Exploring the Pilsner Urquell Brewery in 2024
One of the best day tours you can do from Prague is making the trip from Prague to Plzen to visit the famous Pilsner Urquell Brewery which is home to the original Pilsner beer.
Thanks to Pilsner Urquell we can find pilsners in all corners of the world and there’s a good chance you’ve maybe even tried this pilsner in your home town or in a pub somewhere abroad.
Czechs pride themselves in how good there beer is and you’ll be able to judge for yourself of what you think of the famous Pilsner Urquell beer straight from the source here in Plzen.
We hope you get a chance to enjoy this awesome tour where you’ll learn not only how the beer is made but also the history of Pilsen and how the beer came to be.
You’ll head deep into the underground of the brewery where the guide will explain what happens in all the different rooms.
Even though some of the equipment is upgraded and modern most of the procedures and ways the beer is made is still the exact same! More of that once you’re on the tour! 😉
Plzen Brewery Museum
The Plzen brewery itself was founded back in 1842 as the first of its kind which would end up producing the world famous pale lager which is now replicated all around the world.
The Pilsner Urquell Brewery main gates open themselves up to guests all year around, and there is no other place like it in the world. Pilsner Urquell beer is supposedly only produced and exported from this Pilsner Urquell Brewery.
And that’s not all of it… The brewery produces about 120.000 bottles of beer per minute.
That has to be a sign of good beer, right? No wonder the Pilsner Urquell tour is one Pilsen’s best rated tourist attractions.
Who to bring on your day trip to Pilsen
This wonderful balance of history and beer is the perfect mix for almost anyone travelling, living abroad, or looking for somewhere to explore on the weekend.
We’d personally recommend this to almost everyone. Especially if you’re looking for a good day trip from Prague.
You see almost every aspect of the brewery, learn all about the processes of brewing the golden liquid, the history behind, and you even get to try the world famous Pilsner Urquell beer (raw version, yummy!) at the end of the tour.
The beer is poured directly from the underground orc barrels – it really doesn’t get much closer to the source than that. It’s a great trip for a group of university students studying abroad.
Or if your friends or family visit you while you’re staying here in Czech. Best part?
The whole day is very affordable for basically any kind of traveler.
When to go to the Pilsen Brewery Tour
We would definitely recommend you to go earlier in the day.
Especially if you’re doing a day trip from Prague. It will give you plenty of time to explore the Pilsen town square and make a few stops along the way before heading to the tour.
Just make sure you book tickets in advance because they do sell out quickly (we bought our tickets three days in advance out of season and they were almost sold out).
You can purchase the tickets for the Pilsner Brewery tour on their website or through Get Your Guide (recommended).
They cost around $12 or 250 CZK for the full tour of the brewery including a refreshing Pilsner Urquell.
How to get from Prague to Pilsen
Pilsen is just over an hour away so it is extremely easy to get to using public transport.
This makes this trip extremely doable for locals or tourists who are spending a few days in Prague. Using Omio (previously known as GoEuro) you can purchase tickets to get from Prague to Pilsner for as little as $5.
Conveniently, buses and trains go extremely often from Prague main station to Pilsner main station.
There are also other departure points around Prague if you aren’t based close to the main station.
We highly recommend you use Omio to book your tickets. Put Prague to Pilsen in, select round-trip and then select the dates you’re travelling.
Once you get off at Pilsen main train station you can walk to the Pilsner Brewery Museum in under 10 minutes.
Going this way you won’t walk through the city centre but you can always do that after the tour.
You may also like…
- Top 11 Things to Do in Pilsen, Czech Republic
- The Complete Guide to a 2 Day Trip to Pilsen, Czech Republic
- 8 Awesome Day Trips From Prague You Need to Do
- The Best Ways to Get From Prague to Pilsen
Other useful info
- Book your ticket for the Pilsner Brewery tour in advance! They were almost sold out when we went, and we booked a few days in advance.
- If you have an ISIC card you can get a discount on both your train ticket and your brewery ticket. (It saves you 75% on the train fare and about 35% on the brewery ticket). You can also get a discount on your brewery ticket if you have a regular student card.
- We’d recommend stopping at Pivotecka for lunch. The variety of beer is great and the traditional goulash is fantastic. Also the owner speaks english quite well and is extremely friendly and knowledgeable about the history of the city and the beer.
- Pilsner is also known for its medieval network of underground tunnels which are accessible by guided tours. You could easily add that in before or after the beer tour and have a fun packed day of tours!
- If you’re really coming to Pilsner for the beer then don’t forget to stop by the Beer museum.
Interesting facts about Pilsner Urquell:
- One litre of beer requires roughly 4-8 litres of water to produce. Yet, wherever you go, beer is cheaper than water in the Czech Republic. Logic? I guess they just want you to always be drunk…
- Pilsner beer makes up about 90% of the beer consumed yearly in the Czech Republic. Heck, they love their Pilsner! Good on them!
- Pilsner is also a rich source of vitamin B, antioxidants, and supports digestion. If you ask my (Dom’s) grandma, you should drink a glass of beer for dinner with every meal. If you insist grandma! 😉
- Czech adults drink about 143 litres of beer yearly. 286 pints per capita per year. They’re either listening to my (Dom’s) grandma or they all just really like to have a good time.
Have you been to a brewery before? Where was it and how did you like it? Please share with us in the comments below!
Recap of the Pilsner Urquell Brewery Tour
It’s one of the top things to do in Pilsen and it’s one of the most famous beers in the world!
We hope you have an amazing time visiting the brewery here in Plzen as it makes for an awesome day trip from Prague.
You can easily even spend a night or two in Plzen and explore all the different things there are to do here. Actually one of our favourite pizza places in the Czech Republic is right here in the heart of Pilsen.
If you have questions about getting from Prague to Pilsen or how to get there or anything like that than feel free to reach out.
You can DM us on Instagram @redwhiteadventures or leave a comment below. We’ll always get back to you and love sharing our knowledge on the Czech Republic.
We hope you have a blast in Czech and have an amazing time in Pilsen.
Have fun!
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