Pilsen offers several distinct highlights for your trip: the history of Pilsner lager, museums and architecture, as well as technology, a zoo and routes by the ponds. Which ones you combine depends on what you would like to experience in the city. For a trip focused on culture and history, for example, you can specifically combine a visit to the Pivovarské muzeum with the Historical Underground. If you would rather spend time outdoors, you’ll find cycling routes, ponds and landscapes to explore.
Brewing history and the underground city
The first batch of Pilsner lager was brewed in Pilsen on October 5, 1842. The Pivovarské muzeum is housed in an original 15th-century brewing rights house and presents the history of beer production and consumption. An underground passage connects the museum with the Plzeňské historické podzemí, making it possible to combine both visits.
The Historical Underground takes visitors on a roughly 800-metre circular route through a labyrinth that has been developing since the late 13th century. The tour also includes a visit to a historic waterworks dating from the first half of the 16th century. This combination offers two distinct ways to explore the city’s history: the brewing rights house and its brewing tradition, and the underground structures with the waterworks.
Architecture, views and culture
Dedicated to Pilsen’s patron saint, Saint Bartholomew, the Katedrála sv. Bartoloměje began to be built when the city was founded in 1295; construction was completed in the early 16th century. Its tower is 102.26 metres high. After climbing nearly 300 steps, the viewing gallery offers views over Pilsen and the entire region. The building’s history and the views are two clearly distinct aspects of a visit.
A guided tour of the Velká synagoga includes the interior and the rabbi’s house; visitors also have the option of climbing one of the towers. In addition to its religious functions, the synagogue serves as a concert and exhibition hall. The permanent exhibition “Tady žili Židé” is located in the upper galleries. If you plan to take a tour, check the schedule in advance.
Technology, animals and gardens
The Techmania Science Center features hundreds of interactive exhibits across 7,000 square metres. Topics range from the laws of nature and the animal kingdom to the history of industry and technology, as well as energy from renewable resources. Techmania therefore covers a range of fields rather than focusing on a single technology topic.
At Zoo Plzeň, animal exhibits are combined with a botanical area that includes a meditative Japanese garden. In addition to the regular route, falconry demonstrations and guided feedings—of penguins or butterflies, for example—may be available, particularly on weekends, during peak season and over the summer holidays. These activities are scheduled for specific times and are not necessarily available year-round.
Cycling routes, ponds and paths through the city
The cycling route around the Bolevec ponds leads to Velký bolevecký rybník, where swimming is possible. Check the conditions before swimming. The route as described also passes Senecký rybník and the Sofronka Arboretum on the way to Kamenný rybník and its peat bogs; a stop at the technical monument Kolomazná pec is also one of the named points along the route. Together, the stops on this specific cycling route include a body of water, an arboretum, peatland and a technical monument.
The city also has dozens of kilometres of paths for pedestrians and cyclists, with some sections shared and others separated. Pilsen is also on international cycling route No. 3 between Regensburg and Prague. If you are planning a cycling trip, check the route and signage in advance, as conditions and signposting may change. The city thus offers both local paths and access to an international cycling route.
Getting around Pilsen
Public transport within the city includes trams, trolleybuses and buses. Travellers can also use trains on all five railway lines that run through Pilsen to get around the city and its surrounding area. Timetables and transport services may change; check the times before planning your specific journeys.
If you are looking for a hotel in Pilsen, it’s best to first decide what you want to focus on during your trip: brewing history and underground structures, architecture and culture, technology and animals, or a cycling trip around the ponds.
Discover more destinations: Radčice, Bolevec, Nezvěstice, Lhůta, Chrást, Letkov, Nezbavětice, Šťáhlavy
For the overview of the wider area: Plzeň-Město District.
