Pilsen (or Plzen in Czech) is one of the most famous cities in all of the Czech Republic. This capital city of the Bohemia region in the Czech Republic is known for producing the world-famous Pilsner Urquell Beer but there’s a lot more to Pilsen than just drinking beer. Not gonna lie, the beer is amazing, but the beer is just the cherry on top! 

Being the 4th largest city in the Czech Republic you can find a lot to do in and around the city center and one thing we love about Pilsen is the fact that is a very walkable city. You can roam down the cobblestone streets, through the parks, and along the walking trails to see most of the highlights in Pilsen.

We hope this post helps you in planning your trip to Pilsen, and if you’re looking for a full 2-day itinerary, you can check out our Complete Guide to a 2 Day Trip to Pilsen, Czech Republic.

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11 Fun Things to do in Pilsen, Czech Republic

Quick breakdown of your trip:

  • ✈️ Book cheap flights to Prague through KAYAK
  • 🛌 Find your accommodation through Booking.com
  • 🚘 Want to rent a car for your trip? Use Discover Cars to find the best deals
  • 🍻 Start your Pilsen tour the right way by visiting the Pilsner Urquell Brewery
  • 🌂 Book a guided tour through GetYourGuide
  • 👩🏼‍⚕️ Make sure your adventures are insured with SafetyWing
  • 📸 Bring your camera and get Insta ready

#1 Visit and hike up to the top of St. Bartholomew Cathedral 

Picture of the tower of St Bartholomew Cathedral.

We hope you’re not afraid of heights because the view from the highest cathedral tower in the Czech Republic is incredible. At 102 meters high it makes it the tallest cathedral tower in the Czech Republic and also one of the coolest! 

Firstly, we recommend checking out the actual cathedral on the main floor and seeing the detail of this beauty. The stainless steel glass windows, incredible details, and just sheer size really come to life inside St. Bartholomew’s Cathedral.

Once you’ve had the time to appreciate the inside of the Bartholomew Cathedral you can start the hike up towards the tower. About halfway up you’ll find the ticket office where you’ll need to pay 60 CZK ($2.5) to hike up to the top of the spire. This is where you’ll get the best view of the city!

It’s roughly 13 floors to the top where you’ll have a full 360-degree panoramic view of Pilsen. If you’re afraid of heights we just want to assure you there’s a full caged fencing around it so it is safe to go. However, if you’re afraid of heights it might still feel a little scary! We promise you it’s worth it though 🙂

#2 Enjoy the most delicious pizza at Pizzeria Da Pietro

A man eating a delicious pizza at Pizzeria Da Pietro in Pilsen.

We’re not kidding when we say Pizzeria Da Pietro is one of the best Pizzerias in the world. The first time we had it, we were surprised at just how good it was! And then we had it again a year later and it was just as good as the first time and if not better.

Slightly surprised and shocked at how good the pizza was we looked into Da Pietro and we realized that the owner actually went to Naples in Italy to learn how to create the perfect pizza. It worked out pretty well for him, we’d say 😉

To this day they still import ingredients from Naples and Italy to Pilsen to continue to serve some of the best pizzas out there. We’re not kidding when we’re saying we’d make a trip from Prague to Pilsen just for dinner to have a delicious pizza. They’re that good!

Pro tip: Book a table a few in advance if possible as they’re always busy. They do have sit-down tables out front but you might be waiting for a while.

#3 Visit the Pilsner Urquell Brewery 

The Pilsner Urquell Brewery is by far the most popular place to visit and tour in Pilsen. In case you didn’t know, Pilsner beer is world-famous and we have Pilsner Urquell to thank for that!

You can follow a nice walking trail from old town Pilsen to the brewery where you can enjoy one of two tours they offer. The tours are the best way to learn the history behind this world-famous beer and also see inside the brewery that’s been around since 1842.

We loved the tour we went on and the fact you can actually walk through the underground tunnels where they still to this day store the beer in the large “orc” barrels is fascinating to see. Also, trying an unfiltered and unpasteurized Pilsner Urquell is something else. It was so good!

If you get a chance, we recommend doing the full tour of the brewery where you learn about the history, see how beer is made, and try the famous Pilsner Urquell. The beer is iconic for Pilsen and it’s the only place in the world where this beer is produced!

Check availability and book your tour here.

#4 Terraza Rooftop Bar  

Picture of a yummy coffee with whip cream.

Ok, so we’ve talked about the best view in Pilsen which is from the St. Bartholomew Cathedral. Now let’s talk about the best place to get a view of this cathedral.

Right in the main square of Pilsen, you can find Terraza Rooftop Bar where you can enjoy coffee or a drink with a view. You take the elevator or the stairs to the 5th floor and from there you go outside where you can find Terraza Rooftop Bar. If you are afraid of heights and don’t want to hike up to the top of St. Bartholomew this is a good alternative.

They have a nice variety of drinks and coffee and on a warm summer day, you can soak up some sun here while enjoying a nice view of the cathedral, main square, and the rest of the city!

#5 Visit the Great Synagogue 

Photo of the Great Synagogue in Pilsen.

The Great Synagogue is another historic and important monument in the city of Pilsen. It’s one of the most important buildings in Pilsen and a fun fact about the Great Synagogue is that it’s actually the second largest Synagogue in Europe!

You can admire this marvellous building from the outside (the twin towers are stunning) before heading inside where the real marvel starts! For 120 CZK ($5) you can enter the synagogue and explore the Jewish history and learn how it is connected to Bohemia and the rest of the Czech Republic. 

There are tons of pictures and a few touch-screen TVs where you can learn more about the Jewish history in the Czech Republic and see all the different towns in Bohemia that have Jewish connections to them. It’s a fascinating synagogue and a place you have to visit in person to truly experience it.

