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I love a good hidden gem. One of those places where you have to wonder: Why don’t more people know about this? The more I travel, the more I really treasure places like this. Walking down a cobbled street with no one around, enjoying the view from a church tower by yourself, or finding yourself eating one of the best burgers you’ve ever had in a tiny burger place that you stumbled upon. If you want a destination that is easy to get to in Europe by train or car, then continue reading!
Pilsen is an hour and a half away from Prague, only 3 hours by car from Munich, and 4 hours by train. It is the birth place of Pilsner beer (yes they do offer brewery tours so keep on reading!). It was built in 1295 so this city does not just offer beer, but also a lot of history.
The Vibe
I think Pilsen really has two sides to it. For me it was a gorgeous relaxed vibe from the moment we got there – no overcrowding, lovely Spring weather and a lot of excellent cafes and restaurants (although don’t be fooled – its quiet but not that quiet, make sure you reserve a table!). However they do have a lot of pubs and bars so there is quite a vibrant nightlife. I think it is best of both worlds and can accommodate to both sides depending on what you want.
The stunning architecture in Pilsen really surprised me, there are so many beautiful buildings and I loved walking around and taking it all in. A lot of cafes and bars have outdoor seating, which makes it perfect to people watch and enjoy the scenery.
Our Activities
We were invited to Pilsen by the tourism board and they booked us a few tours to do while we were there! If you are planning a trip then save these activities as they are a perfect way to see Pilsen for the first time.
Climb the Cathedral Tower:
The cathedral of St. Bartholomew has the largest church tower in the Czech Republic. Climb 301 steps to get a beautiful 360 degree view of Pilsen. We went on a Saturday morning at around 10am and actually had the entire tower to ourselves – something I have never experienced before! It costs approx. 4,50€ to climb the tower.
Visit Adolf Loos Apartments:
Adolf Loos was an architect who designed buildings way ahead of his time. There are quite a few apartments to see in Pilsen that he designed, and we were lucky enough to see three apartments: Vogl & Kraus (in one tour) and the Semler Residence. When you enter the apartments it is like you step back in time to the 1930s.
The Semler Residence is a lot bigger which means there is a lot more to see, however the beauty of the Vogl & Kraus apartments is that the furniture are all replicas, so you can sit on everything which makes it quite interactive – it was quite a novelty going a museum but being able to use the furniture, instead of just looking at it. It costs just under 10€ for the Vogl & Kraus Apartments guided tour and 17€ for the Semler Residence guided tour.
Visit the Synagogue:
This is the largest synagogue in Europe and the third largest in the world! It stands proudly in the city centre and I highly recommend visiting when you are in Pilsen. Interestingly enough it was originally meant to be even taller, but the plans were overruled as they didn’t want it stealing the cathedral’s thunder. We had a wonderful guided tour that really gave us many insights to the history of the synagogue and how it works today. It is open to visitors Sunday to Thursday and tickets cost just under 6€.
Visit the Pilsner Brewery:
Known as the ‘golden liquid’, Pilsner beer was created in Pilsen! You might see beer tours offered in Prague, however here you can get a tour directly at the original factory. Even if you don’t have a tour, I highly recommend going to check out the building from outside, as they have a beer garden so you can have a beer and enjoy your surroundings. We did a brewery tour which showed us the history, the factory, how the beer is made and bottled, and right at the end you also get a glass of unfiltered Pilsner beer deep in the beer cellars! The full tour costs 17€ (including one beer) and they do offer shorter tours too from 6€.
The Food
I am a firm believer that food can make or break a holiday and let me tell you, Pilsen did not disappoint! We had pizza, asian fusion, the best burger I have ever eaten and also one of my favorite tarts that I have not had in a long time. I will write a full blog post with all restaurants linked, but for now I will show you my favorite cafe in Pilsen:
Have you been to Pilsen before or have you heard of it? Let me know in the comments below!
Thank you for reading,
Larissa
The Blonde Jetsetter
The Blonde Jetsetter 