Petrin Hill during our previous stay so on our first full day we decided to climb the hill and check out the views.

Most of the hill is a park and is criss-crossed with many walking trails.  If you climb to the top you will be rewarded with excellent views of the city below.  There are also places to grab snacks and drinks.  Also at the top of the hill is the Eiffel Tower esque Petrin Tower.  You can pay to go to the top of the tower for even better views but we chose not to.  

Clockwise from top left, 1) Petrin tower, 2) views from Petrin hill, 3) my beer at Strahov Monastery Brewery, 4) group photo during our Petrin hill adventure

After a pleasant stroll around the top of the hill we walked down a different side we came up and grabbed a snack and beer at Strahov Monastery Brewery. I believe historically monks used to brew at this monastery in the middle ages but it was discontinued at some point in the past.  This craft brewery opened in 2000 to carry on the brewing tradition.  They seem to be doing a good job.  We all ordered traditional Czech beer and food and everyone enjoyed it.

Historic Pub Tour

Many times on my first day in a new city or country I’ll do some type of tour to help familiarize myself with the area.  If I don’t know much about the local food I’ll do a food tour, otherwise it is some other type of walking tour.  Amy and I knew the city and food pretty well from our previous visit but our friends had never been here before so I booked us this Prague Historic Pub Tour because I thought it would be a fun activity to kick off our time together.

The tour ended up being great. Our tour guide was not Czech unfortunately, he was American, but he was great fun anyway.  It was nice to get to visit some off the beaten path pubs and get a refresher on Czech history and beer culture.  I highly recommend this tour if you like beer and are looking for something laid back and fun to do during a visit to Prague.

Group picture with our Californian tour guide Keegan (left) and Amy drinking with a local (right).

Letna Park & Letenský zámeček Beer Garden

Letenský zámeček beer garden sits on a hill in Letna Park just across the river from the old town.  We actually found this beer garden back in 2014 during our first visit to Prague and when our tour guide mentioned it during our pub tour I instantly remembered being there.  If you are looking for a picturesque place to drink Czech beer outdoors in Prague this is the place.  It isn’t on the main tourist tracks so you may actually escape the hoards and get to hang around some locals and most importantly you will have great views of the entire city.  Summer is the ideal time to go, but even on a chilly November evening the garden was open and it was great fun to suck down a fine Czech lager with friends while taking in the city lights.

Letenský zámeček beer garden

Vyšehrad Fortress

Another area we never visited during our first visit to Prague was Vyšehrad fortress.  This fortress dates back to the 10th century and sits on another hill in a different part of the city.  Contained with the walls of the fortress is the Saints Peter & Paul Basilica and the Vyšehrad Cemetery which are both worth a visit.  This is a really beautiful and relatively quiet area with more excellent views of the city if you walk along the walls.  It’s nice to be able to snap some pictures without swimming through crowds of Instagrammers.

Also contained within the fortress are a few small snack stands and cafes as well as a fun beer garden called Na Hradbách where you can get more of that oh so good Czech beer.  We stopped for a coffee at one cafe and later grabbed a quick drink at the beer garden.

Clockwise from top left 1) views from the fortress, 2) Mav in front of the basilica, 3) rear of the basilica, 4) grabbing beers at the beer garden, 5) more views from the fortress with the castle in the background.

Struggle for Freedom and Democracy Day

Once again we found our stay coinciding with a national holiday!  This time it was Struggle for Freedom and Democracy Day in Czechia.  This is a day commemorating the student demonstration against Nazi occupation in 1939, and the demonstration in 1989 that started the Velvet Revolution which eventually led to Czech independence from the Soviet Union sphere of influence.

On this day in Prague the entire old town of the city was shut down to street traffic including the trams and it was pedestrian only.  Many of the buildings were decked out with Czech flags and there was live music and street food.  Once again it was great fun to see another country celebrate a holiday that is uniquely their own. 

Enjoying Struggle for Freedom and Democracy Day

Pilsen, Czechia

After parting ways with our friends in Prague we had a couple of nights to kill somewhere before rejoining our originally planned itinerary in Vienna, Austria.  I decided to make the short 1.5 hour drive to the nearby Czech city of Pilsen.  As a beer geek this is a place I’ve long wanted to visit because of its status as the home of the original pilsner beer which happens to be the most brewed beer style in the world.

That original pilsner is actually still brewed in Pilsen and the brand is called Pilsner Urquell.  You don’t see it a whole lot in the United States but it is widely available in Europe and is pretty much ubiquitous in Czechia.  I don’t tend to go on brewery tours anymore because as a home brewer I’m quite familiar with the brewing process.  The typical brewery tour tends to get pretty repetitive.  Pilsner Urquel was a bit of a different situation because of the historical element of the brewery and some unique aspects such as being able to tour the old tunnels that were constructed for lagering the beer before the days of refrigeration.  (If you know nothing about beer, lager beer is fermented and aged at lower temperatures than ales.  Typically this requires some kind of refrigeration)

Clockwise from top left, 1) in front of the Pilsner Urquell 50th anniversary gate, 2) historic water tower, 3) enjoying our sample beer underground amongst the wooden casks, 4) entrance to the tunnels, 5) the tunnels, 6) traditional open fermentation in the tunnels.

The tour did not disappoint.  It lasted nearly two hours and we got to see the brewhouse, the inside of the historic water tower and of course the underground lagering tunnels.  While in the tunnels we got to sample beer brewed in the traditional style in wood barrels in those very tunnels.  I highly recommend this tour regardless of whether or not you are a beer geek like me.

One of my other passions besides beer is hockey and one of my goals on this trip was to see my first European professional hockey game.  I made that happen in Pilsen.  After our brewery tour we grabbed some dinner and then headed to the rink to see the local Czech Extraliga team HC Škoda Plzeň.  

I had heard how European hockey fans are quite different from North American fans.  They treat the game much more like a soccer game.  This was evident from puck drop as the entire section behind us began drumming and chanting that did not stop for one second outside of the intermissions.  I loved the energy but it does take some getting used to.  It might have been easier if they weren’t right behind us.  I think we were both hearing echoes of the drums for a few days afterwards.  It was refreshing that there was no blasted music, stupid games or idiots dancing on the jumbotron.  Sometimes at home I wonder if people are even at the rink to watch the actual game.

The opponent was the last place team and likely battling relegation to the second tier league.  Despite giving up the opening goal the home team did not have much trouble dispatching their opponent.  It was a lot of fun attending my first European hockey game.  I have a trip planned to Finland in a few months, hopefully I can take in a Finnish league game while I’m there.

Beyond our beer and hockey adventures we did take some time to walk around the Pilsen old town.  It really is a pretty city with plenty to do. They were setting up the Christmas market in the main square and it looked like it was going to be a nice one.  Don’t sleep on Pilsen, either as a destination for 2-3 nights or as a day trip from Prague!

The next phase of our trip is all about European Christmas markets.  Stay tuned to see which ones you might want to plan to see yourself!