#6 Check out DEPO2015 

A man standing in front of Depo 2015 in Pilsen, Czech Republic!

Another fun fact about Pilsen is that it was the European Capital of Culture in 2015 and that’s when this funky idea came to life! Basically, an old bus station has been converted into a funky little marketplace.

Inside, you can find a little cafe, a place to get some delicious Czech food, a few shops, mini art exhibits, a gym and other cool things!

It is a really unique place to visit in Pilsen. Especially with most things in Pilsen being historic, and significant in some way, DEPO2015 is the total opposite! It’s young, fun, and a cool place to just hang out and have a good time. 

There are also events that happen quite frequently at DEPO2015 so there’s always stuff going on. Pilsen is full of history but it also has a young and vibrant feel to it. DEPO2015 is a prime example of that!

#7 Explore the underground passages of Pilsen

Visiting the historic underground of Pilsen was one of the coolest things we’ve done in Pilsen. The only way to actually get underground is by a guided tour where you’ll learn about the passages and labyrinths that are directly located under the main square of Pilsen. 

You’ll only be able to walk around a specific part of the underground which is around 800 meters. As you walk underground you’ll be able to see all the other passages connecting and how they spread all over and go multiple floors deep.

On top of how cool it is to explore the underground, the information that the tour guides share is super interesting. You will also get to see a bunch of different artifacts and objects that have been preserved that are still a part of the tour which makes it that much more interesting. 

We didn’t really know what to expect from this tour other than the fact that we were going to see these underground passages so we were very pleased with the outcome.

With your ticket, you’ll also receive a coupon for one free beer that can be used at the restaurant next door (featured in the picture of the door above). So don’t forget that! They also make delicious Czech food there too, so it’s a good place to stop for lunch if you don’t go to Le Frenchie which leads us to the next point on our list.

#8 Have a bite to eat at Le Frenchie Cafe

A guy sitting in front of Le Frenchie Cafe in Pilsen, Czech Republic.

For being the 4th largest city in the Czech Republic, Pilsen has a really good food scene! And a lot of it takes place on one road near Smetanovy and Kopeckeho Park.

Le Frenchie is a French-inspired café that serves delicious French breakfast and brunch. The best part is that on a warm sunny day you can sit outside and have a yummy Eggs Benedict or English Breakfast next to the park. 

They also make delicious sweets and yummy coffee! A great place to relax and enjoy the vibe of Pilsen.

#9 Taste different beers in the beer capital at Pivstro Brewhemian Beer Bistro

You’re in Pilsen, the beer capital of the world, so it’s only right to visit a local beer place to try out some of the best local beer from microbreweries around the region. Pivstro is a cozy little beer bistro in town that offers an insane selection of beer and delicious food.

It’s a quaint little beer bistro with friendly staff where you can chat up the workers and learn a thing or two about the beer they have. The staff is super knowledgeable and friendly and always willing to answer any questions you may have. 

If you’re a beer lover and enjoy trying new stuff this place will blow you away! 

Check out Pivstro Brewhemian’s reviews on Tripadvisor here.

#10 See some animals at the Pilsen Zoo

Pilsen Zoo & Botanical Garden has quite a variety of interesting animals. You can spend a few hours walking through the gardens and the animal exhibits admiring the different animals.

The best part is that even though the animals have plenty of space to roam and be free there’s still room for them to come up close and get personal with you and let you truly admire their beauty! 

It’s a perfect place to visit with a family or just as an afternoon date. Give yourself a few hours to see everything the Pilsen Zoo has to offer.

Check out Pilzen Zoo’s reviews on Tripadvisor here.

#11 Watch a FC Viktoria Plzen Football match

FC Viktoria Plzen is the local football team that plays in the top division of Czech football (soccer). Most of the games are on the weekends but there are also weekday games that take place sometimes. 

You can look at the FC Viktoria Plzen schedule here and see if they’re playing a home game while you’re in town. It’s a fun way to surround yourself with locals and enjoy one of the Czech Republic’s favourite pastimes; football! 

Fun fact: FC Viktoria Plzen won the Czech league in 2022!

How to get from Prague to Pilsen

One of the reasons why Prague to Pilsen is such a popular day and weekend trip is because of how easy it is to get from the two cities. You can find the easiest ways to get from Prague to Pilsen here

Our personal preference is taking the train. It’s affordable, convenient, and has free wifi which is a nice bonus. For the most part, trains are usually on time and without delays which is nice. If you take the train, you go from the main station in Prague to the main station in Pilsen which is super convenient (compared to the bus leaves from outside of the city centre).

There are other options like taking the bus or renting a car but from Prague to Pilsen we prefer taking the train. You can see the different options on how to get from Prague to Pilsen here.

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Other questions related to Pilsen in the Czech Republic

Is Pilsen Worth Visiting?

Pilsen is absolutely worth visiting! The city of Pilsen has so much history, beautiful architecture, and one of the best brewery tours in the world! So yes, Pilsen is absolutely worth visiting if you get the chance.

What is Pilsen Czech known for?

Pilsen Czech is known for many things but the three that stand out the more are the Pilsner Urquell Brewery, Skoda cars, and lastly the Great Synagogue.

Recap of 11 fun things to do in Pilsen 

Get ready to try some delicious beer (in large quantities) in Pilsen — if you enjoy it of course! This city thrives on its delicious beer but also its interesting history and architectural wonders that you can find around Pilsen.

The variety of things to do in Pilsen is really good and we’re sure you’ll have an awesome time there. Pilsen is a must when visiting the Czech Republic and one of the most beautiful places to see in the Bohemia region. 

We hope you enjoy this cultural, inspiring, and fun city in the Czech Republic.

Have fun!

Dom & Jo
Red White Adventures

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