Self Guided Walking Tours Prague: City of Beer

This quest tour is available in text version. You can buy it at a more favourable price than the one with a voiceover, for only 28€.

See how the tour looks like on the smartphone

Prague: City of Beer

For your pleasure, we have a list of the best brewpubs in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. As you make your way from one fine establishment to the other, you’ll pass by the Man Hanging Out sculpture, and the Head of Franz Kafka rotating sculpture. We’ll take you to Old Town Square to Charles Square (Karlovo náměstí)—the largest in Prague—where you’ll feast your eyes on the New Town Hall. You’ll also get to know three of the most historical churches in Prague, where you’ll learn about how skilfull the monks of the city are at the craft of brewing.

So much of interest awaits you!

Pivnice-hospody-hostince-pivovary—there are enough “watering holes” in this fine city to make your head spin. That’s why we’ve selected the best of the best in Prague: brewpubs that make the foamiest, freshest beers with the biggest selection for all tastes.

You’ll visit Pivovarský Dům, which features glistening beer tanks right in the dining hall! You can order a “carousal,” which is a flight of beers, or sample beer champagne.

At the Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola you’ll learn all about the scandal connected with the statue of St. Ignatius and the Jesuit Order’s motto.

You’ll see an interesting artefact on the wall of the New Town Hall, an actual cubit, which is an historical unit of length used in Bohemia, and you’ll find out what Prague defenestration refers to.

I do hope that you won’t be alarmed by the giant rotating head.

Then there’s the pub with the unusual name of Two Cats in the old Coal Market — there really were two special cats that lived there, and you’ll learn what made them so famous.

And don’t you want to know why one part of the Church of St. Martin in the Wall is in the Old Town while the other is in the New Town? And why is there a gargoyle of a rude little boy on the roof of the cathedral? He’s been up there for hundreds of years now.

At U Medvídků, Prague’s oldest brewery and restaurant, you can sample XBEER, the strongest of all beers, the recipe for which dates back to days of yore.

And surely you can guess who the sculpture of the Man Hanging Out, or “Viselec,” is of—it has travelled all around the world by now.

At the Three Roses brewpub, you’ll sample a wide variety of golden ales, such as Dark Rose, Old Bavarian Dark, Autumn Side, Viennese Red, and more.

We also provide you with recommendations for what to eat with your brew—what specialities from traditional Czech cuisine to sample at each stop.

Besides the four brewpubs on our tour, we’ll point out two excellent restaurants that feature Czech and European cuisine: “U Pravdů“ at Žitná 15 and “Potrefená husa“ at Národní třída 364/39.

And we also recommend the city’s beer spas: “Original Beer Spa” at Žitná 9 or “Beer Spa Bernard” (Pivní lázně Bernard) at Štěpánská 33. Be aware, though, that you must book sessions at these spas in advance.

Fun facts and mysteries

Beer! The go-to beverage of choice for Czech men. But how about the women? They also wear the pants now, and work alongside the men, so can’t they, too, quaff the foamy brew? Well, the good soldier Švejk would likely roll over in his fictitious grave! And yeah, it’s complicated by choices that must be made, such as between a glass or a mug, dark or light beer, top fermentation vs bottom fermentation, a seriously frothy head, or not so much foam, fried cheese on the side, or pickled sausages? And anyway, is beer solely the purview of men, or can women, too, clink their glasses and shout “Na zdraví!”? Who do you want to listen to? Ivanka, a charming connoisseur of Czech architecture, or the legendary Švejk? First, let’s enjoy the tour and then we can decide.

You’ll learn a lot of interesting facts about Czech beer and the history of brewing. And we make it fun with riddles, puzzles, and little quizzes!

Major Attractions

• Brewery House [Pivovarský Dům] (Mon – Sat 11:00 – 23:30, Sun 12:00 – 23:30)*
• Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola [Kostel sv. Ignáce]
• Charles Square
• New Town Hall [Novoměstská radnice]
• Head of Franz Kafka sculpture
• Two Cats Brewpub [U Dvou Koček] (Mon – Sun 11:00 – 23:00)*
• Church of St. Martin in the Wall [Kostel svatého Martina ve zdi]
• U Medvídků brewpub (Mon – Thu 11:30 – 22:00, Fri – Sat 11:30 – 23:00, Sun 11:30 – 22:00)*
• Man Hanging Out sculpture [Zavěšený muž]
• Chapel of St. Elijah [Kaple sv. Eliáše]
• Three Roses brewpub [U Tří růží] (Mon – Sun 11:00 – 23:00)*

*These brewpubs are quite popular, so we suggest you reserve a table in advance. Otherwise, you might have to wait for a table.

The starting point of the route

Tram station: Štěpánská (trams 22, 10, 16, 6), next to Charles Square. Nearest metro: Charles Square (Karlovo náměstí), yellow line (B)